Fund Raiser Sues SUNY-Binghamton, Saying She Was Used as Sexual 'Plaything'

Elizabeth Williams, a fund raiser for the State University of New York at Binghamton, has sued the institution, asserting that senior officials in the athletics department tried to use her as a sexual “plaything,” in part to elicit contributions from prospective donors, the Associated Press reported this afternoon.

In March, Ms. Williams filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in which she alleged “egregious acts of sexual misconduct” by two senior athletics-department officials. In the complaint, she said she had been subjected to sexual harassment by the officials after she began working in the department, in January.

In one instance, Ms. Williams said she had been told to dress provocatively for a fund-raising dinner in New York City, where she said she was offered money from a donor in exchange for sex. The two athletics officials, who accompanied her to the dinner, “encouraged and participated” in the harassment for the remainder of the night, according to her complaint.

Back in March, Ms. Williams told The New York Times that one of the officials would sit close enough to her during normal workdays to touch her body, stare at her chest, and speak to her using sexual innuendo.

In an e-mail message to The Chronicle today, Gail Glover, Binghamton’s senior director of media and public relations, said that the university had zero tolerance for harassment or discrimination of any kind.

“Earlier this year, we were dismayed to learn of allegations of sexual harassment raised by a member of our development team,” Ms. Glover wrote. “We are reviewing the legal complaint now, and we will respond appropriately in court.” —Ashley Killough