UW-Madison professor charged with exposing himself to student

A UW-Madison African Studies professor was charged Wednesday with lewd and lascivious behavior for allegedly exposing himself last month to a student near campus, who, it turned out, had taken one of his classes.

Kennedy A. Waliaula, 47, of Madison, an assistant professor of African languages and literature, was charged with the misdemeanor for allegedly exposing his genitals to the woman as he walked past her on North Charter Street mid-afternoon on July 10, according to a criminal complaint filed in Dane County Circuit Court.

When police located Waliaula about two hours after the student reported the incident, he first said he discovered after seeing the student's shocked expression that his zipper was down. But he later admitted that he opened his pants himself so that he could expose himself to women and that he had exposed himself to about five women, the complaint states.

Waliaula admitted to police that he has a problem exposing himself in public, according to the complaint.

Waliaula was placed on paid leave after his arrest, UW-Madison spokesman Dennis Chaptman said. He said Waliaula's case is working its way through UW's personnel process and could result in dismissal.

The complaint states that the 22-year-old woman said she was walking south in the 500 block of North Charter Street when she saw Waliaula, whom she recognized as a professor she had in her sophomore year of college, walking north in the same block.

The woman told police that she noticed the zipper and top button of his jeans were open and that when she made eye contact with him he smiled and adjusted his jeans so that his genitals became exposed.

Waliaula is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.

(c)2012 The Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wis.)

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