Firings upheld at Ohio U. for IT workers dismissed after data breaches

Computerworld - The August firings of two IT workers at Ohio University (OU) after a series of data security breaches have been upheld by the school's provost. The move, made public today, comes despite a recommendation last month by a grievance committee that the workers be rehired and given public apologies.

In letters yesterday to the two former IT employees, Provost Kathy Krendl said she reviewed the terminations and the grievance committee's three-page recommendation but concluded the firings were justified. Krendl has the final authority in such matters under the policies of the Athens, Ohio-based school.

Thomas Reid, director of communication network services (CNS), and Todd Acheson, Unix systems manager at the CNS unit, were fired in August by the university's CIO, Bill Sams, on the grounds of "nonfeasance."

"I must conclude that responsibility for designing and maintaining a secure network resided in your office," Krendl wrote yesterday in separate two-page letters to Reid and Acheson. "I support Mr. Sams' finding of nonfeasance, noting that this finding does not indicate any intentional or purposeful wrongdoing. It does not indicate that you intended to put our data at risk, but in fact, that was the result of failing to take the necessary proactive steps to protect confidential information."

Krendl could not be reached for comment, but her office issued a statement on the university's Web site.

In her letters to the former employees, Krendl wrote, "The central issue was and is the need for a secure network that is designed to protect highly sensitive and confidential information. Clearly this responsibility lies within the purview of those who oversee and maintain the network.

"Based on the repeated data breaches, it is clear that we had not designed or implemented the necessary protections to secure student, faculty, staff, and alumni information," she wrote. "How such security can best be attained may be a subject of considerable debate, but whether such security is essential to our network is not."

Jack Jeffery, a spokesman for OU, had no comment on the decision. Sams, reached in his office today, also declined to comment. Sams resigned from his post in July but has remained on the job until a replacement is hired.

Acheson could not be reached immediately for their reactions. Reid, however, said the decision was "pretty much what I expected. I'm disappointed that Provost Krendl didn't take the time to do the right thing, but I'm not surprised. Their action today is consistent with the unethical and unfair treatment by the university of me and Todd Acheson. [The grievance committee] categorically repudiated" the university's allegations against both men, he said.