Oral Roberts University Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! === Resignation of Richard Roberts === In October 2007, three former professors filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against ORU in Tulsa County. The professors also alleged university president [[Richard Roberts (evangelist)|Richard Roberts]] misused university assets and illegally ordered the university to participate in Republican candidate Randi Miller's political campaign for Tulsa mayor.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://chronicle.com/subscribe/login?url=/daily/2007/10/2007100303n.htm |title=3 Former Professors Sue Oral Roberts U. |access-date=September 24, 2007 |date=October 4, 2007 |publisher=[[The Chronicle of Higher Education]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tulsaworld.com/webextra/content/2007/pdfs/Swails_vs_ORU.pdf |title=Swails, Brooker, Brooker v. Oral Roberts University, et al. |access-date=September 24, 2007 |author=[[Tulsa World]] |date=October 2007 |publisher=[[United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma]]}}</ref><ref name=autogenerated1 /><ref name=autogenerated3>{{cite web |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/21156263 |title=Oral Roberts president faces corruption lawsuit |access-date=September 24, 2007 |date=October 5, 2007 |publisher=[[NBC News]]}}</ref><ref>CNN, ''[http://edition.cnn.com/2007/US/law/10/10/oru.suit/?iref=mpstoryview Oral Roberts' son denies he misspent school funds]'', October 10, 2007, retrieved October 10, 2007</ref> {{wikisource|Swails, Brooker, Brooker v. Oral Roberts University|Swails, Brooker, Brooker v. Oral Roberts University}} Lindsay Roberts, the wife of Richard Roberts, was accused of spending university funds on clothes, awarding nonacademic scholarships to the children of family friends and sending text messages on university-issued cell phones to "underage males."<ref name=autogenerated3 /> The lawsuit also alleged a longtime maintenance employee was fired for the purpose of giving the job to an underage male friend of Lindsay Roberts.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tulsaworld.com/webextra/content/2007/pdfs/Swails_vs_ORU.pdf |title=Swails, Brooker, Brooker v. Oral Roberts University, et al. |access-date=September 24, 2007 |author=[[Tulsa World]] |date=October 2007 |publisher =[[United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma]]}}</ref><ref>Associated Press, ''[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/05/AR2007100501436.html Scandal Brewing at Oral Roberts]'', October 6, 2007, retrieved February 8, 2008</ref> <!-- Charles Watson is called "Charlie Watson, owner of Charlie --> <!-- Watson Enterprises" at ORU website. --> <!-- He does not seem to be any of the Charles Watsons on --> <!-- Wikipedia's disambiguation page. --> The plaintiffs filed an amended lawsuit adding the university's Board of Regents (Oral and Richard Roberts, along with George Pearsons, [[Kenneth Copeland]], [[Creflo Dollar]], [[Michael Armand Hammer|Michael A. Hammer]], [[John Hagee]], [[Marilyn Hickey]], [[Jerry Savelle]] and Charles Watson) to the suit and alleged that Roberts fired the university's financial comptroller and "voluminous materials and documents were shredded and destroyed, constituting spoliation of evidence." The filing also alleged Lindsay Roberts had spent nights in the ORU guest house with a 16-year-old male who also was allowed to live in the Roberts family residence on campus.<ref>[http://www.tulsaworld.com/webextra/content/2007/pdfs/orusuit.pdf Online copy of revised Swails lawsuit against ORU, October 12th, 2007]</ref><ref>Tulsa World, ''[http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=071013_1__OralR22105 Lindsay Roberts, ORU deny latest claims]'', October 13, 2007, retrieved October 14, 2007</ref> On October 17, 2007, Richard Roberts announced a "temporary leave of absence" as president of the university, citing the "toll" the lawsuit and attendant allegations had taken on him and his family. Billy Joe Daugherty became Executive Regent of the Board of Regents and Interim President. Chairman of the Board George Pearsons noted the temporary resignation was not an admission of guilt.<ref>Tulsa World, ''[http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=071018_1_A1_hTheO62814 Roberts takes ORU leave]'', October 17, 2007, retrieved October 18, 2007</ref> In November 2007, the tenured faculty of Oral Roberts University approved by a simple majority a non-binding vote of no confidence in Richard Roberts.<ref>AP, ''[https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/14/education/14oral.html Faculty Opposes Oral Roberts President]'' November 13, 2007, retrieved November 15, 2007</ref> Roberts tendered his letter of resignation to the board of regents on November 23.<ref>[http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=071124_1_A1_hMove11578 Roberts resigns]</ref><ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/11/23/national/a165630S41.DTL Embattled Oral Roberts President Resigns]</ref> Pearsons said the university planned to separate its finances and leadership from the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association, to the apparent relief of many students and faculty members.<ref>AP, Justin Juozapavicius, ''[http://apnews.myway.com/article/20071129/D8T75O201.html Roberts Says God Forced His Resignation]'', November 29, 2007, retrieved November 29, 2007</ref> On January 10, 2008, ORU settled with plaintiff John Swails, who was reinstated to his previous teaching position.<ref>Marciszewski, April, ''[http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080111_1_A1_hThel03342 ORU reinstates one professor]'', tulsworld.com, January 11, 2008, retrieved January 13, 2008</ref><ref>[https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080502/ap_on_re_us/oral_roberts_scandal] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080503141315/http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080502/ap_on_re_us/oral_roberts_scandal|date=May 3, 2008}}</ref> The school also announced a formal search committee for a new president, to be headed by board of regents member and Tulsa resident Glenda Payas.<ref>Marciszewski, April, ''[http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080110_1_A9_spanc51273 ORU regent to lead committee structuring presidential search]'', tulsworld.com, January 10, 2008, retrieved January 13, 2008</ref> Tulsa evangelist [[Billy Joe Daugherty]] was named interim President and executive regent. The same month, the school was reportedly "struggling financially" with over $50 million in debt.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/24/AR2007102402111.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103172655/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/24/AR2007102402111.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=November 3, 2012 | title=Chairman Says ORU Over $50M in Debt | newspaper=The Washington Post | date= October 24, 2007| access-date = November 8, 2007}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! 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