A Halifax university recently dropped its valedictorian days before the campus graduation ceremonies after learning he was a convicted sex offender.
A spokeswoman for Mount Saint Vincent University confirmed Friday that Ricardo Gorski had been slated to deliver the May 18 valedictory address until the school was informed of his background and confirmed he had been convicted of sexual assault.
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Gillian Batten, a spokeswoman for the university, says that the dean of the business administration department, which Gorski had graduated from, contacted him to ask him to withdraw from speaking.
According to the Halifax Chronicle Herald, citing a record from the provincial Royal Gazette, Gorski had changed his name several years ago from Konstanty (Kostek) Bedo-Gorski.
The newspaper reported in 2014 that Gorski was a soccer coach when he sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl in an elite soccer program, and was sentenced to two years in a federal penitentiary.
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The original story on his sentencing says that Judge Michael Sherar ordered the 24-year-old to register as a sex offender for 20 years following his release from prison, with an assessment of a mild to moderate risk to reoffend.
Batten says that valedictorian nominations were reviewed by a sub-committee on academic policy and nominees are not required to submit a criminal record check.
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