USF reviewing employee after allegations of sexual harassment at previous job
Herb Maschner directs a new USF center documenting archaeological finds. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE
USF is reviewing information regarding Herb Maschner, a professor and executive director for the Center for Virtualization and Applied Spatial Technologies, after allegations surfaced of inappropriate, on-campus sexual behavior at Idaho State University, his previous place of employment.
A lawsuit was filed against Idaho State University, where Maschner was employed prior to taking a position at USF in August 2015, by Kelly Pokorny who worked for Maschner as an education resources coordinator. Pokorny, a then-28-year-old graduate student, said Maschner gave her unwanted attention for months before forcibly kissing and groping her in October 2013, according to court documents obtained by the Tampa Bay Times.
Calls to Maschner’s on-campus phone were not returned Friday.
Adam Freeman, a USF spokesman said Maschner, who directs a new USF center documenting archaeological finds, is still an employee at the university and is continuing his duties as normal until the university reviews the new information.
Maschner was hired prior to USF implementing new screening and hiring processes over the summer, which were adopted after the dismissal of Samuel Bradley, the former director of the Zimmerman School of Advertising and Mass Communications.
USF spokeswoman Lara Wade told the Tampa Bay Times the process of hiring Maschner failed to include the same reference checks "routinely applied to other searches at the time and now required by USF policy in all searches.”
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