Leaked letter accuses UIW President Louis Agnese of making offensive comments at school event The exclusively obtained letter offers the first detailed account of what might have prompted a mandatory medical leave for UIW’s longtime president.

From the letter: "He then repeatedly made reference to one of my new classmates, by name, and pointed her out, made her stand up, and proceeded to tell everyone the story of how she got into the UIW DPT program, how she was not good enough to be accepted at any other program because of her poor test scores but that luckily she knows him [Agnese] so he contacted the Dean of the UIW DPT program and directed her to allow said student to audit the program for some time and to provide employment for the student and voila, here she is now! "…only at UIW can this happen,…" he said." less From the letter: "He then repeatedly made reference to one of my new classmates, by name, and pointed her out, made her stand up, and proceeded to tell everyone the story of how she got into the UIW DPT ... more Photo: San Antonio Express-News Photo: San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 45 Caption Close Leaked letter accuses UIW President Louis Agnese of making offensive comments at school event 1 / 45 Back to Gallery

SAN ANTONIO — Days before the University of the Incarnate Word placed President Louis Agnese on 90-day medical leave, an anonymous complaint from “very concerned students” at the school accused him of making offensive comments about African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans and Mormons at a luncheon for physical therapy students.

“We’ve known for a long time that Dr. Agnese has a reputation for being blunt, eccentric, colorful, even abrasive,” stated the anonymous letter obtained by mySA.com, which offers the first detailed account of what might have prompted last week’s mandatory medical leave for UIW’s longtime president. “But the statements made by him today were so egregiously over the top that I became viscerally sickened by them.”

Agnese confirmed Thursday that he said what he's accused of saying — but denied anything was wrong with his comments.

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"I haven't made an offensive comment in my life," said Agnese, who returned to San Antonio from Hawaii on Thursday.

Agnese vehemently disputed a statement emailed last week to the UIW community by board chairman Charles Lutz, who said Agnese has exhibited "sporadic uncharacteristic behavior and comments." Lutz did not offer details but apologized to anyone who was offended.

Incarnate Word spokeswoman Debra Del Toro declined to answer questions about the complaint, saying, “We’re not commenting on the situation.” The Express-News verified that school officials received the letter last week before Agnese was placed on medical leave on Aug. 18.

The complaint said Agnese spoke to a group of students, faculty members and administrators at a luncheon last week where he launched into a series of inappropriate, off-color jokes.

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It started with Agnese singling out an African American student who wasn’t wearing the school colors of Cardinal red. “Well, you’re lucky you’re black so you are in a way wearing Cardinal black,” Agnese reportedly told her.

Agnese went on to ask if there were any Native American students in the group, according to the complaint, and he said their “Indian-red skin color would also count as wearing Cardinal red.”

Agnese also reportedly quipped how Mormons were taking over the computer graphics and design school. And when he asked another student where he was from and the student answered “Dallas,” Agnese was quoted as saying, “No, where is your family originally from? You’re Indian, right?”

According to the complaint, Agnese made another student stand up, said she wasn’t good enough to get into any other program because of her poor test scores, and noted how lucky she was to be accepted to UIW.

Agnese told the Express-News he also praised the student for excelling at UIW. "Now she has the highest test score of anybody in the program," Agnese said Thursday.

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At another point, Agnese reportedly addressed a Hispanic faculty member by calling him by the wrong name. When the man corrected Agnese and said his name was Jaime, Agnese responded, “Well, close enough, you look like a José.” That faculty member did not return a message Thursday.

The complaint goes on to say Agnese told the students off-color jokes about alcoholism, praised Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and denounced Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

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“It is crystal clear that many of the faculty, staff, administrators and students in attendance were equally appalled,” the complaint stated. But aside from a few people who shook their heads, no one did anything. A few faculty members left the luncheon early.

Signed “very concerned students,” the letter appears to be written by one author, a student who is now reconsidering the decision to attend UIW.

“I am leaning strongly toward dis-enrolling from the program that I worked so very hard to join,” the student wrote.

jtedesco@express-news.net

kparker@mysa.com

Twitter: @John_Tedesco

Twitter: @KoltenParker