Kris “Krispy” Pierce has been appointed director of the Undergraduate Student Government Elections Governance Board, but at least one woman thinks he should not be allowed to represent the university in any official capacity.
Amy Huizinga, a junior in Spanish, accused Pierce of sexual harassment when she worked with him at Royer Marketplace last spring quarter.
“The first incident happened when he asked me to go to the back storeroom to get something,” Huizinga said. “He followed me back there. When I reached up, he lifted up my shirt.”
Huizinga also accused Pierce of slapping her on the buttocks, making comments about female employees’ body parts and initiating unwelcomed physical contact, in a complaint filed on March 23 to Human Resources. Huizinga also asserted that Pierce made sexual advances in Drackett Tower, where they both lived at the time.
A letter sent to Huizinga by Carmeen Yarbrough, a human resource consultant, said, “a review of the testimony and documentation provided indicates that there is sufficient evidence to indicate a violation of the university’s sexual harassment policy.”
As a result, Human Resources recommended that Pierce be removed from his management position at Royer Marketplace and not be permitted back on the premises, and separated the two in the residence halls.
Pierce denied the allegations, but he wouldn’t comment on specifics of the inquiry.
“I’ve been cautioned not to say anything. Human Resources said in the beginning that I really shouldn’t talk about it,” Pierce said. “The specific allegations that she made are not true, and I denied that.”
According to Pierce, Human Resources found Huizinga’s specific charges to be unsubstantiated.
Pat Hall, director of Student Judicial Affairs, was unable to comment on details of the investigation.
Improper acts and comments weren’t limited to the workplace, according to Huizinga and her Drackett Tower roommate, Jill Davis.
The two had initially been friends with Pierce, according to Davis, a junior in pharmacy. She said Pierce would often come over and visit, but things started to cross the line.
“He would always come in and sit on your lap and stuff like that. It wasn’t a wanted thing,” Davis said. “One time he came in and he sat on (Amy’s) lap and started rubbing her leg. She told him to get off but he wouldn’t. He just kept making it a bigger show.”
Huizinga also claimed that Pierce jumped on top of her while she was in bed and sent her instant messages with sexually explicit icons, despite her protests.
Pierce said the decision to leave Royer Marketplace was a voluntary move, rather than an enforced decision.
“I was taken from the Royer site, but I was not fired,” Pierce said. “That is common practice. I think it was in the best interest that because of the allegations, you want to separate the two people no matter how the outcome goes.”
At the time of the complaint, Pierce was running for USG President. He attributes the accusations as one factor in losing the election.
“The investigation was ongoing during the election. I wasn’t able to campaign,” Pierce said. “I was very concerned about those allegations becoming public because they were just allegations.”
Pierce said he’s not trying to use The Lantern to lay the blame on anyone else, but he questioned the timing of the accusations.
“My only question is the timing of this. Why, after eight months, is it coming back?” he said. “She made the allegations while I was trying to run for USG President, and now I’ve just been appointed the new EGB director. I would question the timing of some of these things.”
USG President Eddie Pauline said the University Senate were unaware or did not mention the past allegations when Pierce was appointed to the EGB.
“It wasn’t mentioned. I think the Senate wants to protect USG as much as possible,” Pauline said. “If they would have known about this earlier – that there was a chance of another scandalous thing going on – maybe that would’ve given some people more ammunition to oppose that confirmation.”
Rick Barga, chair of the USG Independent Officers Selection Committee, said he was unaware there had been any sexual harassment allegations leveled at Pierce when the committee made their recommendation. The committee is responsible for reviewing applications for independent officers and making recommendations to the Senate.
Pierce stressed the incident was a learning experience, but it is in the past.
“It makes you more aware of the actions that you take around people, especially when you are in a management position,” Pierce said. “The university has dealt with this and it’s over with. Even the university has dropped it.”
Huizinga does not consider the matter to be dropped, and she opposes any chance Pierce might have to represent students.
“What he did was wrong, and he shouldn’t be representing anyone in the university,” she said. “He did these things. If he’s concerned about the timing, he shouldn’t have done it.”
Huizinga said she is considering taking a legal action against Pierce and the university if they continue to ignore the problem.
