The University of Idaho issued a Vandal Alert Wednesday morning, informing students, faculty and staff Denise Bennett “has been barred from campus. Recent admittance to police of meth use and access to firearms.”
Jodi Walker, UI director of communications, said there was no immediate threat to campus when the alert was sent. Walker said the alert was approved by UI President Chuck Staben, which is standard procedure for most Vandal Alerts.
Bennett, a professor in the Journalism and Mass Media department, was put on administrative leave Jan. 24 and barred from campus Wednesday, following “unprofessional conduct” with College of Letters Arts and Social Sciences Dean Sean Quinlan and another university employee, according to the terms and conditions of her leave. Bennett relayed this information via live stream Tuesday.
Walker said no direct threat had been made to anyone within the university. She said the information in the alert was taken from a Nov. 4 police report.
The report, according to Captain Tyson Berrett of Moscow Police, originated from an alleged domestic dispute in which Bennett admitted to using methamphetamine.
The police records obtained by The Argonaut through a public records request reveal Bennett admitted to police she used methamphetamine Nov. 3. Officers responded to a report of a domestic dispute in progress with firearms present Nov. 4.
No criminal charges were pressed and the case was closed that night.
“This is where we thought it was pertinent the university should know what we know,” Walker said.
Berrett said police revisited Bennett’s case following her live stream Tuesday, which led to the university citing the information in the alert.
“The information that was included in the Vandal Alert — which came from us — stemmed from one of our officers watching the live feed. He said, ‘I recognize her. I had a case with her last year,'” Berrett said.
Berrett said the university asked Moscow police to serve a notice of trespassing to Bennett should she be seen on campus.
Moscow police vehicles were posted outside the Administration Building Wednesday morning following the alert. However, Berrett said the heightened security was because of a planned protest at the CLASS offices. The sit-in was organized by the REINSTATE DENISE BENNETT Facebook group but was later delayed.
Ryan Benson, administrator of the Facebook page, issued a statement on the page, accusing the university of taking Bennett’s past out of context in the Vandal Alert.
Following the Vandal Alert, the group planned a walk-out that took place Wednesday evening.
Benson then penned an email, on behalf of the REINSTATE DENISE BENNETT Facebook group, to UI President Chuck Staben, Quinlan and JAMM faculty and staff.
“We, the students of the University of Idaho, are dissatisfied and disappointed with the handling of the suspension of our professor. The complete silence from University of Idaho Administration demonstrates the lack of commitment to undergraduate education at this institution,” Benson wrote in the email.
Benson said the students will not accept instructors who are not experts in the digital media and film production field to teach Bennett’s classes while she is on leave.
“We demand that the University uphold its promise to provide us with an education by providing a qualified instructor from another institution,” Benson wrote. “There are no faculty at the University of Idaho qualified to teach production and film classes and we will not accept a second rate, hastily arranged, internal replacement.”
JAMM Director Robin Johnson could not be immediately reached for comment.
For more information, follow the links below.
UPDATE: UI issues second Vandal Alert
Students protest to support Bennett
Students for Denise to speak at ASUI Senate
BREAKING: UI warns students of professor ‘barred from campus’
Editor’s Note: As many Argonaut employees are students in the University of Idaho Journalism and Mass Media Department, no Argonaut employee who has previously worked with Denise Bennett, as part of their curriculum, has or will report on this developing story. It is our mission as a staff to report university and community news with fairness and transparency.
Brandon Hill can be reached at [email protected]
Dan
Last time I checked, using profanity at your boss will get you terminated in most jobs. If you do not think this to be the case, go try it. Having a known history of illegal drug use will also get you banned from a work place—from McDonalds laborers to upper management in oil companies. Does this person really deserve special treatment because of her social class or because some students had their course schedule changed?
Mari Luna
This is the most horrific example of injustice and overreaction by campus officials I have ever witnessed! The university staff clearly made the "campus ban," and defamatory statements as a punishment in retaliation for Ms. Bennett stating her opinion and disagreeing with university officials. Do these officials seriously believe anyone thinks the ban was issued to protect student safety? Are you Kidding? The police did not charge Ms. Bennett. She was released immediately. The police found no evidence of drugs on her person or in her home. I've seen people on the University of Idaho Campus driving trucks with racks holding three or more guns. Do you think any of these people may have used drugs or alcohol in the past? When did access to guns become a basis to ban someone from the U of I Campus? If everyone with access to firearms coupled with past drug/alcohol use, were banned from the campus, the U of I campus would be an utter "ghost town." This is an Absolute TRAVESTY OF JUSTICE! U of I Officials involved in this decision, You owe Ms. Bennett a MEA CULPA and a Serious Apology!