Community leaders want second inquiry of UNLV’s AD

Steve Carp

Thursday, June 11, 1998 | 10:45 a.m.

Totally dissatisfied with the way the investigation of UNLV athletic director Charlie Cavagnaro was handled by university president Dr. Carol Harter, local community leaders are ready to demand that the Board of Regents initiate a second independent investigation.

A meeting at Cavagnaro's attorney's office -- minus Cavagnaro -- Wednesday did little to settle the two-month-old issue.

The chancellor's office handled a three-week-long inquiry into allegations that Cavagnaro used racist, sexist and homophobic remarks about UNLV student-athletes.

The findings from that inquiry, in which approximately 60 people were interviewed, were not released publicly. Harter and Chancellor Richard Jarvis were briefed orally May 27 and Harter released a statement two days later clearing Cavagnaro.

Harter has refused to make public disclosure of the information, citing it as a personnel matter. That has irked several community leaders who were led to believe everything would be handled independently of Harter's office.

"I feel like we're back to square one," Assemblyman Wendell Williams (D-Las Vegas) said. "Another independent inquiry is needed."

Williams, who attended the meeting with Cavagnaro's attorney, David Chesnoff, said he is looking into the legal aspects of forcing the details of the investigation to be made public. He will be at next week's regents meeting in Reno, where the matter is on the agenda.

Williams attacked Harter's decision as cause of the ongoing dissent.

"It's becoming more apparent that the university is the burden of this problem," he said. "It is my belief the directive of the regents wasn't carried out."

The Rev. James Rogers, president of the Las Vegas chapter of the NAACP who was present at Wednesday's meeting, said the lack of information coming from the president's office is disturbing.

"We're still concerned about the lack of disclosure," he said. "Nothing has been known other than what was made by the president."

Harter is on vacation and couldn't be reached for comment.

Gary Peck, head of the local chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union who also attended the meeting, said: "I'm extremely disappointed we haven't heard from the regents about these issues. The biggest problem here is the system and the people who run it. They're the ones dragging this out."

Local activist and talk show host Pat Cunningham was hoping to meet Cavagnaro face-to-face and discuss the matter.

"I was hoping he'd be here today," she said. "When he's not here, his absence is glaring. It's important that he understand that he has to face the community.

"This is our second meeting and we have not seen Charlie yet."

The community members who met with Chesnoff Wednesday are hopeful there eventually will be a face-to-face meeting with Cavagnaro. They also would like to see Cavagnaro waive his rights to privacy and allow the chancellor's office to prepare a written report and release it to the public.

"The one thing I would personally ask if I'm totally innocent is why not ask for the information to be released so I can move on," Williams asked rhetorically. "If I'm innocent as the president says I am, I would want that information out to back me up."

When asked about such a scenario possibly occurring, Chesnoff refused to comment other than to say, "An agreement was made prior to this meeting not to discuss this in the press so an orderly and civil conclusion can come of that. I am honoring that agreement."