Minority organizations still want to meet over Cavagnaro remarks

Wednesday, June 10, 1998 | 9:11 a.m.

Cavagnaro's attorney, David Chesnoff, tried to set up a meeting for Monday afternoon with several community leaders, including Las Vegas NAACP President the Rev. James Rogers and Anne Golonka, the president of Southern Nevada National Organization for Women.

However, Chesnoff reportedly cancelled the meeting after learning that some invitees sought a stronger apology from Cavagnaro, as well as a demand for sensitivity training.

In a June 1 statement, Cavagnaro apologized if he had inadvertently used language that could be deemed offensive.

UNLV President Carol Harter said in the same news release that she found no evidence in Board of Regents counsel Kwasi Nyamekye's verbal report that Cavagnaro was guilty of the "most serious" allegations of using racially offensive or homophobic language.

Gary Peck, executive director for the Nevada chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said a meeting could still happen.

"We have been involved in the past day in ongoing conversations with David Chesnoff and Mr. Cavagnaro, to arrange a meeting that would be attended by them, myself and a number of other individuals," said Peck, who was initially contacted by Chesnoff on Friday. "We're trying to work something out."

Others expected to participate in the meeting Monday were local radio talk show host and minority rights activist Pat Cunningham and Assemblyman Wendell Williams.

After the cancellation, Peck and Chesnoff later spoke again by phone and agreed to continue discussing a formal meeting, though it was not clear precisely who would attend.

Chesnoff was not eager to discuss details of Monday's activity.

"If an effort is being made to amicably resolve this, it's not appropriate to make the possibility of a meeting (into) a story," he said. "Mr. Cavagnaro cooperated in the investigation, denies that he was involved in conduct that can be construed as racist, and is looking forward to running the athletics department at UNLV."

When asked why, if he considers the matter closed, Cavagnaro would seek a meeting with minority officials, Chesnoff said:

"The only reason to seek a meeting is apparently people are not satisfied with his previous statement. We want to bury the hatchet and move forward in the spirit of brotherhood."

Harter added that Cavagnaro was told of the severity of the charges, and she had also written a letter stating such for his personnel file.

Peck said no one in the group is calling for Cavagnaro's ouster.

"We're not interested in seeing his career destroyed or his reputation ruined," Peck said. "But we do want him to commit himself to working with the university to ensure this never happens again."