Professor's unexpected retirement raises questions

The sudden retirement of Charles Davis, chair of the sports management and exercise science department since ‘95, has raised speculation of criminal activity. 

Michael Barone, director of Public Relations, said the campus has looked into criminal accusations made against Davis and found nothing to support the claims.  He said the local district attorney looked into the matter, but no charges were brought up against Davis.

Many of the alleged criminal activities can be found on an online message board called Brocton Forum hosted on topix.com. Barone said the comments are nothing but hearsay.

“We are well aware of the accusations of wrongdoing that have appeared online in message boards and to be honest, it is just inter-office gossip,” Barone said.

Davis left a week before Spring Break and took advantage of a retirement incentive which is a six-month salary equivalency for faculty. Barone said faculty in the past have retired mid-semester and this is not entirely uncommon. He added that with the economy in a rough spot, Fredonia did not look down on a faculty member retiring in the middle of a semester. 

Barone could not comment on the speculation that Davis was escorted off campus and that his locks were changed. “Unfortunately, I cannot speak to any rumors like that…due to privacy issues for any employee,” he said.

Penny Hite, lecturer in the sports management and exercise science department, replaced Davis and is currently acting as interim chair.

Students who had Davis as an adviser were not notified that he had retired, and as a result, many were left with questions regarding their major. 

“I tried e-mailing him quite some time ago to try and figure out my schedule and I didn’t hear anything back,” said senior exercise science major Cassidy Gertis. “Then it [said] his e-mail address was non-existent so I was a little confused, and then I found out that he was gone.” Gertis said she was forced to stay an extra semester due to scheduling conflicts that were missed during advising sessions with Davis. “I feel that as my adviser he should [have] seen that before hand and helped me schedule differently,” Gertis said, adding she was not given an official reason for Davis’s departure.

According to Fredonia’s online course catalog, Davis was teaching a Sport Law and Risk Management class as well as an Independent Study class at the time of his retirement. Davis could not be reached for comment.