Y. puts newsman on leave

PROVO — Brigham Young University officials declined Wednesday to say why they placed the administrator responsible for the student newspaper on paid leave on Feb. 15.

Jim Kelly taught a religion class at the university Wednesday afternoon, but communications department chairman Ed Adams is acting as general manager of NewsNet — the combination of the Daily Universe and its online version — while Kelly is on leave, BYU spokeswoman Carri Jenkins said.

"I'm confident that I will be exonerated from any kinds of questions that are under review," Kelly said.

A former NewsNet employee complained about Kelly to BYU's Human Resource Services department after she quit in January. She said she didn't want to talk about the allegations when contacted at her home on Wednesday.

Aimee Wolsey did, however, characterize reports that Kelly indirectly pressured her to quit to stay home with the child she bore in July as only a small part of the complaint. She refused to elaborate.

Wolsey held a full-time staff position as advertising production manager. She returned from maternity leave early and brought the infant to work often, common practice at the Universe for more than a decade. She said Kelly told her repeatedly to do the right thing, which she took to mean leaving the work force to stay home with her child.

Kelly strongly denied making such statements and said he was following instructions when he told Wolsey about a university policy against bringing children to work.

"My wife has been a practicing attorney for 25 years, and I have always supported her in her career," Kelly said. "Anyone who knows me for 30 seconds knows I would never say women should not work."

Kelly said Wolsey was promoted with a raise and additional benefits after the child was born.

"We valued her as an employee and did not, let me underline that, did not want her to leave," he said. "She left of her own volition."

Kelly said Adams instructed him in an e-mail to tell Wolsey about the university policy on children in the workplace.

"As instructed, I notified her of the policy, and within two weeks she gave notice and said she was quitting because she could not find child care," Kelly said.

While Wolsey raised additional issues, neither she nor BYU officials would comment on them.

Kelly issued a blanket denial.