Professor under investigation for leak

An IU professor is being investigated for allegedly leaking confidential information concerning grant applications and employee matters to the Chronicle of Higher Education. \nAccording to the Chronicle, Julia Bondanella, a professor in the Department of French and Italian and a former associate dean of the Honors College, is being investigated by the inspector general of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Sheldon Bernstein. \nBondanella served as assistant chairman for programs at the Endowment from 2001-02.\nAccording to the article, Bernstein sent a letter to Bondanella accusing her of disclosing confidential information gained when she was an employee at the Endowment.\nThe National Endowment for the Humanities is a U.S. government agency dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation and public programs in the humanities through grants.\nAccording to the Chronicle, the investigation stems from quotes concerning "flagging" or marking grant applications for additional review because of race, gender or sexuality.\nBondanella could not be reached for comment.\nDavid Colman, Bondanella's attorney, said the inspector general of the Endowment had contacted Bondanella within the last two months. Bondanella then came to Colman, who responded to the inspector general's inquiry on Bondanella's behalf, he said.\n"Hopefully, the investigation about Dr. Bondanella is done," Colman said.\nBernstein, the inspector general, was also not available for comment.\nErik Lokkesmoe, the Endowment's Director of Communications, said the NEH "does not comment on internal matters."\nColman said he does not anticipate the investigation into Bondanella's contribution to the article going any further, but he and Bondanella will respond if the inquiry continues.\n"(The National Endowment for the Humanities) are making an effort to investigate the article to determine if anything was leaked to the reporter," Colman said.\nColman said he could not see what the inspector general would have to investigate based on the part of the article that refers to Bondanella.\nBondanella is cited in two paragraphs of the 3,100-word initial Chronicle article.\nIn the article, Bondanella said she left the Endowment in part because she felt that ideology and politics, not merit, were driving many decisions in the grant-making process.\n"Obviously, any chairman is going to have a political agenda to some degree," Bondanella said in the Jan. 16 article. "I wasn't comfortable with the way in which applications were being reviewed."\nBondanella served under Chairman Bruce Cole during her tenure at the Endowment. Bondanella and Cole were colleagues at IU before both moved to the agency in Washington, D.C. Cole is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus in IU's School of Fine Arts and served as chair of the history of art department.\nIn the May 28 Chronicle article, Endowment officials said releasing the names of professors who were denied grants could harm their professional prospects. The criminal penalties for the disclosure of confidential information can include major fines and up to one year in prison.\n-- Contact staff writer Matt McNabb at mmcnabb@indiana.edu.