Group Protests Zalenski at Belmont College

WTOV
March 13, 2015

http://www.wtov9.com/shared/news/features/top-stories/stories/wtov_group-protests-zalenski-at-belmont-college-8015.shtml

A victim's advocate group took its protest to the campus of Belmont College on Friday where defrocked priest Gary Zalenski recently worked as a member of the faculty. While Zalenski hasn't been teaching for a while, he has said would like to get back to it. Judy Jones and Steven Spaner are with the group "SNAP" -- Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. "He’s on the faculty there, and we believe he should never be on a faculty at a college,” Jones said. The recently defrocked catholic priest was once accused of sexually assaulting a young girl from his former church. A grand jury investigated the case and didn't find enough evidence to file charges. Jones and Spaner presented the school with a letter in hopes of getting answers. "If he's too dangerous to be a priest at a parish, he is too dangerous to be on the faculty at Belmont College, and he needs to be fired,” Jones said. Belmont College released this statement: "Mr. Zalenski is not currently teaching, nor is he on the payroll, at Belmont College. Prior to August of 2014, he contracted with us part-time on an as needed basis. There are no current plans to contract Mr. Zalenski in the future." The statement is still not enough for SNAP. "That means for one academic year, they have no contract for him,” Spaner said. “They also say the president is a new president and presidents come and go so we can’t make any promises. That’s disturbing. We would prefer if they would say he could never be hired here, but they say that is not possible." Jones believes the Steubenville diocese should do more and the Bishop should speak out publicly. That is where Zalenski actually agrees and has also asked the diocese to reveal exactly what credible evidence got him removed. He says he and his lawyer never saw those documents. NEWS9 reached out to Zalenski and the diocese for comment and have not heard back from either. After our last story in February, the diocese said it is finished addressing the issue.