A high-ranking UC Berkeley employee has been accused of misconduct, but for once it doesn't involve sexual harassment. The Los Angeles Times reports that UC Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas Dirks has been accused of misusing public funds, and that the university is investigating the whistle-blower claims.
What, specifically, is he be accused of? Using public funds for travel, and unpaid personal use of a campus athletic trainer. The investigation was launched after a whistle-blower complaint was filed by a former colleague of the trainer. That colleague, according to the Chronicle, was fired for alleged embezzlement.
Dirks declined to go into specifics about the investigation in a conversation with the Chron, but he did deny acting inappropriately.
In a letter obtained by the Times, Rachael Nava, the University of California’s chief operating officer, says that if substantiated, Dirk's actions would be considered "improper governmental activities.”
According to Dirks, the trainer, Devin Wicks, is one of his oldest friends. That may or may not explain why Wicks went on a two-week trip to India with Dirks' wife, which the Chronicle reports was paid for by the Cal Alumni Association. Wicks, meanwhile, is on paid administrative leave.
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