The hearing resumed.
Dr. Stacy Denton was sworn and Diana thanked her for waiting so long.
"Would you please state your qualifications as an expert witness?"
"Yes, but first I must ask that you waive the privilege of confidentiality."
"Of course. I absolutely waive the privilege of confidentiality
so that you may respond to my questions and those of the panel."
Stacy then delivered a long list of professional qualifications having
to do both with mental health counseling and organizational consulting.
As she was giving the requested information, Jane wished the
panel could hear of the immense prestige Dr. Stacy Denton
had acquired throughout the university community over the
years that she had been a part of the Counseling Department.
Not only was she widely acclaimed, she was genuinely liked
and successful as a person, in the department she directed.
At the age of 42, she had shown abilities in her field that
most did not acquire until their later years. This caused
some annoyance for her since she was constantly besieged by
other counseling agencies all over the country, to come to them.
Jane remembered that when she had felt the shackles of threat
surround her, and realized that she really had no voice or will
on the committee, she had called Stacy. Of course Stacy could not
tell her that she had counseled Diana at the time she was first charged.
She could only listen to Jane's anguish at her own impotence.
It was only after Diana had called to ask Stacy if she would be willing
to sign an affidavit for the federal court action, that Stacy could see
a way to do something. She offered to also appear as a witness at
this final Belmont hearing if it were felt she would be needed.
Few people of her stature would have waited outside the hearing room
as she did, knowing that the committee might not even hear her testimony.
She testified that she had seen Diana professionally several times
and that in her years of experience and training she had learned
techniques to determine behavior.
"I saw no evidence that Diana was lying, dissimulating or faking.
I should say that in my position here, I see many people who are
in trouble and there is a pattern to these reactions. She exhibited
what we in the profession call the typical victim reaction.
"In subsequent visits, I did a more thorough mental status exam.
I used all sorts of techniques that uncover whether a person may
be unconsciously suppressing the fact that she wrote something,
or did something.
"I believe that she could not have been lying." Stacy said succinctly.
"She was too upset, too shocked, to really fake me out."
Henry carefully distorted her words in the recommendation
the committee later signed and sent to The Pope to read,
`the psychologist found that Diana Trenchant had a genuine
victim response and truly believes herself to be innocent.'
A far, and exceedingly prejudiced, cry from the actual testimony
of the psychologist. In fact, in the six page document,
he devoted only ten lines to Diana and her witnesses testimony--
one short paragraph!
Diana asked Stacy if she could, without violating confidentiality,
tell of similar cases at Belmont where a faculty person had been
accused of wrong doing.
"It happens quite frequently, perhaps as often as once a month--
certainly a regular event. And in none of these cases which might
involve repeated incidents of drunkenness, sexual harassment,
and, well, I can't go into details, but these are serious areas
of misconduct that I'm referring to--not something as insignificant
as seven SmurFFs! In none of these cases was the person ever told
to resign or face a termination for cause hearing. The problem was
handled by the proper department head. Either a warning was given
or appropriate disciplinary action was taken."
When Diana asked if the committee had any questions, Jane,
in an attempt to demonstrate the proficiency of this expert witness,
once again bravely ventured forth asking Stacy to delineate some
of the techniques used in this case and how she evaluated them.
The psychologist did this clearly and precisely, giving the
methods used and how Diana reacted. It was very illuminating
testimony and totally ignored, except by the women who had hoped
that it might cause Henry to listen.
At one point, Anuse tried to twist Stacy's words around so
it appeared that she was been saying that Diana had denied
that there was any trouble with any person in the department.
Stacy Denton set him securely and competently back on his heels,
leaving no doubt in anyone's mind that she was no person to try
those tactics on.