As I Prepare to Meet The Lawmaker, Stress Finally Takes Its Toll on My New Job

----- 原始信件 ----
寄件者: Curt D <in8aqua@yahoo.com>
收件者: 彭 向陽 sypeng48@yahoo.com.tw
寄件日期: 2007/10/16(星期二) 上午9:17:57
主　旨: Lawyer & lawmaker

Dear Dr. Peng,

  Hi. I am awaiting the lawyer's follow up on my case and will update you after. I have made him aware that you would like to tell him more detail about what has happened with the nursing college including about my contract and the accusation + school process.

  Meanwhile, the lawmaker would like to meet me on Thursday at 11 a.m. Do you have time this Thursday to go with me to meet him? I will also ask Adeline if she can go. It would be good if at least one of you could go to provide some details and to help bridge the Chinese - English gap between me and the lawmaker.

  Yesterday the Cambridge Taipei school said they will let me finish out my current classes and take a break - so I guess their meaning is I can look for another job. I will finish one class this Thursday, another next Tuesday and the last one in November, so I will start looking for another job this week. I'll also decide what things to do to get myself back in better physical and mental health.

Regards,

Curtis

----- Original Message ----
From: 彭 向陽 <sypeng48@yahoo.com.tw>
To: Curt D <in8aqua@yahoo.com>
Sent: Tuesday, October 16, 2007 12:37:40 PM
Subject: Re: Lawyer & lawmaker

Dear Curtis:

I would like to meet the lawmaker with you on Thursday at 11:am, if the lawmaker thinks that it will be helpful for clarifying the whole event.
Please show me the address and the name of the lawmaker's office.

On my opinion, the most useful is that to win from the lawsuit, you should put your main attention on it. 

Good luck in looking for new job!

                                                                                With Regards

                                                                                        SY Peng  Oct 16 2007

New Lawyer Lays Out My Options While the Stress Affects My New Job

----- 原始信件 ----
寄件者: Curt D <in8aqua@yahoo.com>
收件者: 彭 向陽 <sypeng48@yahoo.com.tw>
寄件日期: 2007/10/14(星期日) 下午6:44:52
主　旨: Lawyer

Dear Dr. Peng,

  Hi! I called you several times on Saturday, but your cell phone was not available. I met the lawyer on Friday evening, and basically he said there may be three possible ways to pursue the case against the student and NTCN. One is administrative - directly with the school - another is by a civil lawsuit, and the other is by a criminal lawsuit. He made copies of the documents I brought and said he and his colleagues will review them to see more clearly what has happened and more precisely what action can be taken. He will probably need to talk to you at a later date after the action(s) I can take are certain and we agree on the fees for services. He said he could also tell me more precisely the cost after he knows what action(s) can be taken. He will answer me as soon as possible.

  Meanwhile, I have been feeling increasingly under stress and physically/mentally exhausted, so I requested a reduction in my teaching hours at Cambridge (from 20 to 15) or if it is not possible, then I will give them my 30-day notice to leave and look for another job. I have been working from Monday to Saturday, usually out of my apartment around 11 a.m. and not home until after 8 or 11 p.m. every day except Saturday.

Regards,

Curtis

----- Original Message ----
From: 彭 向陽 <sypeng48@yahoo.com.tw>
To: Curt D <in8aqua@yahoo.com>
Sent: Monday, October 15, 2007 2:55:45 PM
Subject: Re: Lawyer

Dear Curtis:

Sorry! I did not open my cell phone last Saturday afternoon, for its the time for laboratory work.  And I read the e mail this noon.

I am glad to see that you have made up your mind to call for lawsuit. 

Please let your Lawyer know that I would like to answer his questions.

Be make sure that no matter what kind of action the Lawyer may take, he should really help to to win the appeal. 

Take care of yourself, your normal physical situation will be one of the key points for you to win the lawsuit. The time course of the lawsuit may not shorter than three months.  

Keep in contact with me and Adeline.

                                                                                  with Regards

                                                                                          SY Peng  Oct 15 2007

Another of the Early Supporters Who Provided Material Help

  Without the much-needed help I got from a few nursing university insiders in the early months of this nightmare, I might never have gotten enough courage and encouragement to take on such a Herculean task fighting the evil and better-armed forces who perpetrated and maintained this horrendous fraud. 

  Two nursing university staff who I worked with regularly tried early on to do the right thing by telling the truth of what happened & didn't happen at the June 4, 2007, exhibition. However, the nursing university administrators who asked them about Alice's accusation before the gender equity committee even met made it very clear that they were not to give any information supporting me or else they would be in danger of losing their jobs. 

