Ex-Calvin University president: Texts at issue not ‘nefarious’

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Facing a lawsuit from former Calvin University President Wiebe Boer after his resignation, university officials say Boer admitted to sending texts that were “flirtatious” and “inappropriate” to a woman in the campus community, while Boer holds that the texts were “friendly” and were not intended to be inappropriate.

Boer, who became university president in 2022, resigned in February after “unwelcome and inappropriate” communication with a “non-student member of the campus community,” according to the university. On April 12, Boer and his wife filed a lawsuit against the school, alleging breach of contract, discrimination and defamation.

The Calvin University Board of Trustees on Monday released a new statement — entitled “Addressing misinformation” — countering the lawsuit’s claims.

The board said Boer exchanged about 100 messages over a 10-day period with a woman who was not his wife, including comments about her appearance and questions about when she would be at Calvin so he could see her.

Boer admitted to officials multiple times that the messages were “flirtatious” and “inappropriate,” according to the board’s statement. The admission, officials said, “negated the need for any additional process.”

The board said it did not find Boer engaged in sexual harassment as defined by Title IX but “viewed the content of the messages in their totality as particularly inappropriate and concerning in light of the power dynamic, considering Dr. Boer’s position as President of the University and the woman’s role in the community.”

In a statement Wednesday, Boer responded to the board. He said it was his habit to “develop authentic, friendly connections with people,” regardless of their status, and did not mean the messages to be inappropriate, saying he would have stopped if he realized that was the case.

“What could be considered flirtatious by one person could also be considered simply friendly or light-hearted by another,” Boer wrote.

He added that the woman was also texting his wife in a friendly way at the time.

“None of this is as nefarious as Calvin’s Board would have you believe,” the former president wrote.

Boer went on to say he “made a good faith effort” to understand how the texts might have been perceived but did not admit guilt.

UNIVERSITY: ‘NO GENDER, RACIAL ANIMUS’

In its Monday statement, Calvin University also addressed the lawsuit’s allegation of discrimination against Boer’s wife, Joanna.

Joanna Boer was the first woman of color to serve as Calvin’s “first lady,” for which she was paid as a university employee, according to the lawsuit. The Boers’ complaint alleges that Joanna Boer was discriminated against because of her sex and race, saying certain administrators “frequently undermined her, belittled her, and unduly challenged her.”

University officials rejected this claim and said Joanna Boer was actually given special treatment because she was hired in an “expanded spousal employment role,” a first for Calvin.

The university said it needed to manage its finances carefully and balance competing interests.

“While the Board laments the existence of racism, sexism and other related problems that exist in the world, it is baseless to suggest that any tension arising from efforts of University administrators and staff to ultimately hold Mrs. Boer accountable for spending decisions was in any way related to personal, gender, or racial animus,” officials wrote.

Both parties expressed that they were looking forward to the legal process.

“We would prefer to allow the court of law to decide this case on the legal merits,” the board of trustees wrote in its Monday statement.

Boer said Wednesday that he agreed.

“That’s what I’ve been asking for since this whole painful situation began – a fair and unbiased review of the merits of the case, the reasonableness of Calvin’s response, and the fairness of the Board’s subsequent settlement terms,” the former president wrote.

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