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	Uni Professor Is Put on Leave after Sex Abuse Lawsuit By Erin Jordan Des Moines Register April 17, 2009 http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090417/NEWS02/904170363/-1/NEWS04 The University of Northern Iowa placed a music professor on paid leave Thursday after learning about a federal lawsuit alleging he sexually abused a former high school music student in Missouri. Adam Walker, 31, of Springfield, Mo., held a news conference on the UNI campus Thursday to inform Iowa parents and students about the lawsuit filed in November against Bradley Barrett, an assistant professor in the UNI School of Music. "He's in a position with 300 to 400 kids in his program," Walker said in a phone interview. "It could almost be easier now than it was then (to abuse children) because he has more power, more leverage." The lawsuit, filed in the Western Missouri District of the U.S. District Court, alleges Barrett sexually abused Walker from 1992 to 1995 while Barrett was a vocal music teacher in the Logan-Rogersville School District, east of Springfield. Barrett used his position as a teacher and "the promise of travel with high school choral programs as a means of gaining access to the plaintiff and other similarly situated students," the lawsuit states. Barrett's attorney, David Bell of Kansas City, said in a statement that his client should be presumed innocent until the allegations are proved in court. Abuse alleged in the suit includes oral sex, fondling and forced masturbation. The acts occurred at Barrett's house, Walker's house, on Logan-Rogersville property and on trips to various states and countries visited by the school's music groups, the lawsuit states. UNI, which learned of the lawsuit Thursday when Walker's news conference was announced, released a statement saying that "given the nature of the suit, Barrett has been placed on paid leave effective immediately to allow further investigation on behalf of the university." Barrett has been a UNI professor since 2002. His salary for this year is $53,352. Bell released a statement saying: "We regret that Mr. Walker has chosen to act outside of the appropriate forum for resolution of this matter. As all Americans know, a person accused of any misconduct is presumed innocent until such allegations have been proven in a court of law. The judicial system, rather than the media, is the appropriate and constitutionally guaranteed forum for resolution of these disputes. ... " Walker was joined at the news conference by Steve Theisen, who leads the Iowa chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP. The partnership highlights the similarity between Walker's suit and thousands of similar claims filed against Catholic clergy across the United States. As in many of the clergy cases, Walker did not realize the alleged sexual abuse until more than a decade had passed. It was too late for him to pursue criminal charges. "Recently, I did realize what happened to me and put a name on it," Walker said. "It explained a lot of the dysfunction and chaos in my life." Walker decided to include his name in the lawsuit, rather than filing as a John Doe, because he didn't think it would have as big of an impact if it were anonymous. "The more people that stand up (against sexual abuse), that's what it takes to stop it," Walker said. In the last year, two University of Iowa professors committed suicide after they were accused, in separate cases, of sexual harassment. Arthur Miller, political science professor, disappeared in August, shortly after he was charged with soliciting sexual favors from female students. His body was found five days later in Iowa City's Hickory Hill Park. Officials said he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Music professor Mark Weiger killed himself in November after he was named in a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a former graduate student. Contact: ejordan@dmreg.com
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