This is a developing story and will be updated as the lawsuit progresses.

Brad Hougham, a professor in the Department of Music Performance, filed a civil lawsuit against Ithaca College on April 30. Hougham, through his attorneys, claims that he experienced a “hostile sexual environment” and anti-LGBTQ+ work environment on campus. 

The complaint also alleges that the defendants were deliberately indifferent to and retaliated against his complaints of sexual harassment. In the complaint, Hougham accused some members of the president’s cabinet — including Melanie Stein, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs — of fostering a toxic educational environment. 

The complaint contends that the college violated provisions of Title IX by allowing the previously stated conduct to persist. Title IX is a federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex at educational institutions that receive federal financial assistance. 

Hougham claimed in the complaint that he has been subject to unlawful sexual harassment since 2021. 

“[Ithaca College] violated the provisions of Title IX by allowing [Hougham] to suffer unlawful discrimination, on the basis of his protected orientation as a gay male, at the hands of its administrators and faculty of which it had actual notice,” the complaint said. 

Timeline and allegations

Sexual harassment/hostile educational environment

In 2019, Hougham was appointed as associate provost for faculty affairs. Between Fall 2020 and Spring 2021, he was also involved with the college’s Academic Program Prioritization. In Fall 2021, Cornish was appointed as interim president of the college and Stein was appointed as interim provost. As interim provost, Stein became Hougham’s supervisor. 

According to the complaint, Hougham realized in December 2021 that some of Stein’s actions made him feel unwanted on her team because of his sexual orientation as a gay man. According to the complaint, Stein sexually harassed Hougham “through her unjust criticisms, micro-management and homophobic actions.”

In a phone call that took place between August 2021 and December 2021, Hougham alleged that Stein called him “too sensitive” and that he responded by saying that he would not be characterized as too sensitive if he were a heterosexual man. 

According to the complaint, Stein then “became angry and defensive” and stated that she had supervised other gay men before. 

Hougham’s lawyer declined to comment on pending litigation.

Stein directed The Ithacan to Emily Rockett, vice president, general counsel and secretary to the Board of Trustees. Rockett said via email that the college does not comment on pending litigation or confidential personnel matters. According to an affidavit of summons and complaints, Rockett was served physical copies of the legal documents on May 5. 

“We believe that the appropriate place to respond to the allegations made in this complaint is through the court system, and the College will do so at the appropriate time,” Rockett said via email.

John Neeson ’84, chair of the Ithaca College Board of Trustees, did not respond to The Ithacan’s request for comment at the time of publication. While the Trustees of Ithaca College are listed as the defendants in the case, Hougham’s lawyer confirmed that the “trustees” are interchangeable with Ithaca College throughout the claim. The Board of Trustees is the governing body for the college.

At some point between August 2022 and June 2023, the college created a committee called the Faculty Advisory Group (FAG), according to the complaint. The School of Music, Theatre, and Dance’s bylaws in the college’s policy manual, which were last updated in January 2024, still refer to the committee as the Faculty Advisory Group.

Hougham claims that the acronym — which could be perceived as a shortened form of an offensive, homophobic slur — was commonly used by members. Hougham allegedly pointed the acronym out to the committee and some members, as well as Hogan, agreed that it should not be used. According to the complaint, many straight members of the committee continued to use the acronym. 

Through a public process that required a motion, discussion and voting, the name of the committee was allegedly changed. Hougham claims that the use of the acronym by Stein, Hogan and other MTD employees created a “sexually hostile and discriminatory climate on campus.”

In the self-evaluation section of the annual Faculty Activity Report in 2023, Hougham allegedly wrote that he was struggling with the hostile environment at the college. In response to the self-evaluation, Hogan suggested that he reach out to resources for support. Hougham claims in the complaint that he then contacted the Title IX office and a “detailed written narrative” of the alleged harassment Hougham experienced was sent to Linda Koenig, director of Title IX Compliance and ADA/504 coordinator, on April 2, 2024. In response, Koenig allegedly advised Hougham to pursue a “non–Title IX avenue” because “it wouldn’t result in anything significant because of the individuals involved.”

Koenig did not respond to The Ithacan’s request for comment at the time of publication. According to her automatic email response, Koenig is out of office until May 20.

Deliberate indifference

Hougham alleged that in a meeting in December 2021, Stein imitated him when trying to remember something Hougham had previously stated in a separate meeting. According to the complaint, Stein’s “voice rose in pitch, her body movements became frantic and spastic, with [Stein] waving her hands around her head in a limp-wristed fashion.”

