Students aren't the only ones capable of causing romantic drama on college campuses.
Enter Rachel Kahn-Fogel, the wife of former University of Vermont President Dan Fogel. According to an investigation by Seven Days, Kahn-Fogel pursued some extracurricular activities to her marriage with a former UVM vice president, Michael Schultz.
According to Schultz's wife, Pauline Manning, Kahn-Fogel sent her husband a number of racy letters over a six-year period:
In March 2010 Pauline Manning found a packet of letters among Schultz’s things and read them, hoping to find out who was sending mail to her husband at an Essex Junction post office box she didn’t know he had.
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“It was very explicit,” said Manning. “It said, ‘Taste me, I want to taste you, let me feel your long, muscle-y arms on my body.’ There was also a picture of a house they both should be in, and the words ‘my darling, my love’ for 30 pages, excuse me, 31 pages, ad nauseam.”
And the salaciousness doesn't end there. According to ABC News, Schultz is a doctoral student at UVM, writing a thesis about... the spouses of university presidents and their role in fundraising.
And in another twist, after Manning found the letters to her husband from Kahn-Fogel, Schultz reportedly came out of the closet.
The University of Vermont is now reconsidering how it handles presidential spouses, Inside Higher Ed reports:
While the trustees found that no laws or policies were contravened, Kahn-Fogel’s behavior was "inappropriate and imprudent" in ways that undermined the university's "guidelines and values." The report also found that there was a "lack of clarity" surrounding Kahn-Fogel's role at the university that caused confusion.
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The called-for reforms in Vermont push for greater communication during the hiring process from both the presidential couple and the board about what they expect the role of the spouse or partner to be, as well as disclosure about any potentially embarrassing issues that might hurt the university's reputation.
Due to the scandal, Fogel exited his post early this month (with a hefty compensation package to boot). Schultz resigned Wednesday and accepted a generous severance package Reuters reports.
The Fogels are considering what to do with their marriage.