  Ms. Lin Liju (Lina) was the one who I worked most closely and frequently with of the two and she confided in me early on that she had been told by at least one administrator that "Oh, you're just trying to help Curtis because you like him." She was further told by the same administrator that under no circumstances was she or her colleague, Cherry, to discuss the case with me or anyone else outside of the nursing university or else they would lose their jobs.

  I was flabbergasted to say the least by the fact that in the gender equity committee's investigation report about Alice's allegation of sexual harassment that there were NO statements from either Lina (林莉如) or Cherry (方仁華) nor from the 3 students at the school's exhibition booth. NONE! So, I contacted Lina on my own and asked her and Cherry to please write up a statement (see Two Nursing University Staff at the June 4, 2007 Activity Deliver Their Supporting Statement) about what happened on June 4 and send it directly to me for use in my appeal of the school's decision and my forthcoming lawsuit. 

  Although muted and edited of anything overtly supporting my innocence due to their fear of reprisals from the nursing university, it provided enough information that an unbiased, reasonable and intelligent person would at least have serious doubts about Alice's claim of being touched and sexually harassed. However, my case was constantly held hostage in an environment of bias, manipulation, and crony bureaucracy so that I never got the benefit of such a fair and reasonable consideration and judgment. 

  Another big boost I got for my case was also provided by Lina in the chaotic, confused first few days after I heard of the false accusation. It was Lina who gave me the copy of Dr. Tsay's email (see The Email That Started This Nightmare & Illegally Exposed My Name) announcing (illegally) that I had been accused of sexual harassment and telling the school's Teachers Committee that my contract renewal should be cancelled based on the unproven allegation.

02/09/12 Update: I've started a new blog entitled Giving Up a Life's Worth of Music, Movies and More For My Kids' Future

 

It's Magic! Nursing University Sleight of Hand Makes 5 Witnesses Disappear

   One of the most incredible facets of the nursing university's handling of the false sexual harassment accusation is the virtually complete absence of ANY witnesses on my behalf! Although there were 2 nursing university staff and 3 other students present at the exhibition booth before, during and after the minute the accuser alleges I touched her waist, all of them were inexplicably prevented from providing statements supporting my innocence. Five witnesses favorable to my side very conveniently DISAPPEARED!

  Instead, the nursing university administrators, together with the GE in Equity Committee interrogators, put together a line up of 4 so-called "witnesses":

1. a friend and schoolmate of the accuser
2. one of my female Taiwanese coworkers who was not even at the exhibition booth and had been overheard by department staff discussing with Alice how to pursue her accusation against me
3. Alice's nursing university mentor/guidance counselor who she reported her allegation to and someone who had called me on at least one occasion to ask me to allow failing students to pass my English class.
4. (this one I'll have to check again)

  Out of these four so-called "witnesses", only one them was even at the exhibition booth on June 4 and had any possible relevance to Alice's false accusation! There were FIVE other people who were at the exhibition booth whose eyewitness accounts were surreptitiously ABSENT from the GE in Education Committee's investigation report and the decision. What administrative force allowed that to happen?!
  Six people at the booth (not including me) and ONLY the false statement of a friendly witness for Alice included while excluding the statements (if any were ever even taken) of 5 other people who would have confirmed they saw no such action by me.

  Luckily, in my perseverance to get a statement from at least the two nursing university staff who I regularly worked with doing required administrative work, I finally was able to get something. Their statement confirmed that they had not seen or noticed anything unusual or inappropriate between Alice and I nor any indications that she was uncomfortable or upset during the several hours of the exhibition. 
  Check out the links below to earlier posts where you can see photos taken during the same time period Alice and the nursing university allege I touched her waist. Along with me and Alice, you'll see the three other students, the two nursing university staff are out of view (they can be seen in a video taken about the same time), and the area around all sides of the booth is completely open on all sides with people walking everywhere.

Of Concealment, Deception and Ignoring the Evidence

The Invisible "Touch" - Where Is It? 

Coming Around Again 

What Goes Around Comes Around...Starting...Now! 

