Auburn University is being sued over accusations that staff within the College of Forestry, Wildlife, and Environment (CFWE) ran the Inventory and Conservation Planning Project, which Auburn refers to as the "ICP2" program, like a "frat house."
The complaint describes how Kaitlin Connelly, a lesbian, and Marlene "Mars" Walters, who identifies as a "non-binary transgendered individual," were "two vulnerable students" who found themselves surrounded by heterosexuals who did not comport themselves in a way they found appropriate.
Walters, a former collegiate female athlete at UGA, now asks that others refer to her using they/them pronouns.
Images on the Auburn CFWE social media pages routinely show incredible opportunities for students beyond the classroom. Photos of students and teaching staff outdoors, hunting, climbing, canoeing, camping and even collaring bears can be found.
The two young women felt the program supervisor, Jonathan Valente, didn't do his part to stifle the First Amendment rights of others in group settings, allowing it to become "hostile" to them based on their gender and LGBTQ+ status.
"Both of them felt that the predominantly male project, which often featured field trips and overnight visits, took on too much of a 'frat house' atmosphere. A number of the male participants in the program engaged in sexual banter about women they knew or were dating, and Valente sometimes joined in the ribald humor, making jokes about sexual activity and male genitals," the suit alleges.
The case centers on allegations that they "experienced a culture that was at times overtly sexualized, where a male supervisor openly touted a sexual relationship with a female research assistant and sex jokes were ubiquitous; and at other times toxically fraternal."
"As non-heterosexuals, Connelly and Walters took the fixation on sexual dalliance by their male counterparts as marginalizing," the suit states. "Walters particularly felt shunned and isolated as a person whose sexual identity was non-binary."
Walters also noticed that her supervisor "seemed uncomfortable in [her] presence and uninterested in the collaboration and mentorship that Auburn expects of an academic advisory relationship." She went on to say that, from her perspective, Valente "related their relationship to an employer/employee dynamic."
Connelly and Walters also noted in their filing that Valente "routinely doubted their competence."
After a disagreement that Walters described as a "loud verbal exchange" with Valente, Walters left the program.
"Walters was jarred by the interaction and fell into a state of depression and anxiety that required counseling and treatment from Auburn's mental health services unit and a psychiatrist," the suit says.
Several months later, Connelly, along with three others, including a husband-and-wife pair, Christopher Lepczyk and Jean Fantle-Lepczyk, and another instructor, Robert Gitzen, decided to report their concerns over the "work environment" to the university.
The complaint specifically identified "sexual banter and language" as well as a relationship they deemed inappropriate and the "belittling treatment of both Connelly and Walters," as their main concerns.
The complaints from the four poured in for months, with the lawsuit detailing how the four went from office to office, held meetings with deans, assistant deans, the general counsel's office, and multiple other offices, seemingly bypassing normal procedures to spread their allegations far and wide while risking reputational harm to the program, university and all involved.
In November 2024, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, an official partner with ICP2, notified Auburn that it was considering pulling its support for the project on the grounds of "personnel concerns."
This letter allegedly led to the four of them being removed from the ICP2 project and ultimately Connelly leaving the Ph.D. program.
They are all now alleging retaliation for their complaints. Auburn has not replied to the suit.
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