Photo Provided By The Emporia Gazette
Emporia State Alum Arthur White performs at Albert Taylor Hall for the Emporia State University Jazz Alumni Reunion Weekend on April 30, 2023.
Arthur White abruptly resigned from his position as the Assistant Dean of the School of Visual and Performing Arts at Emporia State on Sept. 22, one month and one day after classes at ESU began.
White signed his contract with ESU on June 14 and contractually agreed to a three-year term with the university beginning on Aug 6, 2023, and ending around mid-June 2026. Instead, his time with the university ended only six weeks after it began.
This is not the first time White has abruptly left his place of employment.
Before working at ESU, White was employed at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, CA as a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Music and later as the Director of Jazz Studies. White was employed at the university from Sept. 12, 2019 to his official resignation on June 22, 2023.
Before his resignation, a Title IX investigation was opened into White by the Civil Rights and Compliance Office at Cal Poly for his alleged sexual harassment and stalking of Danna Dumandan, a now-graduated music major and one of White’s former students of four years.
The sexual harassment alleged by Dumandan took place at Cal Poly during the fall quarter of 2022 through the winter and spring quarters of 2023, according to official documents by the Civil Rights and Compliance Office obtained by The Bulletin. In an interview with The Bulletin, Dumandan stated White made comments that made her uncomfortable, such as “you look hot in that dress” and claimed his love for her.
While uncomfortable, Dumandan initially thought the comment about White being in love with her was a joke. Later, he doubled down on his statement.
“He’s like ‘well it’s true,’ like ‘every time I see you, I want to kiss you,’ and ‘I’m jealous of your boyfriend’ and all this stuff and I was like ‘excuse me?’” Dumandan said. “I literally just sat there in silence, because I had no idea what to say.”
The documents also allege White engaged in stalking behavior toward Dumandan on June 4 after the Spring Concert.
In a letter written on behalf of White from his attorney, Donald N. Peterson II, obtained by The Bulletin, White denies the allegations against him made by Dumandan.
“Dr. White had no inappropriate relationship with Ms. Dumandan…he insists he never had romantic feelings for Ms.Dumandan and never said that he did,” the letter said.
This is not the only time White has been implicated in such behaviors.
White became employed at the University of Missouri in 2009 as an Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies and later became the director of the program according to his website. On Oct. 6 2016, White’s contract with the university was terminated upon his resignation with the reasoning cited as “personal.”
In the 2016 spring semester, Puck Glass, a Masters student in the music performance program and specializing in percussion, filed a Title IX report detailing their sexual assault by White.
In late February or early March, Glass and a few of their classmates, along with White, were performing at The Bridge, a now-closed local bar in Columbia, Missouri. After the performance, Glass said White “put his hand on the inside of my thigh” and “whispered to me that he wanted to take me home.”
“(It was) absolutely crossing the line of unwanted,” Glass said.
After their report, White was removed from the MU campus and escorted on to the premises when he arrived on campus by the Dean of Students and security, said Glass. Glass also said the subsequent investigation into White prompted White to counter-report in denial of their claims two months later, saying that it was Glass who came onto him. However, Glass’ own report brought forward another victim of White’s alleged harassment: Taryn Gervais.
Gervais attended MU from August 2013 to May 2015 as a Master’s student pursuing a graduate degree in Vocal Jazz. White was the primary professor for most of her courses, including for the private lessons required of her degree.
Gervais said in an interview with The Bulletin that White made comments that made her uncomfortable such as calling her his girlfriend in conversation with one of Gervais’ colleagues, saying to Gervais “you are a very attractive woman with great talent,” and “I can’t help looking at your hot ass.”
In August, after hearing about his new job at ESU, Dumandan wrote to faculty members of the ESU music program in the School of Visual and Performing Arts. In the letter dated Aug. 13, 2023, Dumandan detailed her experience with White and urged the faculty in the music program to take action to prevent White from targeting ESU students.
“He should not be allowed to teach, period. Especially since this is a pattern, and I am probably not the only one,” she said in the letter. “…This has been so extremely painful to deal with. I truly just ask — please do not let an Emporia student go through the same thing.”
According to White’s notice of resignation, the university and White “mutually agree that it is in the interest of both parties for the Employee to resign from his employment.” However, there is no explicit statement pertaining to the reasons for White’s resignation.
“Circumstances involving any employee’s resignation are typically confidential and cannot be shared without that former employee’s express permission,” said Director of Media Relations Gwen Larson in an email. “This is the case with Dr. White’s resignation, so we are unable to provide any information about that.”
The allegations against White certainly raise alarm, and with ESU faculty deemed “responsible employees,” or mandated reporters, it is likely that the allegations against White were brought to university higher-ups once received by music faculty.
But why didn’t the university’s hiring practices uncover the allegations against White in the first place? The answer to that is unclear and ESU hiring policies don’t exactly get into the specifics.
According to university policy procedures, Human Resources is “ultimately responsible for appropriate background checks on candidates for employment and works with the hiring department to ensure verifications are performed.” Additionally, Human Resources “will make the determination based on a direct relationship to position duties of whether a particular position requires a background check and the nature and scope of such verification.”
Background checks cannot be conducted on candidates who “are not extended an offer of employment,” but initial screenings, employment, education, and reference checks are conducted on all candidates.
Per the policy manual, ESU “prohibits all forms of discrimination including all types of harassment, sexual violence, and all other types of violence.” Moreover, it goes on to say that “Retaliation against an individual for making a complaint of sexual harassment is also considered to be sex discrimination and is therefore likewise illegal.”
These harassment, sexual violence, and discrimination policies also apply to prospective employees of the university, something explicitly stated in section 3D.0106 of the the University Policy Manual: “This policy applies to employees, students, applicants for employment or admission, contractors, vendors, visitors, guests, and participants in University sponsored programs or activities, both on and off campus.”
The university holds that it was unaware of any previous allegations against White or investigations into his behavior during the hiring process.
“The university can confirm it did not have knowledge of any sexual harassment allegations, or any related investigations, at the time Dr. White was hired,” Larson said.
This means that any screenings into White’s past likely did not raise the issue. There is no federal law requiring universities to disclose the sexual misconduct of their former employees to a prospective employer.
“No set of hiring practices or procedures are perfect or exhaustive,” Larson said in another email. “…although considered a best practice, reference checks generally provide limited, or highly subjective or incomplete, information. Most organizations do not release information regarding reports of, investigations into or even findings of employee misconduct as part of the reference check process.”
As of now, ESU does not plan to change any of their hiring policies or procedures. However the university “regularly evaluates and updates hiring practices based upon internal and external needs and requirements.”