WASHINGTON — A George Mason University professor facing sexual harassment allegations retired earlier this year before he could be fired, The Washington Post reported.
Peter Pober, a communications professor who oversaw the university’s speech team, was placed on administrative leave after the initial allegation came out in mid-February. He retired in May after the school began termination proceedings.
That first claim prompted other students to come forward with similar allegations. In one written testimony among documents obtained by The Washington Post, a male student alleged that Pober made sexual advances toward him while the two were alone in a hotel room after a night of heavy drinking.
“He still has one of the best resumes of any coach in the country, in terms of both competitive success and just sheer experience,” the victim, a former member of Pober’s speech team, said. “I truly felt as though he was going to end up with another job in education and do the same thing to other people as he did to me.”
The man filed a Title IX complaint, which the school deemed credible. A university spokesman confirmed to The Washington Post that the records the paper obtained were authentic.
In a statement provided by his attorney, Pober admitted to having an “inappropriate conversation” with a student but denied some of the details of the conversation.
The university said it did not have a record of complaints against Pober before February.
