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Committee Expels UW Student Accused In Sex Assault Case

Student Alec Cook's Attorney Says Hearing Was Unfair, Appeal Will Be Coming

By
UW-Madison Bascom Hall
Eric E. Johnson (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

A University of Wisconsin-Madison disciplinary committee has decided to expel a student accused of sexually assaulting and harassing nearly a dozen women.

UW-Madison spokeswoman Meredith McGlone sent an email to reporters Tuesday saying the committee found Alec Cook responsible for violating university student conduct policies related to a crime of violence and upheld the university’s expulsion recommendation.

McGlone said federal privacy laws prohibit her from disclosing any other information. Cook, of Edina, Minnesota, has until March 24 to appeal the decision to Chancellor Rebecca Blank.

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Cook’s attorney, Chris Van Wagner, said the hearing was Feb. 24 and the panel voted 2-1 to expel him. The university didn’t notify him of the vote until just before midnight Friday. Van Wagner said Cook didn’t get a fair hearing and he’ll appeal.