University officials tried to cover up improprieties within the handling of the Paul Barrows case, according to state Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, who hopes to investigate public UW-Madison misconduct in an Oct. 12 public hearing.
Rep. Nass said in a statement Monday that the Steingass report, the record of the university's investigation into Barrows' conduct, \provides solid indications that a cover-up of this scandal was launched immediately by Chancellor John Wiley and Casey Nagy, his top aide.""
The proposed hearing, held by the Nass-chaired Assembly Committee on Labor, requests the attendance of 10 university employees, including Madison attorney Susan Steingass, who prepared the original report, Wiley, Nagy and Barrows, among others.
Amy Toburen of the UW-Madison Office of University Communications, who is also requested at the hearing, noted that attendance is not mandatory, and those summoned have until noon Oct. 6 to state whether they will attend.
""We are currently looking at schedules and will have a response to the representative by Thursday on who will be able to attend, considering pending litigation,"" Toburen said.
According to Nass, Wiley and Nagy have been covering up the details of the university's handling of the Barrows case, specifically the circumstances that led to the abuse of sick leave.
""The public deserves a full accounting of this matter, including appropriate disciplinary actions,"" Nass said.
But state Rep. Spencer Black, D-Madison, questioned the true intentions of the hearing, characterizing it as a Republican ploy to draw attention away from more important issues. ""The only purpose of this hearing is publicity,"" Black said, ""There's no legislative legitimacy for this hearing."" He confirmed that the hearing has no legal force, and called it a part of a Republican trend to criticize the university.
""While it is a serious case, I think there are some politicians who want to gain personal publicity and attack the university, who are blowing it out of proportion,"" Black said. ""I don't think [the hearing] will serve any particular purpose.\
