Michelle Herrick

The campus radio station manager has been found guilty of sexual harassment and will face a disciplinary hearing Thursday, said Jacy Riedmann, who filed the original complaint.

Ashley-Kenneth Allen, station manager of 90.7 KSDJ-FM, was found guilty of the charges on Aug. 31 after a 20-day investigation, Riedmann said.

Riedmann filed an official sexual harassment complaint with the university against Allen in late July after she said he continually made sexually suggestive comments to her on-air and off-air while she was creative services director spring semester.

Riedmann, 19, has since transferred to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and is majoring in radio.

The investigation, conducted by Carey Deaver, assistant director of human resources, concluded that Allen is guilty of a form of sexual harassment, in which he created a hostile working environment, Riedmann said.

Deaver said there are two forms of sexual harassment. This one is “where the behavior is so onerous that it isn’t comfortable any longer,” said Deaver, speaking in general terms since the university’s confidentiality policy prohibits her from commenting specifically on the complaint.

In her complaint, Riedmann said Allen called her a “whore” on the air. He asked her to dress in a more sexually revealing manner and to talk sexier on the air, and when she refused, he told her she didn’t understand the radio business, Riedman said.

“The accused cannot appeal the conclusion of the investigation,” said Dean of Student Affairs Marysz Rames, commenting on policy. Rames is handling the complaint now that the investigation is over.

Rames made the decision to send the matter to the Student Conduct Committee to decide what discplinary action should be taken against Allen. The other option was settling the matter informally.

At Thursday’s hearing, Allen will go before the Student Conduct Committee, which is made up of members of the adminstration, faculty and students.

“They’ll tell him what they found, that they found him guilty of it,” Riedmann said. “I sit as a witness, and Ashley gets to question me directly,”

The committee will make a decision based on a range of displinary actions outlined in the SDSU Student Code.

“It does not say what the options are for this particular violation, but in the code it gives what the Student Conduct Committee can do in general, which ranges from censure to expulsion,” Rames said.

The severity of the committee’s decision can be appealed by either Allen or Riedmann.

Riedmann is requesting that Allen be removed from his position as station manager.

“He shouldn’t be in the position where he has the power to degrade someone like that and get away with it,” Riedmann said.