This is a quick take. More to follow over the weekend:
An excellently told joint report from The Charlotte Observer and The News & Observer by Sara Coello, UNC School of the Arts welcomed banned director after students alleged sexual abuse, details the backstory of the newest lawsuit against UNCSA. Brought by two women alumni, who are unidentfied by the writer due to the paper’s policies regarding reporting on sexual abuse, the suit accuses former opera director Nicholas Muni of sexual abuse.
The two women are said to be represented by Leto Copeley.
Basically, this story goes back to 2018 so abuse continues. The descriptions of the school’s behavior in letting Muni back on campus for an event, even if not an official University event, clearly shows that the school was not yet taking these two women seriously.
It also shows that UNCSA officials are not capable of managing the needed response to students and former students dealing with trauma and the wide-ranging and unexpected physical and emotional responses to abuse.
The Winston-Salem Journal also reported on the suit:
Two female graduates of UNC School of the Arts allege in complaints that a former opera and artistic director sexually harassed them in class and in rehearsals