CLEVELAND, Ga. (BP) — A growing number of alumni associated with Truett-McConnell University (TMU) are hosting two events to emphasize their calls for an independent, third-party investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by a former professor. One of those events will take place outside of the building on Friday (June 6) where board members will join for a called meeting.

Concerned Truett alumni and supporters will gather tonight (Thursday) at 5 p.m. EDT for a time of worship and prayer at the Yonah Mountain Campground Clubhouse, about five miles northeast of the TMU campus, according to a statement shared with Baptist Press (BP).

A “Stand In Calling for Justice and Accountability” is scheduled for June 6 from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. near the TMU campus. That gathering will take place as members of the TMU Board of Trustees arrive for a scheduled 10 a.m. meeting.

“We will remain outside O’Dell for the entirety of the BoT meeting to pray, worship, and stand in solidarity and support of survivors as we peacefully and respectfully call for accountability,” organizers said in a Facebook announcement.

Petition calls for independent investigation

Concerned Truett Alumni launched a Change.org petition calling for an independent, third-party investigation following allegations by former student-athlete Hayle Swinson that she was groomed and sexually abused by former TMU vice president and professor Bradley Reynolds. Swinson broke her silence with The Roys Report on May 29 through an article and interview with journalist Julie Roys.

The public petition was nearing 2,300 signatures as of 1:30 p.m. EDT today (June 5). A separate petition contains more than 550 signatures of verified TMU alumni, the group told Baptist Press.

The alumni petition was delivered to TMU’s board, the group informed BP on June 4. It calls for the board to commission the investigation “appointed and accountable to the Georgia Baptist Mission Board (GBMB), but structurally independent of TMU’s current administration and internal trustee leadership, into alleged abuse, institutional cover-up, and potential retaliatory dismissals.”

It furthermore calls for:

• A “comprehensive” review of abuse allegations on or off campus since 2009 by any TMU employee or representative.
• An investigation into the scope of the knowledge President Emir Caner and other administrators may have had regarding Swinson’s allegations or those by other potential victims.
• A careful review of dismissals and employment terminations since 2009 that may have been retaliatory toward those attempting to report abuse or seek accountability.

TMU alumna Chanda Stafford released a statement to Baptist Press today on behalf of Concerned Truett Alumni expressing thanks for support.

“It’s been really encouraging to see the Truett-McConnell community come together to support the victim and stand up for truth and justice,” she said. “Many people have spent hours writing petitions, sending emails, and making phone calls — just trying to seek justice for the victims, protect the university we love and ensure safety for current and future students. We believe the TMU alumni are now more connected and united than ever before. 

“We believe that a lot of the information that’s now public wasn’t fully shared with the Board of Trustees. Our hearts and prayers go out to them as they’ve been working hard since Friday to get to the bottom of what really happened. We also want to make it clear — we do not wish harm upon the current administration. What we are asking for is honest, responsible leadership and a commitment to doing better.”

Background of allegations

The White County News quoted board member B. Miles Hannan, an attorney based in Valdosta, Ga., in a story today on the nature of tomorrow’s meeting.

“Things are in flux and there’s a lot for the trustees to talk about,” he said.

The paper included a timeline related to the allegations, starting with Caner’s arrival as president in August 2008. Reynolds was hired as vice president of academic services the following year, when Swinson also enrolled as an 18-year-old sophomore soccer player.

According to The Roys Report, Reynolds almost immediately established a tight relationship with the women’s soccer team, though he was a consistent presence at all athletic events. Female soccer players were encouraged to treat the Reynolds home as their own. Swinson was a new Christian and began attending Bible studies at the house. Eventually, it proceeded to a one-to-one discipleship format in the basement between her and Reynolds, with the latter directing no one in the family to disturb them.

Swinson told Roys that those sessions eventually moved to physical contact by Reynolds and to abuse.

TMU, Georgia Baptist leaders respond

Truett-McConnell acknowledged the allegations in a statement issued on May 30, saying the school “takes all allegations of sexual misconduct seriously. Had there been a Title IX or HR complaint filed related to this matter, Reynolds would have been immediately investigated and ultimately dismissed.”

Reynolds had notified the school in February 2024 that he was under investigation by the White County Sheriff’s office “regarding a relationship with an alumnus who was employed at TMU while pursuing her graduate degree,” said written statements from a TMU spokesman to BP. 

Georgia Baptist leadership released a statement in light of the allegations and called them “deeply troubling.”

“As is true for all Georgia Baptist entities, Truett McConnell University is accountable to its Board of Trustees. We encourage the trustees to take the appropriate actions to fully understand what happened and to ensure this type of behavior will never be repeated,” said the statement signed by Georgia Baptist Mission Board Executive Director Thomas Hammond as well as chairmen and vice chairs or the state executive committee and administrative committee.

An email to TMU on the morning of June 5 requesting any updated statements was not returned by press time.

Questions about institutional knowledge

A 57-page dossier prepared by Swinson’s attorney and an investigator outlines the allegations and includes some 300 emails sent by Reynolds to Swinson, Roys reported. In 2015, Reynolds expressed to Swinson his certainty that his wife “will get to heaven before me” and later indicated that marriage to Swinson was “guaranteed.” Other emails were sexually explicit in nature.

An email from Nov. 1, 2016, implicates Caner in the president’s knowledge of “gossip” surrounding Swinson and Reynolds, with Reynolds saying Caner assured him that those who spread such rumors would be fired.

Jonathan Morris, TMU’s Title IX coordinator at the time, was reported by Roys as having been terminated due to his role as a “whistleblower.” In 2019, he and Chris Eppling, vice president for student services, received a petition signed by 50 women objecting to requirements in a theology class taught by Reynolds to write “trauma testimonies” and meet privately with him. No action was taken, and students were forced to attend the class with the stated requirements. 

Morris was released from the school the following year. TMU said in its May 30 statement that he was asked to resign due to unauthorized personal purchases on his work-issued credit card. Eppling and two others were fired in 2022.

On Feb. 29 of that year, Swinson filed a police report with the White County Sheriff’s Office. Reynolds was interviewed on March 1 by authorities when he became “defensive and angry,” according to reporting from the White County News.

“He initially denied any of the accusations, denied the emails, and basically got up and walked out of the interview,” said Sheriff Rick Kelley.

Investigators collected his phone and found more than 300 emails and “hundreds and hundreds of text messages,” revealing a long-term relationship where Reynolds gave Swinson access to his home and even credit cards. 

Belief in a ‘turning point’

Caner addressed the allegations in a video sent out to faculty and staff that was ultimately posted by Roys.

“My family and I and all of us hurt for Hayle Swinson and the sin that was so grievous against her,” he said. “We have personally prayed for her healing, and we are thankful for her voice.”

Caner said “there was no cover-up” or complaints filed through Title IX or HR.

“There was no petition that ever came across my desk, [but] we have to do better because these are our students,” he said.

In addition to the calls for a comprehensive review of abuse allegations since 2009, an investigation into the scope of administrative knowledge and a review of dismissals related to the reporting of abuse, Concerned Truett Alumni also asks for “full transparency, protection for students and staff and real accountability for anyone who failed in their responsibility to keep others safe,” Stafford shared.

“We truly believe this can be a turning point — where healing begins, truth is honored and TMU can get back to its original mission of equipping students to fulfill the great commission through a biblically centered education,” she said.

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Scott Barkley is chief national correspondent for Baptist Press.)