Amid allegations that he illegally borrowed money from subordinates in his department, a transportation services supervisor resigned last Friday and, in an unexpected turn of events yesterday, withdrew that resignation.
On Nov. 10, Daniel Breeden verbally delivered his resignation to David Majestic, director of transportation services, and Joe Pietrantoni, associate vice president for auxiliary services, according to a source in the administration who spoke on the condit
ion of anonymity.
But on Monday, Breeden wrote a letter to administrators in which he said that he was withdrawing his resignation, which was to go into effect Nov. 17.
Breeden declined to comment on his case. Recent developments, however, suggest that he was prompted to withdraw his resignation, perhaps due to outcry from many black members of his department, who say that he was forced to resign not because of the alleg
ations but rather racial discrimination.
In a meeting Monday afternoon, about 17 drivers discussed a possible strike to protest the decision.
At that time, they said they were prepared to strike if administrators did not reinstate Breeden, but many drivers seemed to change their minds after a meeting with Pietrantoni, Majestic, a union leader and another administrator later that evening (see re
lated story, pg. 1).
The administrative source confirmed that Breeden was given a choice last Friday between resignation and termination, and that until yesterday he apparently had decided to resign.
Although the allegations against Breeden have not been made public, the administrative source and two people intimately involved in the case told The Chronicle that the allegations center on charges that Breeden violated University policy by borrowing mon
ey from at least two subordinates.
Bus driver Steve Kennedy, Trinity '91 and third-year law student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said that Breeden borrowed money from him on "three or four" occasions since 1993, in amounts ranging from $50 to $300. Kennedy
also said that Breeden approached him this summer asking for a loan of $3,000 to $4,000 dollars to pay off another debt, but Kennedy refused to give him the money.
That other debt was allegedly owed to bus driver Joyce Couch, who also works under Breeden.
During the last two years, Couch has lent Breeden approximately $5,000, according to a source closely involved with the case who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
That source also said that Couch spent about three weeks in the hospital this summer due to heart problems that may have been related to the stress she felt because of the loan.
The source added that the University contacted Couch last Friday and paid her the money that Breeden still owed her, which totaled approximately $2,000.
Sources closely involved with the case say that the University has known about Breeden's actions since at least February of this year, when administrators conducted an investigation and allegedly told Breeden to stop borrowing money from his subordinates.
But, as Kennedy stated above, Breeden asked him for a loan as late as this summer to pay off the money he owed Couch.
Auxiliary services vice president Pietrantoni declined to comment on Breeden's situation, saying that to do so would be against University policy and unfair to Breeden, with whom he is meeting this morning.
Speaking generally, however, he said that according to University regulations, management-level employees are not permitted to borrow money from their subordinates because of the power dynamic involved in such an action.
Such an offense could be grounds for immediate termination, Pietrantoni said.
Breeden has worked at the University since 1973 and in that time has served in capacities ranging from lower-level positions in housekeeping to his current supervisory post in transportation services.
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