The complaint alleges that Hougham reported this impression, which he considered homophobic, to President La Jerne Cornish, Claire Gleitman, dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences, and Kirra Franzese, associate vice president and chief human resources officer.

The Ithacan reached out to Cornish via Dave Maley, director of Public Relations. Maley, Gleitman and Franzese also directed The Ithacan to Rockett and did not comment on pending litigation.

By Spring 2022, the position of the inaugural dean of the School of MTD opened. The new school was set to be merged by July 2022. The Office of the Provost executes the academic mission of the college, including providing leadership on tenure and promotion of faculty. 

Hougham alleges in the complaint that Stein told him that while he could apply for the position, he would not be given an interview and stated that she “needed someone in that role who was ‘stronger’ and ‘less thin-skinned’.”

According to the complaint, sometime between January and July 2022, Hougham reportedly met with Cornish at a previously scheduled meeting to discuss his career goals. In the meeting, Hougham allegedly spoke about the homophobic behaviors he was subjected to, to which he claims Cornish responded by saying, “Melanie Stein will never have been accused of any of these things before.”

According to the complaint, Cornish failed to assist Hougham.

When President Donald Trump took office in January, he reverted the revisions to Title IX that former President Joe Biden had made. This reversion makes the process of coming forward after sexual assault more difficult because the types of sexual assault cases that colleges and universities are required to investigate are narrowed. A Feb. 4 “Dear Colleague Letter” outlined that the United States Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights will enforce 2020 Title IX provisions and not 2024 Title IX provisions. 

Hougham’s lawyer states in the complaint that the regulations defining “sexual harassment” from 2020 Title IX regulations “do not vary in material respect from [the college’s] definition” of sexual harassment, according to the Institutional Policy on Sex-Based Harassment (policy 2.1) and Policy on Sexual Harassment (policy 2.6). 

Retaliation 

After this incident, Hougham allegedly contacted Franzese and reported the alleged sexual harassment he experienced with Stein. Hougham claims in the complaint that Franzese said no action could be taken on the interpersonal problems between Stein and Hougham, as there were no actionable violations of the college’s policies. 

Following the report, Franzese attended a weekly meeting between Stein and Hougham “in an apparent attempt to informally resolve [Hougham’s] claims of sexual discrimination.” According to the complaint, the meeting ended abruptly.

Hougham claims that sometime after the meeting, Stein suggested that he seek professional coaching with an outside consultant. According to the complaint, he rejected Stein’s offer after which she advised him that she was considering not renewing his position as associate provost for a second term, which would last another three years. In July 2022, Brendan Murday was hired as associate provost. 

Hougham was on sabbatical leave for Fall 2022. He was allegedly offered a sabbatical by Stein “in an apparent effort to appear compassionate,” which he accepted.

After Hougham returned from a sabbatical in Spring 2023, he was notified by students that his name was allegedly left out of the choral concert programs. According to the complaint, he contacted Anne Hogan, then dean of the School of MTD, about it. 

Hogan was the dean of the School of MTD from Fall 2022 until Spring 2024. She left to accept a position as dean of the College of Performing Arts at Chapman University in Southern California. Hogan did not respond to The Ithacan’s request for comment by the time of publication. 

Sean Linfors, associate professor in the Department of Music Education and interim director of choral activities, allegedly contacted Hougham and said the absence of his name was attributable to a “cut and paste” error from a program template. 

Linfors did not respond to The Ithacan’s request for comment at the time of publication. 

Hougham claimed in the complaint that Jennifer Kay, associate professor in the Department of Music Performance, was not left out of the program even though she was also on sabbatical in Fall 2022. He points out in the claim that she is a “straight faculty member.”

Kay did not respond to The Ithacan’s request for comment at the time of publication. 

In a digital copy of the choral concert program from March 2023, both Hougham and Kay are mentioned. Hougham is also mentioned in a PDF archive of the printed program. The Ithacan was unable to access a physical copy of the program. According to the complaint, after Hougham disclosed the error to Hogan, the archival programs were “altered.”

Hougham cites multiple other instances in the complaint — for example, during the evaluation of application auditions and while allegedly being “coerced” into teaching a course with no prior notice —  that would violate Title IX policies. 

Prayer for relief

In the claim, Hougham requested relief through various monetary compensations for the mental and physical pain, damage to his reputation, medical costs and economic loss that were all a result of this alleged sexual discrimination. He also requests an award for punitive damages and an award for attorney’s fees and legal expenses. 

Hougham demands a trial by jury. The college’s answer is due by May 26, and an initial video conference is set for July 29.