MISSOULA — The University of Montana law school dean and associate dean will step down following allegations that they failed to take seriously reports of sexual harassment and assault.
Dean Paul Kirgis wrote in a letter on Thursday to the Alexander Blewett III School of Law that he and Associate Dean Sally Weaver will step down from their roles.
The letter came after around 100 students and community members staged a walkout and rally at the law school earlier this week calling for Kirgis and Weaver to resign. The University announced shortly after the walkout that they would launch an independent review “to assess the learning and working environment in the Law School.”
Women from the law school say the dean and associate dean discouraged them from reporting allegations of sexual harassment and assault to the university’s Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX.
University spokesman Dave Kuntz said in a statement Tuesday that the university has invested significant resources into investigating the allegations against the law school, and that those initial investigations found law school leaders did not violate university policy.