(NewsNation) — Lincoln University of Missouri’s president is on paid administrative leave after the vice president of student affairs reportedly died by suicide.
A statement from the university’s Board of Curators says President John Moseley volunteered to be put on leave during a third-party review into “potential personnel issues and concerns recently raised regarding compliance with the University’s established policies and procedures.”
“The third-party review will be conducted at the direction of the Board over the coming weeks,” according to the statement.
Dr. Stevie Lawrence II, currently the university’s provost and vice president of academic affairs, will serve as acting president during the review.
Lincoln University did not immediately respond to follow-up questions from NewsNation, including who the third party taking part in the review is.
This comes after family sources told HBCU Buzz that Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Antoinette Candia-Bailey died by suicide in early January after “bullying and severe mistreatment.”
If you or a loved one are experiencing mental distress, please call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Sources said in the HBCU Buzz article that Bailey was left “unsupported, disregarded, and abused after countless attempts to speak out on the bullying and harassment she experienced in her role from President Moseley.”
Calls for Moseley’s resignation from the campus community were swift. Lincoln University students and alumni rallied on social media using #FireMoseley.
On Thursday, The News Tribune wrote, around one dozen students protested at the university as the Board of Curators met.
Sherman Bonds, president of the Lincoln University National Alumni Association, wrote a letter to the Board of Curators, saying a change of leadership was needed in the president’s office following Candia-Bailey’s death.
“I find myself standing in the state of hopelessness,” Bonds wrote in the letter. “Therefore, my appeal to you and the Board of Curators is to find a resolution that restores that consciousness of peace and healing. The university’s institutional care has been breached. The present administration has become a liability to the mission and health of the institution.”
Bonds told NewsNation the university needs a space for healing, which is why he wrote the letter.
When he first met Candia-Bailey during his visit to the university at Homecoming, Bonds said the administrator was a “passionate leader committed to the students and to the university.”
Some information “regarding her circumstances” was given to him on the day she died, Bonds said, though he declined to say exactly was this was.
The News-Tribune reports, though, that before she died, Candia-Bailey sent an email letter to those both on and off campus, in which she called Moseley a “bully” with a “callous and evil soul” who joked about her mental health. This letter, according to the newspaper, was sent 6:15 a.m. Monday, and outlines a “series of issues” she had with university leadership, including, allegedly, a toxic work environment and misconduct by members of the president’s advisory council.
Documents sent to KRCG-TV show she sent emails to Moseley and the board about her requests for Family and Medical leave, stating that her relationship with the university president went “downhill” because of her depression and anxiety.
Candia-Bailey wrote that she was “intentionally harassed and bullied.” After receiving a poor evaluation and asking for help, KRCG-TV wrote, she said Moseley “ignored requests (failing to respond to emails), or when face-to-face, danced around the topic.”
The university put out a statement on Facebook Thursday saying they are mourning her loss.
“She was a gifted colleague and always a passionate advocate for Lincoln University, HBCUs and other causes in which she believed,” the Facebook post said. “Dr. Bailey had many friends in the Lincoln University community. As a Blue Tiger community, we grieve with them and send our deepest condolences to Dr. Bailey’s family.”
The Board of Curators, in a statement sent by the university Friday, said they and other university leaders cannot comment publicly on what they called “confidential employee personnel information,” but did say “the recent loss of Dr. Antoinette ‘Bonnie’ Candia-Bailey is tragic.”
“As a Board, we are committed to make certain the mental health of Lincoln University employees is a priority and that every employee is always treated with dignity and respect,” Board of Curators President Victor Pasley said. “The Board has confidence in the leadership team we have at Lincoln, but as we all work together to serve students and the Lincoln University community, this review will fully examine important questions, concerns and gather facts.”
This story is developing. Refresh for updates.
