Dr Adalberto Garcia, chair of the Foreign Languages department, is facing public lewdness charges after he was found engaging in sexual activity at Lucy Park Tuesday morning.
“This is a personnel matter,” MSU president Dr. Jesse Rogers said. “However, Dr. Garcia has been placed on administrative leave pending our full investigation on the matter.”
According to police reports, Garcia was observed by an officer having sex in the park bathroom with a man identified as Harold Jefferson.
Garcia, who became chair in 1999, was released from jail after posting a $1,500 bond.
The Harvard graduate has been teaching at Midwestern for 29 years, earning tenure in 1995.
If he is found guilty, Garcia could be terminated under policy 3.124 of the MSU policies and procedures manual for moral turpitude.
“We will have a plan set so students aren’t impacted by what has happened,” said Dr. Samuel Watson, dean of College of Human and Social Sciences.