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	Seattle U Exec Steps down School Says It Didn't Force Harris out over Sex Lawsuit By John Iwasaki Seattle Post-Intelligencer October 14, 2006 http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/288732_harris14.html The resignation of Seattle University's vice president amid allegations of sexual harassment a decade ago in California was not prompted by new accusations against him or action by the board of trustees, school officials indicated Friday. The Rev. Tony Harris said Thursday that he was stepping down because his role in representing Seattle University's mission has been "challenged" by the controversy. "I do not want to be a distraction from the important work at hand," he said in an e-mail sent to the faculty, staff and students. The Rev. Stephen Sundborg, the university's president, said in his own e-mail statement that Harris' resignation is "right for him and for the university." Harris will stay for the remainder of the academic year and will help Sundborg on special projects. Harris has "always acted with integrity and with heart" at Seattle U, Sundborg said. Still, questions dog Harris, according to a lawyer for alleged victims of clergy abuse. Two months ago, a court-appointed special master ordered Harris to testify in Seattle about an abuse case in Alaska involving another Jesuit priest. Harris refused the order, even though he was adviser to the Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus, which includes Washington and Alaska, at the time the alleged abuse occurred, lawyer John Manly said Friday. "The whole thing was hushed up, and that conduct bears directly on allegations of conspiracy and (doubts about) the Jesuit's veracity," Manly said. In his letter of resignation, Harris indicated that a front-page story in the Seattle P-I on Oct. 6 "challenged my role in representing the mission" of the school. The story reported that 10 years ago, before Harris was hired as vice president at Seattle U, he was among three priests accused of making repeated homosexual overtures to John Bollard, then a young seminary student in San Francisco. Seattle U officials knew about the allegations when Harris was hired and offered him support after the P-I published the story. Bollard, now director of an educational research program at UCLA, filed a sexual harassment suit and eventually settled the case. "I do think it's sad that Father Harris had to go through so much as a result of his actions," Bollard, 41, said Friday. "But this is not a one-time mistake or an error in judgment. This is a pattern of behavior over years. "For someone to be in this position, to represent the Jesuits of the university to the broader world, it doesn't seem appropriate to me," Bollard said. The Rev. John Whitney, leader of Jesuits in the Northwest, acknowledged Harris' mistake but called for understanding. "I consider Father Harris to be a fine Jesuit. That his poor judgment 10 years ago, that has been paid for many times over, could still have this effect, is saddening," said Whitney, provincial supervisor of the Oregon Province. "Let us hope that while protecting the vulnerable, we will not sacrifice our ability to reconcile with those who fall short of perfection," he said. Seattle U spokeswoman Barbara Nombalais said that no other person has stepped forward with allegations against Harris. Whitney said he also knew of no other claims. There are no accusations against Harris that he did anything inappropriate with minors. Phyllis Campbell, chairwoman of the Seattle U Board of Trustees, could not be reached for comment Friday. Trustee Jim Sinegal, chief executive of Costco Wholesale Corp., said that if circumstances were serious enough, the board might push for someone's resignation, but "in this particular case, (Harris) did it himself. He chose to do it for the good of the university." Sinegal said that "the good done by the university far outweighs the problems," though that "doesn't excuse poor behavior in the past." Two former Seattle U professors earlier were accused of sexual abuse. On Tuesday, the university identified Englebert Axer as a Jesuit priest who allegedly abused a boy during a summer ministry in Northern California in 1956, the same year he began a 31-year career at Seattle U. He died in 1989. A federal lawsuit against the Oregon Province alleges that Michael Toulouse, who taught at Seattle U from 1950 until his death in 1976, abused multiple victims. Seattle U is investigating a new claim made against a third Seattle U priest, now deceased. A man wrote to Sundborg and said that while he was a student in 1965, he had an "interaction with a Jesuit faculty member that made him feel uncomfortable," Nombalais said. The man indicated that the matter was "promptly and effectively addressed" by the university in 1965, she said. On campus, student reaction to Harris' resignation ranged from shock to mild interest. "Everyone is glad that the university is being open and sharing news and is addressing students' concerns," said sophomore Phillip Roman, referring to a recent campus forum hosted by Sundborg. Junior Christian Paredes said that Harris' resignation was in the university's best interests. Beyond a shuffle of administrators, "what's more profound is the effect on the Catholic community," he said, sadly noting that allegations against priests have become more and more common, even claims that are decades old. If the allegations against Harris are true, his actions were unconscionable, freshman Chris Lauer said, and more should have been done when the accusations first surfaced nine years ago. "It's interesting that they're pursuing it again, and that now it's front-page news," he said. "We're essentially trying him twice." THE REV. TONY HARRIS • Job history: Hired by Seattle University in 2001 as vice president for mission and ministry. Was previously a faculty member in Gonzaga University's School of Education and served as associate dean of students. • Roles: Has worked in Jesuit secondary education as a religious superior, faculty member and campus minister. • Education: Doctorate in education from the University of Oregon, master of divinity at Regis College in Toronto, and master's and undergraduate degrees at Gonzaga. P-I reporter Jessica Blanchard contributed to this story. P-I reporter John Iwasaki can be reached at 206-448-8096 or johniwasaki@seattlepi.com.
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