NIU anthropology professor Winifred Creamer is “very unhappy” that plagiarism allegations against her keep appearing in newspapers.

“My work is being slandered by people who don’t want to take time to look into it [the allegations],” Creamer said. “Not one of those allegations are true.”

Creamer and her husband Jonathan Haas, curator of the Chicago Field Museum, have been working in Peru since 1999. Her team is researching the start of complex Peruvian society, which began around 1,800 B.C. to 3,000 B.C.

Creamer, Haas, and Ruth Shady, of the Museum of Archeology in Lima, Peru, collaborated on a 2001 radiocarbon dating study in Caral, an archeology site on Peru’s central coast.

Shady alleges Creamer and Haas took credit for discovering the oldest civilization in the Americas. She also alleges her team made those discoveries when they began studying in Caral in 1994, according to a Jan. 5 written statement.

“With this behavior, Haas and Creamer are violating not only my intellectual rights as an archeologist, but also the rights of a Peruvian research project whose authorship they intend to expropriate,” Shady said.

When people publish research, they must be cautious to not offend and be sure to give credit, said Judy Ledgerwood, chair of NIU’s anthropology department.

“Jonathan [Haas] and Winifred [Creamer] tried to do that,” she said.

Shady posted her allegations on a Spanish Web site in December, Creamer said. Shady was unhappy with the quality of publicity she received, alleging Creamer took too much attention, Creamer said.

Creamer e-mailed Shady to clarify the issue. The two last spoke in June 2001. Shady wants to “stand at a distance and criticize,” Creamer said.

Shady also alleges Creamer and Haas claimed to have discovered certain sites, but Creamer said she credited Shady as the lead author; a very big deal in the scholarly world, she said.

Frederick Kitterle, dean of the college of liberal arts and sciences, said the college’s officials are carefully looking into the charges.

“This is a process that is unfolding,” he said.

Officials are also doing their best to be fair, impartial and thorough, Kitterle said.

“I think that we have to balance institutional integrity with a careful substantiation of charges,” he said.

Alvaro Ruiz, an anthropology graduate student and member of Creamer’s team, said they have a good relationship with the community in Peru.

The allegations may jeopardize future work, Creamer said, as they may negatively affect her future grant applications.

Because Shady is not a U.S. citizen, taking legal action may be difficult, Creamer said. But Creamer has contacted Peruvian lawyers, who are trying to ensure archeological work in Peru is regulated fairly.

“[We] don’t want damage on us to be compounded,” she said.

Shady is currently conducting field research. Attempts to reach her for further comment were unsuccessful as of press time.