Return to Nicholas Johnson's Iowa Rain Forest ("Earthpark") Web Site

Return to Nicholas Johnson's Blog, FromDC2Iowa
 
 

[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.]

Meredith Hay, the UI vice president for Research, testified that reinstating the former Hygienic Lab director would be more harmful to public health than if she weren't reinstated because senior staff members would leave their positions.

"I did not have confidence in her abilities to work on such a complicated project like the new Hygienic Lab and stay under budget … and I did not have confidence in her ability to work in a team environment," Hay said.

Gilchrist was fired in October; she has since sued Hay and interim UI President Gary Fethke, asserting that the administrators illegally tried to quiet her concerns about a lack of funding for the new state Hygienic Lab. Because of budget shortfalls, the $36 million project was scaled down from approximately 124,000 to 112,500 square feet.

Pat Ingram, Gilchrist's attorney, asked for an injunction to restore the former lab director's job while court proceedings are pending, and Judge Denver Dillard heard roughly four and a half hours of testimony Thursday as Ingram and Assistant Iowa Attorney General George Carroll presented their cases.

Dillard must ultimately decide whether Gilchrist is protected by Iowa's whistleblower statute, which allows state employees to disclose information they reasonably believe shows mismanagement or substantial and specific danger to public health and safety.

Carroll, on behalf of Hay and Fethke, argued that GIlchrist's actions do not constitute that of a whistleblower but rather a lobbyist who repeatedly disobeyed orders from superiors.

When Gilchrist continually went over administrators' heads to contact lawmakers and government officials about fundraising, she bypassed the traditional chain of communication, Fethke said. If all deans and employees seeking funding acted as Gilchrist did, "it would be chaos," Fethke testified.

"I'm concerned about putting our appropriations at risk," he said. "We want the people whom we report to and who support us to think we're good stewards … Any time there's noise about that, they're going to raise concern."

Hay testified that she never prohibited Gilchrist from reporting specific dangers to public health. She said she told Gilchrist that she was not allowed to lobby legislators or government officials to set priorities for UI appropriations.

Ultimately, Fethke said, Gilchrist's vocal dissatisfaction with plans for the new lab made him concerned about her abilities to continue as director, so he fired her.

"I don't recall the individual words," he said. "But I remember what motivated me, and I hope I expressed it the best I could under a difficult situation."

Gilchrist is expected to take the stand Feb. 12.