Kelsey Beltramea, Gilchrist Pursuing UI Lab Complaints

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Gilchrist pursuing UI lab complaints

Kelsey Beltramea

The Daily Iowan

January 15, 2007

[Note: This material is copyright by The Daily Iowan, and is reproduced here as a matter of "fair use" for non-commercial, educational purposes only. Any other use may require the prior approval of The Daily Iowan.]

A public hearing will be held next month, as the former UI Hygienic Laboratory Director Mary Gilchrist brings a formal complaint against interim UI President Gary Fethke and Meredith Hay, the UI vice president for Research. The lawsuit alleges that Fethke and Hay illegally fired Gilchrist after wrongly attempting to limit her communication with state officials.

Gilchrist says she was terminated Oct. 3 for being "too passionate"; she is suing the UI officials to get her job back, as well as to receive "nominal" damages and back pay. She has said she was offered roughly six months' pay to stay quiet about her departure, a contention UI officials have neither confirmed nor denied.

The 11-year director had been vocal about what she believed was a lack of funding for the new state Hygienic Lab and the Iowa Vanguard Program, which was initiated to aid efficient detection of possible biological threats.

Gilchrist contacted public officials about the UI's mismanagement, according to the lawsuit, because she believed it presented a substantial danger to public health and safety.

In a number of e-mails referenced in the lawsuit, Hay reprimanded Gilchrist for the communications, advising Gilchrist on Sept. 28, 2005, that all of her correspondence with the Board of Regents, its staff, or any state official be directly through Hay.

But Gilchrist continued to share her concerns with state representatives and Fethke, who - according to the suit - told Gilchrist to "do some endocrinology," then while firing her, said she needn't create "a sense of hysteria."

Gilchrist has said she was concerned the plans for the new Hygienic Lab did not reflect the best design. In order to meet a $3.5 million budget shortfall, Hay cut more than 12,000 square feet that would have housed two bays to aid lab operations during possible epidemics, such as SARS, according to the suit.

Gilchrist's goal was to eliminate the budget shortfall with donations by the lab's scheduled 2009 completion date. Shortly after her termination, Gilchrist launched the "Iowans Want the Best Lab" campaign to attain funds to create a "better" design.

The matter will be heard in 6th District court on Feb. 8.