Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little has appointed two university staffers to review KU Athletics Director Lew Perkins’ free use of rehabilitation equipment in his home, use that has led Perkins to report that he had been blackmailed by a former employee. Perkins also recently paid $5,000 to cover the fair rental value of the equipment, which he had returned last year.

The matter also has been forwarded to the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission for review.

KU staffers looking into the matter:

• Mary Lee Hummert, vice provost for faculty support since 2006. Hummert, who received a doctorate in communications studies in 1987 from Kansas University, started work at KU as an instructor in 1987 and today is a professor of communication studies.

As vice provost, Hummert develops programs to help new faculty prepare for the promotion and tenure process, and trains department chairs for administrative duties on the Lawrence campus, where she is an ex-officio member of the Conflict of Interest Committee. Hummert served on the Kansas University Athletic Corporation Advisory Board from 2003 to 2005.

• Allen Humphrey, manager for employee relations and equal opportunity in KU’s Department of Human Resources and Equal Opportunity, where he serves as a resource for employee and labor relations. He also interprets policies and assists with personnel actions for university support staff, and develops and presents training to include legal compliance. He holds a Master’s of Public Administration and a bachelor’s degree in personnel administration, both from KU. Before going to work on campus in 2007, Humphrey served as chief of Bureau of Personnel Services for the Kansas Department of Transportation and, before that, as director of human relations for the Kansas Corporation Commission.

Gray-Little said Wednesday that she expected their review to be complete within 10 working days, which would be before Gray-Little reports to the Kansas Board of Regents on June 23 and 24 in Topeka.