USU ‘reassigning’ piano instructor amid claims he allegedly sexually assaulted student in 1994

LOGAN — A Utah State University music professor has been reassigned to work outside the classroom amid a lawsuit that alleges he sexually assaulted a female student in 1994.

R. Dennis Hirst, an associate music professor who specializes in piano and bassoon, will not be teaching this fall at the university, according to a letter from USU Department of Music head Cindy Dewey that was sent to Hirst.

KSL.com reports he will be working full time on two music festivals that will take place at the university, according to the letter. He has also been instructed to work from home instead of from his office on campus, according to Dewey’s letter.

She added that the reassignment is not a sanction or punishment against Hirst.

The reassignment comes after a civil lawsuit filed Sept 17 in First District Court in Cache County alleged Hirst sexually assaulted a 17-year-old female USU student in 1994.

The lawsuit claims Hirst assaulted the girl on two separate occasions after inviting her to his apartment in Logan.

In a statement posted to USU’s website, university President Noelle Cockett said an investigation into the allegations is underway with outside counsel, and findings are expected in 4-6 weeks.

“Please know that USU takes all allegations of sexual misconduct seriously,” Cockett said.

She also said the university is working with Dewey to minimize impacts on students, staff and faculty members. Hirst’s teaching assignments will be delegated to other faculty members for the fall semester, Cockett said.

The lawsuit also mentions former USU professor Gary Amano, with whom the teen had been taking piano lessons starting when she was 11, according to the suit. She began attending USU in the fall of 1993 as a freshman, according to the suit.

Hirst knew Amano through the youth conservatory at USU, the suit states. After graduating from college in Ohio, Hirst was hired by Amano to work at the conservatory, according to the suit.

The teen became acquainted with Hirst while socializing with him and some of her other friends during the fall 1993 and spring 1994 semesters, according to the suit. Hirst became interested in her and disclosed that interest to Amano, the suit reads.

He was 23 when they met, and the teen was 17, the suit states.

Some time later, according to the suit, Hirst invited the girl to his apartment, where he helped her with her homework. As the night wore on, he told her she could sleep on his bed rather than drive home, according to the suit. Since she did not know he was interested in her, she said yes and fell asleep, the lawsuit says.

There wasn’t any physical contact between the two, and the teen left the next morning, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit also claims that Hirst later told Amano that he climbed into bed while the teen slept and engaged in sexual behaviors with himself.

“Amano told Dennis that he did not want to hear more and that Dennis should tell (the teen) not to come to his apartment again,” the suit says.

Later, Hirst again asked the teen to again visit his apartment, where he allegedly kissed her and touched her inappropriately, despite her objections, the lawsuit claims. She physically moved from him and “told him that she did not want a romantic or physically intimate relationship with him,” according to the suit.

The two remained friends, and over the next few weeks, spent more time with each other, the lawsuit states.

“During those encounters, Dennis did not say or do anything inappropriate, causing (the teen) to believe that he understood and respected her boundaries and her lack of romantic interest in him,” the suit states.

In May 1994, Hirst invited the girl to his apartment again, where the lawsuit alleges he touched her inappropriately after she fell asleep. She awoke to the pain of him touching her, according to the suit, but “was terrified” and “did not dare to move or make a noise, afraid of what Dennis would do if he knew she had awakened.”

The behavior continued, according to the suit, despite her moving “her hips to alleviate the pain.”

When he stopped, the teen “hurriedly ran to the bathroom and locked the door,” the suit states. She considered leaving through a window, but remembered her keys were in the other room, according to the lawsuit. She ultimately left the bathroom, and entered the kitchen where Dennis stood between the teen and the door, the lawsuit states. After some time, she was able to run from the apartment, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit claims the teen suffered symptoms for weeks, but “she was too ashamed, confused and scared to tell anyone what Dennis had done.”

She later filed a report about the incident with Logan City police in July 1994, according to the lawsuit.

Hirst refused to talk with police, and the department did not pursue the case further, according to the suit. Hirst kept his job at the youth conservatory after that, the suit states.

“The following school year, Dennis was assigned to the small panel of faculty members who observed and graded the recitals that (the teen) was required to perform for her major,” according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit is seeking damages, both economic and non-economic, of an amount more than $300,000 to be determined at trial, among other items.

Amano retired in April of this year after a report was released detailing a sexual misconduct investigation into the USU piano program. That report is separate from the lawsuit filed last week involving Hirst.

The April report found complaints of sexual harassment and misconduct dating back to at least 1994 that continued for decades in the department. The report stated that Amano created a hostile academic environment, discriminated against women and tolerated sexual harassment in the department.

Among other suggestions, the report recommended USU dismiss Amano; he retired instead.

The report also recommended punishment for Hirst for enabling or ignoring Amano’s discriminatory actions. Hirst served as interim department head while some of the alleged misconduct was taking place.

In April, Cockett told KSL.com that Hirst had been dismissed from his position as piano program coordinator, and that the school was pursuing sanctions against him.