He say many complaints about her are credible.
Frederick, Md (KM) Accusations of bullying and harassment of faculty and staff have been leveled against Frederick Community College President Libby Burmaster, and one local legislator wants to some answers. Delegate Bill Folden (R) has asked the FCC Board of Trustees to order a fair and impartial investigation of the school.
“When I first heard about it, I was saying ‘oh man: here were go; somebody’s upset at President Burmaster,'” he said. “But as you start delving in deeper, you start really getting into these issues. There’s a lot of people affected by these types of outbursts.”
In some cases, some of the allegations have been about physical abuse, says Folden. “If that had been a male president, and the female faculty member was touched the way she grabbed him, and pulled him in, he’d been fired on the spot,” he says.
Folden spoke on WFMD’s “Morning News Express,” the day after he spoke to the FCC Board of Trustees. “It definitely needs to be looked into. It needs to be looked into impartially. And that why I requested that they reach out to the Maryland Higher Education Commission as well the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights. They are two separate issues, but they’re co-mingled together,” he says.
On “The Morning News Express,” Folden noted that he’s an FCC graduate. “As a father and as an alum and as an elected official, I expect better of the institution that I was a part of and that I am proud to be a part of,” he said. “But, as I told the board, all of you should demand it.”
He also emphasized anyone investigating this incident should come with no preconceived notions. “I don’t want this to be an issue where people are assuming that the allegations are true or false. It’s simply a matter of allowing a thorough, impartial and complete investigation into these types of serious allegation of state employees to be conducted,” says Folden.
During the meeting, FCC;’s Board Trustees said they needed more information before requesting an investigation. But said the Board will follow up with the Maryland Higher Education Commission and the State Commission on Civil Rights.
WFMD News has reached out to FCC and President Burmaster, but, so far, no response.
By Kevin McManus