I have been illegally expelled from the Eastman School of Music for over 100 days. The expulsion came with no warning, process, or prior disciplinary action.
It violated all university policy.
It happened during the university’s second investigation into a harassment, discrimination, and retaliation case lasting nearly two years. The first investigation verified the concerns.
The men I reported remain employed at Eastman.
The University of Rochester—all of its senior leadership and over 25 Eastman faculty—has had what I’m sharing below—and much, much more—for over 40 days.
UR has refused to conduct an independent investigation.
They have refused to answer questions or review the administrators involved.
They have attempted no explanation or justification of the expulsion. Even though it violated every policy on record during an open investigation.
[Update: The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) has taken on this case for public advocacy. FIRE defends free speech and due process in higher education and beyond. They jumped in as soon as I sent them the story.
You can take action by:
Going to thefire.org/rochester to demand accountability from Eastman and UR.
Amplifying the story on this platform and others.
Becoming a free or paid subscriber.]
The text below is taken directly from my complaint against the Eastman School of Music, submitted to the New York State Division of Human Rights under penalty of perjury. I filed the complaint after being illegally expelled from the school with no process, warning, or prior disciplinary action.
Paragraphs are numbered as they are in the original filing. Redactions are marked in brackets. Some pronouns may be changed for anonymity.
50. Varon was preoccupied with my previous studies with Mark Gibson at the University of Cincinnati, where I completed my master’s degree.
50.a Note: Before enrolling at Eastman, I had completed a master’s degree under Gibson, an experience which caused lasting professional harm.
[Redacted]
Gibson and Varon were close professional contacts, and Varon repeatedly noted Gibson’s problematic history and widely known reputation for abuse. Even with that knowledge, he began referencing my history with Gibson as early as my audition.
51. At a rehearsal I was running, shortly after the beginning of the semester, Varon stopped me to say I was “Gibson impregnated.” He made this comment while I was conducting, with roughly sixty students present. I replied, “I hope not,” and moved on.
51.a Note: Despite the inappropriate nature of the remark, I did not report it immediately, preferring not to escalate.
The university investigation found that Varon’s actions violated university harassment policy and breached privacy protections.
51.b Note: It was not clear what, specifically, Varon intended to convey with the comment. However, he had become increasingly concerned —bordering on possessiveness—about “replacing” Gibson’s teaching, which he seemed to feel was “inside” me. I hadn’t worked with Gibson in years and no longer considered his approach relevant to my current practice
I later fielded extensive questioning by university investigators asking me to define, precisely, my interpretation of the word “impregnated” in this context.
52. [A graduate student] immediately renamed the studio group chat “Gibson impregnated” because he and others thought the comment was “iconic.”
53. Varon had been and continued making comments about Gibson like, “I need to get Gibson out of you.” His fixation became increasingly uncomfortable.
Varon said I was “impregnated” by my previous advisor and continued making comments like, “I need to get him out of you.”
54. In one class session he became so hostile and erratic, including more comments about Gibson, that I ended my session—which typically lasted almost an hour—after fifteen minutes.
54.a Note: This occurred in the same required course as the “bullshit” incident. (See ¶30) It is also the course for which Varon later created a retroactive attendance policy. (See ¶107, 132)
55. The next morning—October 14, 2023—I had a long text from Gibson, communication initiated by Varon. It said he and Varon had “a long convo” about me at Varon's request the previous night. Varon told him that my audition to the program was “head and shoulders above the rest.” They discussed the fact that I was “challenging” but “worth the trouble.”
56. Gibson said I needed to “do what he tells you to do.” He also included a bizarre request that I include his own name in my bio. The message was unsolicited and unwanted.
56.a Note: I haven't had contact with Gibson in years, had deleted his number, and wasn't even sure who the text was from at first.
[A graduate student] immediately renamed the studio group chat “Gibson impregnated.”
He and others thought the comment was “iconic.”
56.b Note: The university’s investigation later issued a document that Varon’s actions violated the university’s Policy Against Harassment and Discrimination and breached FERPA protections.[1] (See ¶275-277) The decision stood, even when appealed by the respondents.
56.c Note: Varon remains employed by the university, despite this formal finding of harassment and privacy violations. By contrast, the school later cited my alleged “failure to maintain appropriate communication boundaries” as grounds for expulsion without process. They offered no specifics or substantiation. (See Appendix A ¶55-59)
The next morning I had a long text from Gibson.
It said he and Varon had “a long convo” about me at Varon's request the previous night.
57. When I later informed the studio—over the same group chat named “Gibson Impregnated”—that the situation had escalated, there was no response and the chat name remained.
58. I then changed the name myself and added a friendly message to the group, assuring them that the situation was being addressed through the appropriate channels and there was no cause for concern.
59. No one responded. I eventually removed myself from the group chat entirely, directing the studio to communicate with me via university email.
59.a Note: I was classmates with [two graduate students] for one year, [another graduate student] for two. This incident occurred approximately six weeks into my first semester. None of them acknowledged the situation at any point in our respective tenures. The group’s response was total silence.
[1] The determination letter was sent to my University of Rochester email address. It is one of many records I lost when the school terminated my email access upon my abrupt expulsion. It should remain on file with the university’s Office of Equity and Inclusion.