Allegations regarding age and marital status discrimination have surfaced between UW-La Crosse colleagues. Two discrimination reports have been filed from the Office of International Education.

Sandra Sieber, Assistant Director in the Office of International Education (OIE), was the first to formally file her complaint. Sieber believed she was wrongfully discriminated against in the hiring of Associate Director of OIE Operations. This spot was filled by Kimberley Pierce, the wife of current Associate Vice Chancellor, Fred Pierce.

Sieber believes the hiring of Pierce, who resigned Sep. 10, was ill-advised and that she had “little to no qualifications or experience in International Education.”

Sieber went on to state in the report, “I believe her marital status was the main reason for her hire.”

The second, and more detailed, report was filed by Jay Lokken, former 20-year Director of the Office of International Education. Lokken’s report, which spans nearly 20 pages, speaks on the discrimination against Sieber, and further alleges he was threatened for supporting Sieber’s case.

“Because I opposed the hire of Ms. Pierce based of my belief that it violated the Wisconsin Fair Employment Act’s prohibition against marital status and age discrimination,” Lokken wrote in the complaint “I was retaliated against by the respondent.”

The university has yet to release a statement, and UW-L Chancellor Joe Gow believes the acting attorneys from the UW-System Deputy General Council should have a statement prepared by Nov. 21.

Lokken’s report contained far more implications and allegations. According to the report, Fred Pierce held a meeting with the OIE team and informed them his wife was to be the new Associate Director of OIE Operations, a process Lokken believed he was in charge of overseeing.

Upon expressing concern with the hire of Kimberly Pierce, Lokken felt Fred Pierce and Provost Heidi Macpherson handled ongoing meetings with “hostile” behavior.

Lokken elaborated in the complaint, “It was clear not only to me but to everyone else that this was an uncomfortable situation, and we all felt threatened by the Provost.”

In the wake of the tension, Lokken was advised to leave his Director position and take a new position at UW-L in the Advancement Office. However, Lokken felt the position was a demotion and was hesitant in accepting.

He wrote in his complaint, “My supervisor [Pierce] concluded, ‘If you leave now, sooner rather than later, I will make sure your reputation remains untarnished. But if you don’t consider that, things will become increasingly more difficult.”

Lokken continued by saying, “For the first time in my 25 years at UW-L, I felt extremely threatened and afraid.”

On Sep. 30, a week before his complaint was filed, Lokken was removed immediately as the Director of OIE.

Jennifer Lattis, the acting attorney on the case from the UW-System Deputy General Counsel, believes the Nov. 21 deadline for the university’s response is tentative and may require an extension due to the length of the report.

The ongoing lawsuit remains merely allegations at this point.

Sieber and Pierce were both unable to comment.