Exterior of Wells School of Music, Photo taken from West Chester University
In a statement to The Quad on Monday Sept. 18 Jeffery Osgood, the Executive Vice President and Provost of the university, informed us that “Effective today, we are able to confirm that Dr. Van Stiefel is no longer an employee of West Chester University.” This statement was also released the same day to Wells School of Music (WSOM) faculty and students via a WCU Communication message.
This announcement follows the release of a statement made by WCU student, Mina Santiago, on Aug. 28, 2023. Her statement described Dr. Stiefel’s termination during the fall 2022 semester after Santiago reported an inappropriate relationship to Lynn Klingensmith, WCU’ s Title IX coordinator.
Soon after, on July 10, Klingensmith reached out to Santiago stating that “the union’s lawyers were attempting to repeal the school’s decision to terminate Stiefel.” This led to an arbitration occurring on Aug. 10. where Santiago was prepared to present her testimony.
Santiago’s statement described a conversation between Dave Mueller, legal counsel to Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), and Bill Helzlsouer, chief human resources officer at WCU, with Santiago on how the university used the threat of her testimony against the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Facilities to “reinstate him on their own, supposedly restrictive, terms.”
There was no public acknowledgment of Dr. Stiefel’s reinstatement besides an email from WSOM Dean, Dr. Christopher Hanning. The email included a statement from WCU administration which said, “in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, public employees have both legal and collective bargaining protections that provide them the opportunity to challenge employment decisions.”
Prior to the 2023 fall semester, many students noticed Dr. Stiefel’s name on their class roster. However, right before school began, his name was removed from students’ schedules without explanation.
The school’s announcement that Dr. Stiefel is no longer an employee follows Santiago’s statement, a Change.org petition and two Quad articles on the topic.
The Quad contacted Mina Santiago for a follow-up statement after the re-termination was announced. “I’m relieved that he’s gone and I’m relieved it wasn’t a longer battle,” she said.
She expressed gratitude to those who supported her: including The Quad, faculty members and students in WSOM.
Brianna Chau is a third-year Political Science and Philosophy major. bc976136@wcupa.edu