BATON ROUGE, La.
The Southern University Board of Supervisors has called a special meeting for May 5 to sort through allegations that board chairman Johnny Anderson sexually harassed female employees.
Anderson has voluntarily relinquished his gavel temporarily, pending the investigation, but now Southern University System President Ralph Slaughter is facing counter-charges that he attempted to smear Anderson with the allegations. If true, in incident could cost Slaughter his job.
A source close to the investigation, speaking on the condition of anonymity, says the allegations against Anderson involve female employees who say they were offered pay raises and promotions in exchange for sex.
Slaughter has repeatedly declined comment, except to say that his role was as a “whistleblower.”
Anderson, who also serves as assistant chief of staff for Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco, claims he was vindicated by a report compiled by an attorney appointed by the governor to investigate the allegations. In that report, Baton Rouge attorney Mark Falcon reported that he could not come to a conclusion because Slaughter had refused to provide requested information, including tape recordings of Anderson’s alleged victims.
