'The University of Sydney has ordered an independent review into allegations that the dean of the Conservatorium of Music hired a horse whisperer to conduct management workshops. [Are you, like UD, a bit vague on exactly what a horse whisperer is? And are you having trouble figuring out what a horse whisperer would have to offer a management workshop? But then, what exactly is a management workshop? Read on.]

Kim Walker was stood aside [I think "stood aside" is Australian for "suspended"] last month and has not been charged with any misconduct, but it is understood that Anthony Britt, an industrial lawyer who also teaches at the university, is conducting a review into whether she cut and pasted internal documents, including advice to staff, from a US university. [Horse whispering workshops plus plagiarism. And we're only at paragraph two.]

Professor Walker, an American, has been told not to speak to the media by the university, which has also declined to comment.

The Herald has learned of allegations that Professor Walker spent $55,000 on a motivational speaker, Joe Williams, who teaches personal communication skills to his students, among other things, by showing them how to talk to horses. [See what I mean about the April Fool's feel of this? ... Anyway, management workshop means, here, motivational speaker. Who motivates audiences by showing them how to talk to horses.] At least some of that money was allegedly drawn from funds raised via a community program, the Open Academy, which offers classes to children and adults not enrolled through the university. [And... so... the implication is that she took tuition funds and used them for her horse guy?...]

Mr Williams held workshops for the Conservatorium's senior administrators last month, despite concerns over whether Professor Walker had followed appropriate procedures.

Professor Walker, a bassoonist [It adds to the absurdity of this story, for UD, that she's a bassoonist. I don't know why. Some instruments are intrinsically amusing, I guess. For UD, a bassoon is like a bassett hound... comical, odd, clumsy ... ], reordered the conservatorium according to feng shui principles when she took up her post in 2004 [God, isn't there already enough crap in this story?]. She described the workshops in a brochure to staff as "a gift" that she had experienced in the Arizona desert several years ago. They had changed the way she thought.

"I'd like to offer that gift to you, therefore I am bringing the workshop to Sydney so you can experience it for yourself," she wrote. [Feng shui a semi-colon, woman!] "You'll leave with greater focus, clarity and tools to help you move to the next level in both your work and in your life." [I've been Googling Joe Williams, horse whisperer, motivational speaker, and shit like that desperately. Is he this guy?]

The workshops were also offered to staff at the faculty of economics and business, who had found them useful, the dean, Peter Wolnizer, said. "When I was approached about this … it looked like a wonderful professional development opportunity for our senior administrative managers," Professor Wolnizer said. "There was a component of (talking to horses) and people found that extremely interesting."

But he said he was not aware of any suggestion that the university had told Professor Walker not to proceed with the workshops.

The university and staff at the Conservatorium staff have also been gagged from speaking about the events surrounding Professor Walker's suspension, but one senior academic said the plagiarism allegations were embarrassing for the university when it takes a hard line on such conduct when it involves students.

At least some of the allegedly plagiarised material was meant to have originated from Professor Walker's former employer, Indiana University, but the executive associate dean of the Jacobs School of Music, Eugene O'Brien, said he had no knowledge of the matter. [Keep me the hell out of it.]

Professor Walker's supporters say she is a victim of jealous enemies within the university, and Rowena Danziger, a board member of Opera Australia, said the audience was overflowing with her supporters when she emerged from her exile to perform with her bassoon at the Conservatorium on Sunday [emerged from exile to perform with her bassoon... I still can't help wondering if this is a joke...].

"Everybody in the music and arts community, not just in Sydney but wider than Sydney, thinks she's an outstanding educator and leader and has brought the Conservatorium to a level of international eminence that other departments of the university would die for," Mrs Danziger said.

But Professor Walker has battled dissent over her changes to the Conservatorium.

She faced angry students last year protesting over cuts to the chamber music program, solo performances and individual lessons, and aggression by Condoleezza Rice's security guards when the US Secretary of State spoke at the conservatorium in April. [This needs explanation. Students were protesting the visit? What?] About 300 students later signed a petition calling for changes and staged what they claim was the first walk-out in the conservatorium's rocky history.

One student who has campaigned against the dean, Sophie Serafino, said the suspension had done nothing to quell student disquiet. "It's really bad vibes and it's difficult to focus on music at the moment," she said. "Everyone's talking about it."'