ORU Scandalized-Are You?
Here's a new twist on the traditional corporate-corruption scandal: conservative Christian college Oral Roberts University of Tulsa, Oklahoma has found itself in the midst of a legal whirlwind. And charges associated more commonly with high-risk, high-profit businessmen than with evangelical Christian educators are muddying the school's name.
According to the latest reports from the New York Times and the Dallas Morning News, University President Richard Roberts has decided to take a leave of absence until the situation has diffused a bit.
So what exactly happened?
Three years ago, Roberts reportedly asked Stephanie Cantees, the sister of Roberts' wife, to act as the ministry's "eyes and ears," noting any rumors that were circulating about the Roberts family, the university, or the ministry and sending weekly reports to Roberts.
Cantees allegedly agreed and compiled at least one report of significant length, which Roberts received three years ago, according to sources. The report is said to include a confidential analysis of potential problems for the Roberts family, including items that could present legal, moral, ethical, and political vulnerabilities.
Roberts took no action upon receipt of the report, and the public may never have known about its contents had it not been for Cantees' technical troubles. According to reports, Cantees brought her computer in to a University facility for repairs, and the student working on the machine noticed the document and handed it over to professors.
Those three professors then showed the report to university officials, sources say, and were fired immediately afterwards. Now, the professors are apparently bringing a civil lawsuit against the university claiming financial, personal, and political irregularities.
According to the Times, the incidents reportedly alleged in Cantees' document and included in the professors' suit include:
- Illegal mobilization of students to campaign for a republican mayoral candidate
- Spending University funds on personal items (vacations, use of a personal jet, cars, clothing, cell phones)
- Mrs. Roberts' inappropriate involvement with underage males (in her sports car, in the University's guesthouse, and via cell phone text messages)
- Roberts's daughter's vandalism of ORU property
- Eleven remodelings of the Roberts home in 14 years, with University funds
Sources have intimated that the professors opted not to include some of the more scandalous items they found in their legal filing in an effort to protect what they could of the University's reputation.
But the family stands to lose more than its reputation if the charges are validated. Because of the allegations that Roberts coerced one of the professors to report students' work on the mayoral campaign in a fraudulent manner, the University could face action from the FBI, reports say. And if the charges are shown to be accurate, ORU apparently stands to lose the nonprofit, tax-exempt status it currently enjoys (common for universities).
Mr. and Mrs. Roberts appeared on Larry King Live recently to address the issue, and reportedly denied all charges.
