(The Center Square) – The former president of Ohio State University “misused his position” to help a woman with whom he had a close personal relationship, according to an investigation by the university released Tuesday.
Walter “Ted” Carter Jr. resigned last month as president of Ohio State after admitting to an “inappropriate” relationship with the woman, Krisanthe Vlachos.
Carter tried to help Vlachos find a job at the university, space on campus to conduct her business, staff and technical support for podcasts and financial support from external partners of the university, the university’s investigation found.
“Carter’s actions betrayed Ohio State’s shared values and violated university policy,” the report concluded. “Carter had a close personal and business relationship with Vlachos, and he allowed that relationship to improperly influence his actions and impair his judgment.”
For nearly two years, Carter used the authority as president to help Vlachose “both inside and outside the university,” the investigation found.
Safeguards within the university procedures and actions by university employees blocked many of Carter’s attempts to help Vlachos, the report found.
She was never hired by the university as an employee or a consultant, and never received any university funds, the report states. University staff never performed extensive work on her podcasts and her access to Carter’s office was restricted.
“Individual employees tried to raise concerns about Vlachos appropriately,” the investigation found.
Outside of the university, the internal controls “could not mitigate” Carter’s efforts to help Vlachos, the investigative report noted.
“Carter sought resources for Vlachos from state government departments, corporate partners, and a national veterans organization for her business ventures,” it stated.
“Carter and Vlachos also falsely represented or exaggerated to others Carter’s engagement of university donors to support her business projects. These efforts to support Vlachos with these external parties were discordant or in conflict with ongoing university projects and priorities.”
Chris Kabourek, Senior Vice President for Administration and Planning and Senior Advisor to Carter, acted as the president’s “designee” as Vlachos’ main point of contact at the university.
“Kabourek went far beyond any other employee in supporting Carter’s efforts to assist Vlachos, both inside and outside the university; he failed to stop or report those efforts himself; and he failed to appropriately address concerns raised to him by other employees,” the investigation found.
Kabourek resigned from the university April 13, the report stated.
It quotes employees as describing Vlachos’ as persistent, unsophisticated and weird.
“She was very demanding and made unusual requests or comments, like
asking to house-sit professors’ homes or saying she was living out of her car,” an employee said, according to the report. “According to one employee, Carter said she had a side job cleaning horse stalls. She made employees uncomfortable and many witnesses described avoiding or ignoring her contacts.”
John Zeiger, chair of the Ohio State board of trustees, called the report “deeply disappointing” but praised the university’s internal controls.
“It is gratifying the university’s systems and processes – and the people charged with implementing them – prevented misuse of Ohio State’s resources,” Zeiger said.
