University system suspends president

The nation’s largest historically black university system suspended its president with pay and ordered him to cooperate with an investigation into the way sexual harassment charges against a fellow administrator were handled.

Southern University System President Ralph Slaughter was suspended through July 5 by the institution’s Board of Supervisors during a special meeting.

Slaughter and the board were criticized last month by Baton Rouge lawyer Mark Falcon, who complained that they had thwarted his inquiry into sexual harassment complaints made against board Chairman Johnny Anderson by some university employees. Anderson has denied the allegations.