BYU professor charged with sexually abusing student

[_I have a question]

A Springville man was charged Thursday with sexually abusing a student while he was an associate professor at Brigham Young University.

Michael James Clay, 45, is charged in 4th District Court with two counts of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony.

Clay was head of the Urban and Regional Planning in the Geography Department at BYU, according to his online bio.

BYU spokeswoman Carri Jenkins on Thursday said Clay has not been an employee of the university since about mid-April and referred all other questions to the Utah County Attorney’s Office.

Between January and March he was in charge of the program at the school the student was involved with, according to charging documents.

“(Clay) has the authority to hire interns and teaching assistants in connection with this program. (He) told the victim that if she trusted him more, he might be able to hire her but that he wanted to wait to see how she improved. (Clay) told the victim that he is very powerful in the victim’s field of study,” according to the charges.

During a meeting with Clay, the woman, who is originally from another country, said she told him she “was having some emotional difficulties.”

“(Clay) told the victim that he could make her feel better and make all the negative feelings go away,” according to the charges. “(Clay) said he could work on her disorders and the negative feelings and that he could be her emotional and physical support. The victim considered (Clay) to be a mentor and a therapist.”

The woman said she met with Clay more than 20 times in his office. During that time, she said he would play “meditation music” and “told the victim that his office was a safe place and that she should not tell anyone what went on there,” the charges state.

https://www.deseret.com/utah/2020/6/25/ ... sity-provo

“On one occasion, (Clay) gave the victim a priesthood blessing. On another occasion, (he) told the victim that he had prayed about her and felt inspired from God to engage in physical contact with the victim,” according to charging documents.

Sometime between Jan. 15 and Feb. 15, Clay drove the woman up a canyon in Utah County touched the woman’s buttocks over her clothing, the charges state. “(Clay) asked if it was OK. The victim said it was OK because she felt like she had to say yes.”

During a meeting in February in Clay’s office, Clay had the woman sit on his lap by straddling him, according to the charges.

“(Clay) asked the victim if she enjoyed it. The victim said she did not and that it kind of hurt. (He) said the victim needed to practice and to try to connect more. (Clay) led the victim to believe that this was somehow therapy for past issues,” the charging documents say.

Clay did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday.

One assumes the Honor Code Office is investigating the victim...

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

It's absolutely astonishing to me how many men throw their lives and careers away over their inability to overcome their passing moments of lust. Perhaps they're just... I dunno what the right word is... deficient mentally? Like, their wires are so crossed they're essentially low-key sociopaths and when someone vulnerable gets into their space they just lose it?

I'll give a sad a example that just happened.

I have some new'ish neighbors that bought the house next door. It was a rental that was flipped, and they used a city program to get into it. Neat. Both Jose and his wife Shanna are alcoholics, probably exasperated by the fact that she works for the state's liquor store. They're both older, either late 50's or early 60's. Anyway, they're simple folk, talk openly about their drinking, and that's that. Well, we have a guy my wife and I liked to call Bud Light Guy. Bud Light Guy is probably in his 70's, and is an alcoholic. Every day Bud Light Guy would walk from his rental room in a house located a couple blocks over, to a corner store near us, to buy his Bud Light. Bud Light Guy would often leave his Bud Light cans in the street or on the bridge that crosses the Jordan river, where he'd sit and drink Bud Light. On a couple of occasions I gave Bud Light Guy a ride to the store because he's clearly not in the best of health, has trouble walking, and has obvious health issues.

Well. Jose and Shanna, but mostly Jose because he's a spur-of-the-moment and emotional guy, befriended Bud Light Guy (who's name is Gavino), and learned of his financial troubles. Jose and Shanna, because they're good-hearted, but clearly don't think things through, offered a room to Gavino so he could get over some of his troubles. So, all is well for a month or so since Gavino loves to drink himself into a stupor as well as the neighbors. Now Jose has a drinking buddy, Shanna tolerates it for whatever reason, and Gavino has a clean and safe place to stay instead of the rundown room he was renting. All's well that ends well, no?

Apparently Shanna's daughter is a drug addict and a Type 1 diabetic. I know this because Shanna is an open book. Her daughter came to their house in diabetic shock because the pharmacists won't allow her into his business any more, presumably because of theft or drug-seeking behavior. Shanna left her daughter in the master bedroom so she could go get some insulin. Welp. Gavino, this sickly old alcoholic crusty dude (and up until that point a kind of simple, charming, nice guy) decided to enter the bedroom, and sexually assault the woman orally. The girls who's essentially delirious manages to kick him off her and screams at Gavino, "What the hell are you doing?!" And Gavino responded with, "I'm giving you oral.", as if this is the most natural thing that should be happening in the moment.

Of course all hell breaks loose, and Gavino is kicked out of the house - SURPRISE JOSE AND SHANNA! Maybe don't let a complete stranger who's renting a room in a rundown house live you next time? Anyway, it's utterly astonishing to me that Gavino, who really was in dire straits, and had this huge gift land in his lap (he wasn't paying them rent and they were working some social security issues for him since he can't communicate well), threw it all away when he decided a 24-year-old woman who was in the middle of diabetic shock, would welcome oral sex from a sickly septuagenarian. Gavino is now homeless since he couldn't pay rent at the last place, and screwed up the arrangement at this current one. He had friends, drinking buddies, a place to lay his head, food, all sorts of stuff, and he threw it all away in a moment because his brain is idiotic.

Crazy.

So when I read a story about a middle-aged man willing to risk it all, a professorship, a family, a reputation, all of it, just for a little titillation, I just think, "He pulled a Gavino."

- Doc

[_Kishkumen]

I guess the risk adds to the titillation? Hey, Professor Jobless, keep it out of the workplace.

[_Everybody Wang Chung]

It's absolutely astonishing to me how many men throw their lives and careers away over their inability to overcome their passing moments of lust. Perhaps they're just... I dunno what the right word is... deficient mentally? Like, their wires are so crossed they're essentially low-key sociopaths and when someone vulnerable gets into their space they just lose it?

Joseph Smith.

[_Mormonicious]

He failed to ensure her silence by reminding her that Horny Holy Joe did this all the time and he was just conducting "temple" rites on her.

All HAIL Google GOD and her son eBAy and the Holy Toaster, youtube.

[_Mormonicious]

Besides, she was from a foreign country, and every good Christian knows they don't count. Just ask the Religious Right's champion and Senator Mike Lee's hero, Donald J. "grab'em by the Pussy" Trump, .