CSSN has a bill, but no results in harassment probe

Jennifer Knight

Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2003 | 9:42 a.m.

A university system investigation into complaints filed by the woman who once called herself Assemblyman Wendell Williams' special assistant has cost the Community College of Southern Nevada $5,000 so far, a college official said.

The University and Community Sytem of Nevada has hired private investigator Jeffrey Cohen to look into how Topazia "Briget" Jones and others at CCSN were hired.

University system officials would not say what had been done on the investigation, and CCSN President Ron Remington said he didn't know much about the bill other than the total.

"The bill we have doesn't reflect how many hours have been put into this (investigation)," Remington said. "We don't even know how extensive the services have been so far."

The probe was prompted by Jones' allegations that she was given special treatment in getting hired and promoted, and was sexually harassed and discriminated against because of her color, according to Jones' lawyer, Larry Semenza.

Jones, who wore a jacket that said she was Williams' special assistant during the Legislature, was allegedly hired by the college based on a recommendation from the assemblyman.

After Jones filed her complaint in September, university system Chancellor Jane Nichols said Jones qualified for whistle-blower status, a category that protects an employee from retribution after making certain types of complaints against government officials.

"(Nichols) told me she had whistle-blower status," Regent Steve Sisolak said. "That's why she's still there."

Remington said he was also led to believe that Jones had whistle-blower status.

But Jones never filed for whistle-blower status, according to Jo Justice, a clerk in the state's Department of Personnel Administrative Services.

"I've never seen it," Justice said. "If she was going to file a whistle-blower complaint it would have to go through me."

According to Jim Spencer, senior deputy attorney general, a state employee can file for whistle-blower protection up to 10 days after a realization that there has been retaliation for exposure of an improper governmental action.

"If she files it now, I think she was clearly out of time, but that's not my call. That's the hearing officer's call," Spencer said.

Jones' lawyer, Semenza, said Jones never intended to file for whistle-blower status.

"I'm trying to think what circumstances ... would qualify her as a whistle-blower in the first place," Semenza said.

The investigation is expected to wrap up in November and result in a special meeting by the Board of Regents. Any action as a result of the investigation would come out of that meeting.