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Utah State Reassigns Classes of Professor Accused of Sexual Assault

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Days after a former student at Utah State University sued a professor for sexually assaulting her in 1994, the school has reassigned his classes to other professors.

Jaime Aikele Caliendo, who filed the lawsuit on Monday before a 1st District Court, alleged Professor Dennis Hirst, then employed by the university’s piano department, of assaulting her in his apartment.

Hirst, who was 23 at the time, sexually assaulted Caliendo when she fell asleep while listening to the music. She approached the Logan Police Department, which closed the case after failing to talk with Hirst, who insisted on not speaking without an attorney.

In an email to the music faculty and students, President Noelle Cockett said on Wednesday that an investigation is already underway and the university is working with an outside counsel.

“USU takes all allegations of sexual misconduct seriously, including allegations against Professor Dennis Hirst that were made public in a civil lawsuit last week,” Cockett said.

“I encourage you to report any information you know to the Title IX office so we can more quickly wrap up this investigation and bring closure to everyone involved, including our students. In the meantime, we are working with Department Head Cindy Dewey to minimize the impact on students, faculty and staff. Dr. Dewey is reassigning Professor Hirst’s teaching assignments to other faculty members for the fall 2018 semester.”

Earlier this summer, the university hired an attorney from a law firm Parr Brown to investigate Caliendo’s claims whose findings haven’t been made public yet.

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