By MARK NIESSE
The Red & Black

Charges of sexual harassment released Wednesday allege economics professor Nadeem Naqvi fondled one of his students and said he wanted to have sex with her while at a downtown bar.
Naqvi faces dismissal proceedings likely to take place sometime during the month of April, said Jere Morehead, director of legal affairs. The charges against Naqvi come from the state attorney general’s office, which is presenting the University’s case against Naqvi.
“Dr. Naqvi grabbed her again from behind and told the other students who were at Dr. Naqvi’s table something to the effect that (the student) was so ‘hot’ that Dr. Naqvi wanted to ‘f***’ her,’ ” according to the state’s charges.
The student was in Naqvi’s 4000-level microeconomics class at the time of the alleged incident,which supposedly occurred Sept. 24, 1998.
The state claims Naqvi violated the Board of Regents’ sexual harassment policy.
“Unwelcome sexual advancements, requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitutes sexual harassment when … such conduct … creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive working or academic environment,” according to Regents policy.
The state’s account of events claims Naqvi also asked others in Flanigan’s Bar & Grill for illegal drugs and called the student a “slut.”
“Dr. Naqvi also told (the student) that she would not have to come to his class to make an A,” according to the attorney general’s office.
Naqvi and his lawyer, Curtis Shoemaker, refute the University’s charges.
“I deny that (Naqvi) has violated applicable policies and statutes of the University and Board of Regents,” Shoemaker said. “He has not done acts in violation of those policies — there does not exist grounds for his removal.”
The student who alleges sexual harassment hasn’t testified, but has been interviewed, said Beth Bailey, the University’s lawyer who has been working on the case.
But Naqvi’s defense won’t be based on any lack of evidence, Shoemaker said.
“It’s based on the truth,” Shoemaker said.
The charges also accuse Naqvi of excessively cancelling class, failing to return senior papers in a timely fashion and a lack of professionalism.
As many as 18 student and 11 non-student witnesses could testify on the University’s behalf, Bailey said.
Because the dismissal proceeding isn’t a court process, witnesses can’t be required to testify, said Rebecca Mick, a lawyer in the attorney general’s office prosecuting the University’s case.
Naqvi maintains the University is retaliating against him for his filing of racial discrimination charges Aug. 25, 1998.
Naqvi has been a tenured professor employed by the University since 1987. He makes $61,138 yearly.