USD history professor Robert Hilderbrand may have been hoping Senate Bill 108, which would have erased seduction and alienation of affection as causes of legal action, would have drawn more support in Pierre.
Make that former professor Hilderbrand, as of his resignation December 14:
Prior to his resignation, Hilderbrand was served a subpoena Nov. 6 outside of East Hall to testify in a divorce filing between David Cowles, a May 2012 graduate of the Sanford School of Medicine, and his wife Sarah Cowles, a USD undergraduate, according to records obtained through Clay County’s Clerk of Courts.
In his sworn affidavit, David Cowles said he discovered his wife of nearly nine years was having an affair with Hilderbrand. A statement he defends with copies of email exchanges made between the two “which explicitly show the existence of their affair” [Megan Card and Katia Duszenko, "Hilderbrand Resigns," The Volante, 2013.01.30]
Mr. Cowles says Mrs. Cowles was Dr. Hilderbrand's student at the time of the alleged hanky-panky, whereby Dr. Hilderbrand would run afoul of the Board of Regents' no-boinking-students policy, not to mention the no-boinking-someone-else's-wife-you-stupid-married-pig policy that the rest of us don't need written down.
If these allegations are true, it's not the first time Hilderbrand's britches have breached university policy:
Hilderbrand was sanctioned by the university for inappropriate behavior with a female student about 15 years prior to the Cowles’ court case. According to a Feb. 26, 1997, article by The Volante, USD administration stripped him of his position as history department chair, his role as the Truman scholarship adviser and his position as sole honors program coordinator after finding him guilty of sexually harassing a female student [Card and Duszenko, 2013.01.30].
Card and Duszenko report that Hilderbrand is off traveling. His resignation does not affect his retirement benefits... but the Board of Regents may have a longer-than-usual discussion about granting him professor emeritus status.
Brings a unique meaning to the saying "We have a history together."
The Volante also interviewed George Santayana who said, "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." Then promptly asked the young reporter out on a date.
Not a good teacher.
A bad teacher with a really really really bad haircut.
It's about time.
John: always good to read you. Vlad Nabokov got nuthin' on this guy, huh?
I'd flag John for unnecessary roughness on appearance... but given the nature of this story, the comment may be relevant. If Hilderbrand's do is unattractive, how does he still get the ladies he's alleged to be getting?
Dr. Hilderbrand might not be the perfect role model but he is a good instructor. I learned a lot about history from Dr. Hilderbrand. One of the most important lessons I learned is that people are not always rationale - they don't always make logical decisions. People are governed by their passions, desires and fears and sometimes they don't always make perfect decisions. There are no perfect historical figures and there are no perfect history professors. Despite peoples' weaknesses and flaws, they can still do great things and they can still make a positive impact on society.
I would like to think of Dr. Hilderbrand as a great scholar and a great instructor. Dr. Hilderbrand was always enthusiastic and passionate about history. This incident is very unfortunate, but it doesn't completely diminish my respect and admiration for Dr. Hilderbrand.
I don't have personal experience with Dr. Hilderbrand the way Mr. Cordts does. I will agree that personal fidelity and job effectiveness don't necessarily coincide: after all, consider Bill Clinton. (Anyone care to offer a Republican example?)
Hilderbrand's unsavory history goes back to his first divorce in about 1985 or 86.
Then there are all these female high school teachers in various states that have affairs with male students young enough to be their kids. From what I have heard in Kentucky if the parents of the kid gives consent to get married the teacher can marry the student and avoid rape charges.
Mr. Cordts, I totally agree with your assessment of Dr. Hilderbrand. I too was once a student of Dr. Hilderbrand and found him as well to be a passionate scholar and instructor.
It is important that we always look at the totality of a person's life before we past judgment. If we cannot forgive an University professor for infidelity then maybe we need to start chiseling Thomas Jefferson's face off of Mt. Rushmore as well.
(You want a Republican example: Eisenhower and his female chauffeur during World War II?)
I don't have a clue who this guy is, so this isn't personal.
I'd like to know the full story. There is always more to the story. How old is the individual? How long was it going on? Was she taking a bunch of his classes and getting good grades because of this?
Though I'm against doing something with a married women, I also see the point where if they are both adults and its consensual, is it really my business? It takes two. I think these type of things happen more then some people think. I know of an individual who teaches high school, who is in his late 30's who married a former student of his who is 19 or 20. It happens, and probably more so then some think.
I echo UnionCo's comment about "unsavory history." This isn't an isolated incident, and it's not just about marital infidelity and falling in love with a student. It's about decades of alleged sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior.
I find it telling that, of all the comments uplifting Dr. Hilderbrand's wonderful and inspirational teaching, the vast majority have been made by men. Yes, he may have been a charming and compelling instructor, but he was also (in my view, and in the view of many, many others who've been around the USD campus for some time) a predator.
Dr. Hilderbrand was not a great teacher, unless you enjoy hearing nothing but single minded lectures. Even if you are liberal (which I simply assume most who blog on here are) you would get tired of the head nodding. If you try to mention one decent, not even good but decent, thing that a conservative did, Hilderbrand would go over the edge. I'm not surprised by his actions, but it is unfortunate for the University to gain bad press because of one bad man.
Oh my gawd, so many ding-dongs posting here, sentiments compartmentalizing Prof H nastiness vs. goodness. What a bunch of dumb-a**es. Hitler was said to be very kind to puppies, and a lover of art. My gawd, a bunch of dumb-a**es you are! The man is a predator. That is his ultimate definition. Maybe he was good at keeping orchids, so the he** what!?
He was my teacher, too, back in ’84 or ’85. He was very engaging, dynamic, well-dressed, and I recall noticing he’d sweep into class beautifully dressed (suits) and throw his Dior scarf over a chair (or something) so that the Dior label was evident. Now, I view him as a putz, a predator and a very sad story. What he did was wrong, and the woman involved was also a bad woman. Yeah, I said that. The both were bad, indulgent, self-centered and nasty.
Some of the coverage suggests Hilderbrand’s wife divorced him. For the sake of her self-respect and dignity, I certainly hope she did. Hopefully by now she is with a good man who’ll put her on a pedestal, above his own HUGE EGO and insecurity.