02/09/12 Update: I've started a new blog entitled Giving Up a Life's Worth of Music, Movies and More For My Kids' Future

Two Nursing University Staff at The June 4, 2007 Activity Deliver Their Supporting Statement

New document

FROM: Curt D

TO: 周艾琳

Sunday, October 7, 2007 7:43 PM

Dear Adeline,

  Hi. Hope you and your family survived the typhoon okay. I am fine although I had to deal with a leaking roof for some hours Saturday - there's an extension built onto my apartment and some areas leaked during the worst part of the typhoon so I had many buckets, containers and towels set up to catch the water until it stopped in the early evening.

  I have attached a document with a description of what happened the day of the activity at which the student accused me of touching her. It was written by Liju and Cherry who were working at the activity all day. Please read it and later I will call you and you can tell me what they said. Don't mention I let you read this as Liju and Cherry do not know you have been helping me. I have kept all of you in confidence from others helping me!

Regards,

Curtis

Re: New document

FROM: 周艾琳

TO: Curt D

Sunday, October 7, 2007 9:31 PM

Dear Curtis,

This was a serious typhoon. You were not the only one who had to deal with the leaking matter.  Our apartment in the dormitory and our hot spring apartment in Bali had the same problems, but fortunately, the situations were not so serious. I am so glad that it was gone. 

Please find the attachment which I translated into English and hope you can understand. I would not let anyone know the content of this document and will not talk to anybody.  

I am sorry that I did not shorten the Chinese title of the enclosed document. Please do it if you want.

Adeline

96年4月期間因學校辦理教學卓越計畫成果展，展示會場設置國際村，要求本校外籍人員提供其母國食物於展示會場進行義賣。因次本校校長與研發長請Curtis協助規劃食物義賣活動並於活動當日(6月4日)至北科大提供服務。

During April 2007, because of the coming exhibition of Excellence Project on 4^th June, the College requested our foreigner staff to prepare any foods from their motherland. Our principal and the chairperson of Research and Development asked Curtis to develop the foods and the charity bazaar.

為了當日國際村食物義賣活動，通識中心英文組招募幾位工讀生，其中包括楊雅惠，協助準備活動前與當日義賣活動。活動前為了食品海報製作，楊雅惠同學負責製作食品營養說明之海報美工部分。

In order to prepare the charity bazaar, the Office of English Teaching Group recruited some working students to help in the Exhibition. Alice Yang was in charge of designing the nutrition poster of the foods in this activity.

活動當日，工讀生們與研發處工作人員(方仁華、林莉如.等人)在展示會場進行會場佈置與義賣。約10點，Curtis 到達會場，協助食品義賣。期間，校長與其他長官曾到攤位巡視。期間，楊雅惠同學與Curtis有簡短的對話。中午吃飯時間約11點半，Curtis 與方仁華和楊雅惠比鄰而坐，並且楊雅惠同學與Curtis有閒聊一些話題。因方仁華要兼顧攤位，因次並未詳加注意閒聊內容。用餐完畢，約12點，校長、學校同仁與教育部長等多人再次巡視攤位，並且校長等人至攤位內了解義賣情形，並要求工作人員主動出擊，將食物端出攤位，游走於活動會場進行食品試吃。因此所有工作人員開始將食物分盤並端出給會場學生與參觀者。而後，因Curtis 當日下午有課必須返回學校授課，因此約在12點半時離開攤位。而後，其他工作人員，包括所有工讀生、方仁華與林莉如繼續在攤位上進行時食品義賣與清理會場，直到展覽結束約5點。

On that day, Cherry, Liju, and other working students were decorating the stand and preparing the charity bazaar. About 10 am, Curtis arrived and helped sell the foods. About the same time, the principal and other supervisors made their rounds among the stands. During this moment, Alice Yang and Curtis were making small talk. Since Cherry had to watch over the stand, she didn’t pay attention to the content they were talking about. After finishing lunch, about 12 o’clock, the principal and colleagues, and the supervisors from the Ministry of Education made their rounds again and asked all staff to bring the foods out of the stand to the exhibition for trial. Later, Curtis had to leave for his afternoon class on campus, and he left about 12:30 pm. The rest of the staff kept working until 5 pm.

從上午10開始到下午5時之食品展示活動，所有工讀生與研發處工作人員皆努力招攬客人進行食品試吃，並無任何異樣，也未接獲任何工讀生有不適或抱怨的訊息。

From 10 am to 5 pm, during the exhibition, all the working students and staff of Research and Development worked very hard to solicit and did not see anything strange or weird, and had never heard any complaint from working students.

林莉如 
Liju

擬

方仁華

Cherry 

  You can read my statement of what happened at the June 4 exhibition here:  

  Recollections For the Court of the Events of June 4, 2007