While police try to determine who left harassing notes in men's basketball coach Ronny Thompson's office, his boss said Thursday that rumors indicating Thompson wants to leave the university are false.
"Ronny Thompson is our men's basketball coach," Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Tom Collins said. "I have not heard anything from him that would prove otherwise."
On June 24, members of Thompson's staff discovered seven notes in the basketball office suite, each containing the words "nigger," "liar" and "cheater." Later that week, President Jo Ann Gora, Director of Public Safety Gene Burton and Collins announced they were taking actions to find those responsible for the incident and to determine whether racism is a problem in the athletic department.
Burton said Thursday the University Police Department was "moving forward" with the investigation but was not ready to name suspects.
"We've been examining the evidence that was collected [from the crime scene] and interviewing people involved in the case," Burton said, adding that none of the men's basketball coaches are directly involved in the investigation. Burton declined to elaborate on whom police had interviewed.
Tony Proudfoot, associate vice president for Marketing and Communications, said Thompson was on vacation and unavailable for comment. He has yet to speak publicly on the incident or the rumors that surround him.
Collins said he has heard rumors of Thompson's departure, but that they are not affecting the program.
"Ronny Thompson is our coach, and we're moving full speed ahead," Collins reiterated.
Following the incident, Gora assigned Charlene Alexander and Stephania Aegisdottir, counseling psychologists at Ball State, to conduct a climate assessment of the athletic department.
Alexander said she and Aegisdottir, who is conducting research on an unrelated project in Iceland, have begun collaborating on the assessment and will probably begin interviewing members of the department this week. The two will report to Gora on or before Dec. 1, and the president will take whatever action she feels necessary following that.
"We really applaud the university for taking this proactive and decisive action to ensure that this is a place that's welcoming to all people," Alexander said.
Step-by-step details of the assessment will not be revealed to the public in order to maintain the integrity of the project, she said.
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