Erika Carter breathed a small sigh of relief when she learned that Mike Polisky had resigned as the Northwestern University athletic director after about 10 days in the role.
But it was just a small sigh.
Polisky had stepped aside on Wednesday amid escalating questions over his and the university’s handling of accusations of sexual harassment and racism within its cheerleading program. Carter, who graduated from Northwestern in 2018, was one of several cheerleaders to raise allegations that she said were largely ignored when Polisky was the university’s deputy athletic director. To Carter, Polisky’s brief appointment had signaled to her and several female faculty members that the department still was not listening.