One has to wonder what explanations campus feminist activists will give when they learn that a former provost of Montana university is accused of touching male employees inappropriately, and dean who filed complaint says he faced retaliation.

Inside Higher Ed’s Ry Rivard files this report:

A sexual harassment case involving a former provost at Montana State University-Northern who is accused of repeatedly and inappropriately touching her male colleagues – including the university chancellor – is set to be heard next week.

Northern’s dean of extended learning, Randy Bachmeier, accuses the former provost, Rosalyn Templeton, of repeatedly touching him in a sexual manner. Bachmeier also accuses Chancellor James Limbaugh and the university of retaliating against him for complaining about Templeton.

Even though the chancellor is fighting Bachmeier’s allegations, the chancellor has said Templeton touched him too, in such a way that he briefly mistook Templeton’s touch for his wife’s. Still, the university argues Templeton’s behavior was not sexual.

“Touching is normal for many individuals in academe, because of either their training or their cultural background,” Limbaugh said in a deposition given ahead of next week’s three-day hearing.

Despite that claim, the chancellor sent an email that “strongly encouraged” Templeton to stop touching people at the university, according to one of Bachmeier’s filings.

Another male employee at Northern is said to have earned the nicknames “Rosalyn’s Rubbing Post” and “Rosalyn’s bitch” because Templeton touched him so much, according to a deposition given by a human resources official at another university who conducted an investigation at Northern.

The sexual harassment complaint was first reported by The Havre Daily News, which successfully fought to make public documents about the case. The university and Templeton both tried to keep secret the pre-hearing documents about the case, citing the need for privacy.

The allegations against Templeton and the university have cleared one procedural hurdle already: an investigator with the Montana Department of Labor and Industry concluded there’s “reasonable cause” to believe unlawful discrimination occurred.

Templeton and the university deny there was any sexual harassment, and the university denies there was retaliation against Bachmeier for filing the complaint about Templeton. Last summer, an internal investigation by the university concluded no sexual harassment had occurred.

…Bachmeier’s lawyers said Templeton touched at least two other male employees, a dean and a department chair, in a “sexual manner.” Bachmeier told a state investigator that Templeton’s touches were slow and lingering. Templeton testified to the investigator that she might pat people on the arm or shoulder when they were upset or excited, but she did not recall touching Bachmeier’s leg.