LUBBOCK, Texas -
For eleven students, a study abroad trip to Chile was scarred by the behavior of one professor. A joint investigation by Texas Tech's Dean of Students and Office of Equal Employment Opportunity concluded a hostile learning environment was created during the Rawls Business Leadership Program in May, 2015, due to a visiting international scholar which one male student described as a "sexual predator."
According to the investigative report, Professor Franco Parisi, reportedly made advances on a female student along with other instances of inappropriate behavior. The Chilean professor, who ran for president of his native land in 2014, reportedly made advances which caused the student to "moved his hand off her knee. He returned his hand to her knee and massaged her knee with his thumb."
According to the report, Parisi made multiple inappropriate comments towards the 19-year-old student, wanting her to buy a dress she said was short and inappropriate to which he said, "that's the point" and said that she had "way too nice of legs to play soccer."
Other students on the trip backed the students claim.
According to the report, Parisi's actions made her "feel increasingly uncomfortable because other students were starting to comment to her about Dr. Parisi's attention toward her." Parisi had even reportedly asked some of the male students to take pictures of the student and send them to him, while another female student reported they felt sexually victimized by Parisi.
At the time of the situation, two other professors on the trip were made aware and contacted Dean Lance Nail. Both students and faculty were fearful of Parisi due to his perceived influence in Chile and comments like, "if I was president I would kidnap her," referring to the student of his affection.
The investigation concluded, Nail, who was personal friends with Parisi, should have taken more precautions to limit contact between Dr. Parisi and the students on the trip and instead, failed his responsibility, since he had full knowledge of Parisi's previous behavior, where Parisi left a fellow employee unconscious in the Rawls College building.
Parisi had prepared drinks for the two in January 2015, when she became extremely intoxicated, vomited numerous times, and lost consciousness. A Feburary 2015 investigation into the incident concluded Parisi had not been truthful. Nail did not offer Parisi further employment after May 2015 at Texas Tech and Nail concluded he wold accompany the students on the trip and minimize any contact with Parisi in Chile.
Come May, Nail never went on the trip.
The other two professors were either not made aware or not fully aware of the extent of the initial incident earlier in the semester and felt Parisi hijacked the trip.
The investigation concluded that Nail, created an atmosphere in which they were afraid to report and made a direct statement to a faculty member in connection with this investigation that he would, "not tolerate traitors."
All students on the trip were found to be impacted and several remain traumatized.
Parisi was not interviewed as part of the investigation as he no longer serves as a faculty member at Tech. According to the University of Alabama website, Parisi is teaching at its College of Commerce.
Nail resigned as dean of the college in November of last year as a result of a grade changing investigation but remained on faculty as a professor of finance.
