A university employee said she was fired after reporting to administrators that alcohol was stored in the Office of International Student Programs and Services.
On Jan. 26, Rawya Hafez, office specialist for ISPS, e-mailed Provost George Davis, saying alcohol had been stored in an adviser's office for more than two months.
At least one box of wine and multiple packs of beer had been sitting in the closet.
Davis replied to Hafez Tuesday in an e-mail, writing that the alcohol had been removed.
Hafez was fired the next day.
Joanne Lagassˇ-Long, the director of ISPS, said in a letter that Hafez was laid off because budget cuts forced the center to reorganize and eliminate Hafez's position.
"We've gotten a double-edged sword with a series of state budget cuts and the change in legislation from the federal government that affects international students," said Kirk Simmons, the executive director of the Division of International Affairs, the department that oversees ISPS.
"The reorganization affected more than one employee and more than one program," he said.
But Hafez claims she was fired because she blew the whistle on the alcohol stockpile.
"I think this is a violation of the whistle-blower policy. I thought I would be protected, or that they would wait six months," Hafez said. "But don't come in less than a week and say 'the budget.'"
However, Lagassˇ-Long said the termination of Hafez's employment had been in the works before the alcohol incident was reported.
"There is no way that it could have been associated with the alcohol. The reorganizational process began six months ago. It is unfortunate that it is being misrepresented. It takes this long time to do a reorganization of this magnitude," Lagassˇ-Long said.
The alcohol was left over from a reception with the Office of International Faculty and Scholars on Nov. 20, 2003, and was brought into the office after the reception.
According to Hafez, the alcohol was initially placed in clear sight in the hallway and kitchen of the ISPS office at 915 N. Tyndall Ave.
Hafez sent an e-mail to Lagassˇ-Long, director of ISPS, on Nov. 24, after a student employee made a comment to her about it.
Approximately two days later, the alcohol was removed from the hallway and stashed in the closest in the office of Charlotte Hamilton, an international student adviser. When Hamilton was out of the office during the day, student workers had full access to the closet.
"I heard the students joking, 'Let's have a party here. Let's drink,'" Hafez said.
The alcohol was saved for a Dec. 2 retreat for the employees in the departments within the Office of International Affairs, but was not used, Hafez said.
Over time, Hafez noticed beer bottles missing. The alcohol continued to sit in the closet over winter break.
When Hafez returned to the office in January, the alcohol was still there. She contacted Simmons, but no action was taken to remove the alcohol from the building.
Hafez stated her frustration with the situation in her e-mail to Davis and Linda Stapleton, the executive assistant in President Peter Likins' office.
"I am extremely disappointed with the lack of any sense of responsibility by these office supervisors. I wonder how the university will answer to the parents of the students when they find out about this. What kind of model do we send to the students who frequent this office seeking our help?" Hafez wrote.
After Davis received the e-mail from Hafez, he contacted Simmons and directed him to get rid of the alcohol.
"When I acted on the letter and contacted the director, I certainly assumed it was against UA policy to store alcohol in hallways at a university. I was pleased that there was an immediate dispatching of the alcohol from the premises," Davis said.
But Lagassˇ-Long said she received word from Davis that storing the alcohol was not against UA policy.
According to Sharon Kha, UA spokeswoman, the storage of alcohol is not against UA policy.
"I can't really speak to this particular case, but at this moment, there are no rules in place that would forbid someone to store alcohol on state property," Kha said.
Hafez has until March 4 to find another university position. Until then, Lagassˇ-Long has asked her to work on projects outside the office.
"I did the right thing. I am a concerned citizen, and I am proud of what I did," Hafez said.