Former president at Calvin claims his family was 'illegally evicted' from campus

GRAND RAPIDS — The former president of a private Christian university in West Michigan claims his family was illegally evicted from their campus home after he was forced to resign in February following threats of termination— even though an investigation into a complaint against him never took place.

In late February, Calvin University announced it was undergoing a "leadership transition," after President Wiebe Boer "engaged in unwelcome and inappropriate communication and attention toward a non-student member of the campus community."

The report did not include allegations of sexually explicit communication or physical contact, the university wrote in a statement published on its website Feb. 26. "But the alleged conduct is concerning and inappropriate," it said.

On April 12, Boer and his wife, Joanna, filed a federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court seeking in excess of $470,000. The couple alleges the school breached its contract with Boer and defamed him, as well as discriminated against Joanna, who is Black.

"It was so difficult for my wife, Joanna, and me to file a legal complaint against Calvin," Boer said in a prepared statement to The Sentinel. "But after nearly two months of remaining silent in attempts to amicably and privately resolve our issues with the board, we have been given no choice. The continued attacks on our character and one-sided storytelling compel me to further respond."

Calvin University, formerly Calvin College, was founded in Grand Rapids in 1876 and named after Protestant Reformer John Calvin. In 2022, Boer was hired as the school's president after Michael Le Roy retired from a 10-year tenure.

Boer, his wife, and two school-age sons moved into the DeWit Manor president’s residence on campus, which Calvin required and provided as a housing benefit under his contract with the school.

The family's attorney, Sarah Riley-Howard, said the couple — both graduates of the school — took a fresh approach to lead Calvin into a new era that focused on inclusivity, addressing declining enrollment over the past decade.

Boer said he focused on expanded recruitment at local high schools and internationally, as well as improving relationships with potential donors.

Under his leadership, "Calvin thrived, experiencing increasing student enrollment, better donor relationships, and a healthier financial outlook," according to the complaint.

As he focused on his goals, however, Boer said he discovered troubling concerns over staff morale, particularly with female staff.

Howard said a 2022 survey at the school showed "faculty and staff morale so low that the ratings were below the charts. This ... included various complaints about Provost (Noah) Toly’s heavy-handed style of leading faculty," according to the complaint.

"Boer later learned that multiple female members of faculty (past and present) accused Provost Toly of unlawful sexism in a wide variety of resource (sic) and other decisions falling within Toly’s extensive power and purview."

Boer said he considered removing Toly, but members on the board convinced him otherwise.

Toly, notably, applied for the role of president during the search process that culminated in Boer's hiring.

On Feb. 22, Boer said he was called to appear before the board without knowing the purpose of the meeting. He said the school's Title IX Coordinator Lauren Horras read from a prepared script, informing him that a female contractor Calvin uses to organize official events at DeWit Manor had made accusations against him.

The accusations centered on text messages.

The university later issued a statement on its website saying the communications were "unwelcome and inappropriate," but Boer disputes that characterization.

"As to the texts that I exchanged with a person I considered a friendly acquaintance over a short period, I will say this: I have made it a practice throughout my professional career to try to treat everyone in a nonhierarchical manner, seeking to develop authentic, friendly connections with people," Boer wrote to The Sentinel.

"What could be considered flirtatious by one person could also be considered simply friendly or light-hearted by another, but in no way did I intend the messages to be inappropriate or unwelcome. Had I realized this was the case, I would not have continued the discussion."

Calvin, meanwhile, said the school "engaged outside experts to ensure (it) responded to the report in compliance with our policy and legal requirements, including Title IX."

Howard said the reference to Title IX is misleading. Title IX is the most commonly used term for the landmark federal civil rights law in the U.S. in 1972 that prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or education program that receives funding from the federal government.

"The references to Title IX imply that the allegations implicated Title IX and, more importantly, that a Title IX process was afforded to Boer — which was false," Howard wrote in the complaint. "If Title IX had been implicated, Boer would have been afforded significantly more protection and due process."

Howard also said the school referenced its "safer spaces" policy in various statements it made, which applies to sexual misconduct committed by or against a member of the Calvin community.

Howard said Boer was pressured by board members to resign over the texts because "they believed they had grounds to fire him" and said if Boer voluntarily left, he would be afforded "a chance to influence the public statement about the allegations." They gave him a deadline of 24 hours to make a decision.

After Boer agreed to resign, he said the school issued a statement to the campus community and stakeholders without his input.

"There was never a true intent to give him input in the public statement," Howard wrote.

The couple then retained legal counsel and began negotiating when they would leave DeWit Manor, as their school-age children were enrolled in a local Christian school, per the requirements of Boer's contract. The parties were unable to reach an agreement on a date to vacate.

"Plaintiffs’ lawyers tried to negotiate with Calvin’s representatives the date and details of the Boers leaving their home at the property, to no avail," according to the complaint.

The Boers went on vacation with their children in late March for spring break and, while they were away, Calvin changed the locks to the residence, according to the complaint.

They tried to regain access to the home to retrieve their possessions. On April 7, the Boers were permitted to enter the home "only briefly with a human resources employee and campus security escort" to retrieve "a few personal belongings."

Howard said the school only permitted one member of the family to enter the home at a time to retrieve belongings, which dragged the process out and traumatized the children.

"The Boers’ youngest child, at 9 years old, was too unsettled to enter the home without one of his parents, since Calvin would only allow him too to go in the home escorted by a uniformed campus security officer," she wrote in the complaint.

"Calvin employees there to supervise the Boers' access saw the distress and tearful emotion this process caused the Boers, and they lamented that they were unable to do anything differently without Calvin deeming them to be 'insubordinate.'"

The couple also claims Joanna experienced sex and race discrimination during her time with the school.

In addition to "key members of Calvin’s administration frequently undermining her, belittling her, and unduly challenging her," Howard wrote, "some individuals pushed back on any consideration of race in culture and community at the university."

As the college's first Black first lady, she was charged with any repair or renovations to the manor and hosting various events. She said her responsibilities were hindered by a lack of information she repeatedly requested relating to budgets, costs and guidance from campus officials.

"The initial directive to redecorate and host events devolved into petty pushbacks on budget items, such as catering and fixtures," according to the complaint. "Since there was no budget established that Ms. Boer could work within, Calvin staff regularly and arbitrarily told Ms. Boer that certain expenses, even of a few hundred dollars, were 'too much.' Ms. Boer was frustrated with the lack of guidelines and inconsistencies."

She also said she experienced unwanted touches by a Calvin administrator and that he told her to “just focus on your kids.”

After notifying various officials and board members about her concerns, Joanna claimed one board member, who is Asian, told her "most people at Calvin consider him white, and he 'really doesn’t get the diversity issue,'" according to the complaint.

The enrolled student population at Calvin University in 2021 was 70.9% White, 5.34% Asian, 4.27% Hispanic or Latino and 3.96% Black or African American, according to DataUSA. The national average for all baccalaureate colleges that same year was 55% White, 13.5% Black or African American, and 13.4% Hispanic or Latino.

Despite the negative experiences and the current lawsuit, Boer said he will continue to support the school.

"I am grateful for the outpouring of support my family and I have received from the community," he wrote in the statement to The Sentinel. "I regret that the handling of this situation has caused such harmful ramifications for the Calvin Community.

"I still dream of a Calvin University that is the leading Christian University in the world — and despite my issues with the current board, I will continue to support and promote the university as a whole."

— Sarah Leach is executive editor of The Holland Sentinel. Contact her at sarah.leach@hollandsentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter @SentinelLeach.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Former president at Calvin claims his family was 'illegally evicted' from campus