Monty Cook, UNC J-School Lecturer, Resigns After Allegations Of Relationship With Student

University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill lecturer and former Baltimore Sun editor Monty Cook has resigned from the school after allegations emerged that he had a relationship with a female student.

The Daily Tar Heel has more:

Cook, 46, was placed on a two-week leave after he reported sending sexually explicit text messages to the student, wrote Jean Folkerts, dean of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, in a letter to Cook on Monday.

"I also told him on Monday that I intended to recommend that his position be terminated," Folkerts said in an interview.

Folkerts told the News & Observer that Cook and the student had a relationship for "several weeks."

According to the Tar Heel, Cook wrote in a resignation letter that due to developments in his personal life, he would be "unable to serve" the school -- from which he graduated in 1986 -- any further.

Cook allegedly initiated the relationship with the student, going against UNC's code of conduct.

Reese News reports that this may not be the first time Cook has garnered attention for inappropriate communications:

Several members of UNC-CH faculty received an e-mail in May 2010, two months after Cook was hired, with the text of an alleged G-chat conversation between Cook and an unidentified woman. The conversation was explicit in nature.

The e-mail was sent by the woman’s husband and received by 25 faculty members, including Dean Folkerts. The stated purpose of the e-mail was to end the relationship between Cook and the man’s wife.

Reese News reports that Cook is married with two children. He was brought to the school in April as the first director of the Reese Felts Digital News Project.