No sex offenders working at MU

The Wetterling Act report does not list full-time staff members at MU.

By Elliot Njus

Published May 4, 2007

Missouri State University professor Michael Hendrix negotiated a separation agreement with the university's Board of Governors on Monday after an unidentified male identifying himself as a student raised questions about how parents of students in a campus laboratory school felt about having a sex offender on campus, according to an April 3 news release.

The story was heavily publicized in the media, drawing attention to schools' polices on sex offenders on campus.

MU spokesman Christian Basi said the Wetterling Act report, which lists sex offenders at MU, could include students, faculty and staff members as well as contractors who aren't working at the university permanently.

The Wetterling Act provides for tracking sex offenders at colleges and universities.

"There is no one on that list currently working at MU," he said.

The list is available from the records department at the MU Police Department.

Of the 12 individuals on the list, two appear in the directory on the MU Web site. One is listed as an adjunct professor at the Fire and Rescue Training Institute, an MU extension. Basi said the instructor was not a permanent employee.

The other is listed as a student.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol compiles the list, MU police Capt. Scott Richardson said.

Tammy Byrd of the Missouri State Highway Patrol said several agencies cooperate to provide the list to university police departments, but that it is the offender's responsibility to register with the sheriff's department. When a sex offender registers, the department notifies the highway patrol, which notifies university police.

"We keep a spreadsheet because we have to show that we comply with federal standards," Byrd said.

She said if the university hired a sex offender, the highway could only notify the university police if the offender registered with the sheriff's department or if the university conducted criminal background check.

Basi said the university conducts a criminal background check on all potential employees. He said if an individual has a sex offense on their record, they would consider the circumstances of the job and the time that has passed since the offense.

"Based on that information, we would make a decision based on the job that individual is applying for," he said.

He said the decision would depend on the individual's circumstances and the job's responsibilities.

Hendrix was convicted more than 25 years ago after pleading guilty of raping a minor in Ohio, an April 3 Missouri state news release stated. According to the release, he served three and a half years in prison.

"All I can do is keep moving forward and continue to strive to be a good member of both the campus community and the community at large," Hendrix stated in the release. "I committed a reprehensible act that still haunts me and my family."

The release stated that Hendrix reported his record to his supervisors when he was first employed in 1995. He was granted tenure in 2000.

The release also stated Hendrix was employed as a post-doctoral assistant and, later, a research assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati. He also worked as an adjunct assistant professor at Wilmington College and a visiting assistant professor at Xavier University in Ohio.

According to a Missouri State news release, Hendrix will receive $166,784 over the next three years in three equal installments.

"A financial settlement was necessary because Dr. Hendrix held tenure and essentially had a long-term contract," Missouri State President Michael Nietzel stated in the release. "The risks for litigation in this case were substantial. This agreement eliminates the possibility of legal action."