In front of the court, local media and his family, Iowa State Professor Michael Simonson testified nearly all day Thursday at his sexual harassment hearing.

Simonson, professor of curriculum and instruction, faces allegations of violating university policy, creating a hostile environment, offensive conduct and sexual harassment. Two former female ISU graduate students have filed complaints against Simonson, who has been on leave since February 1997.

On Thursday afternoon Simonson said he has never touched or harassed any of the two women, or any other woman that he could recall. Simonson also said, contradicting earlier testimony by the two women, that he has never called a female student or co-worker a pet name such as “honey” or “sweetie.”

“I don’t use those terms at all, and I never have,” Simonson said. “In a workplace environment, they would be inappropriate.”

Explaining charges that he had fondled himself during class, Simonson testified he has an inflammation of the prostate, which results in burning irritation.

“I might have [touched myself], but I wouldn’t do that consciously,” he said.

Simonson was questioned by his attorney, Stephen Terrill, about the evening of Oct. 4, 1996, which he spent with three of his graduate students.

Mindy Gallagher, graduate student in curriculum and instruction, testified on the first day of the trial in December, that she was sexually assaulted by Simonson in his hot tub in October 1996.

Gallagher testified that she, Simonson and two other graduate students attended a Friday After Class meeting, and that during the course of the evening, Simonson had escorted the group to a strip club located next to Tradewinds Lounge, 115 5th St.

Gallagher claimed she and one of the other students, Bill Sedera, felt very uncomfortable with Simonson, but, at the professor’s invitation, went back to his house to use the hot tub.

While in his hot tub, Simonson allegedly put his hand down the front of Gallagher’s boxer shorts, which she had borrowed from Simonson, and exposed himself to the group.

Simonson testified Wednesday that he and Mary Anderson, another graduate student, were planning to use his hot tub at the end of the evening. He said Gallagher and Sedara invited themselves along to the strip club with him and Anderson, and then back to his hot tub.

Simonson said Gallagher, who is married, and Sedara, were acting like “more than just friends” the entire evening.

Simonson testified that the only reason the group went to the strip club was because Anderson had never been inside one before. He said Anderson had excepted his “challenge” of going in to see what one was like.

During the conversation at the club, Simonson said Gallagher “told us about when she was a stripper” in her earlier days of college. Simonson said he “just shrugged it off; it was her business.”

Due to her “bad back,” Anderson asked to leave the club and use Simonson’s hot tub, he said. Simonson said Gallagher and Sedara invited themselves along again, which he said made him uncomfortable.

“I had the impression we were going to go our separate ways,” Simonson said. “I wasn’t all that enamored with the idea, but I said ‘sure.'”

Under intense cross-examination by C.C. Wagner, university attorney, Simonson said he never told Gallagher and Sedara that it wouldn’t be a good idea to use his hot tub.

“It’s unfortunate we did that,” Simonson said. “I wish we had not.”

He added that he feared “gossip, rumors about their being turned away.”

Simonson testified he made sure Gallagher and Sedera wore his boxers and cotton T-shirts while using his hot tub, because he had gotten the impression that “Gallagher was just going to get in naked.”

Simonson said he never touched Gallagher, and he felt that she and Sedera had acted improperly that evening.

Simonson admitted that he removed his swimming trunks while in the hot tub, and he said he believed that no one could see him naked under the bubbles of the hot tub.

“I regret that,” Simonson said. “I was just relaxing, but no, that’s not proper.”

Wagner mentioned several discrepancies in Simonson’s testimony that differed with earlier depositions. Simonson had testified in his deposition that Gallagher was showing off her navel ring in the hot tub. But, he said Wednesday that he didn’t know Gallagher had a navel ring until he read her complaint.

Gallagher’s complaint stated that Simonson had reached over and grabbed the navel ring while in the hot tub, and this action made her uneasy.

The only other witness was Beth Kumar, who was summoned for rebuttal. Kumar, the other woman who filed a complaint against Simonson, testified over the telephone.

During her testimony, Kumar denied a defense witness’ earlier testimony that she was romantically interested in Simonson.

The administrative hearing, presided by Administrative Law Judge Donald W. Bohlken, will continue Friday morning in the North Annex of the Department of Transportation.