You can go to our
Newsletters.
Or search for a word here:
LISA ARKIN VS. UNIVERSITY OF OREGON: SETTLEMENT
After three and one half years of gathering evidence in a Federal Title VII
Gender Discrimination lawsuit,
an out-of-court settlement was finalized by plaintiff Lisa Arkin and defendants
University of
Oregon, John Moseley (Provost), and Jennifer Craig (Department Head) in July.
Arkin had alleged that the University of Oregon, Mosley and Craig violated her
civil rights
by denying tenure to her because she took two maternity leaves during her tenure
preparation
period.
Also see University of
Oregon --Still Explicit Gender Discrimination
By Charity Hirsch
Settlement talks began after the Ninth Circuit Court denied the
University´s motion to dismiss
Arkin´s case. The judge ruled that " Plaintiff has offered evidence
tending to demonstrate
that defendant Craig may have acted vindictively or may have been motivated by a
personal desire
to prevent plaintiff from obtaining tenure and that she did so through the
improper means of creating
and presenting a false and unfairly negative picture of plaintiff´s tenure
case." The judge also wrote that Arkin could submit evidence tending to
show that staff in the
Provost´s office told another faculty member that taking maternity leave
can "prejudice the case for tenure" and that the Provost himself
expressed views that "
pregnancy leaves give a pregnant woman a time advantage for research and
writing."
Defendants Moseley and Craig were not present at the settlement
negotiations; President
Dave Frohnmayer represented the University. He reversed the Provost´s
decision and
awarded tenure and promotion to Arkin. He also authorized a monetary award of
$495,000
and full library privileges. As a part of the agreement, Arkin is to resign from
the University.
Arkin had mixed feelings about the settlement. " It was a difficult
decision to accept the
settlement and let go of the opportunity to have the case tried in court,
particularly after the Ninth
Circuit Court had determined my case had merit. I also feel, as do many other
faculty here who
supported my case, that the stipulation that I resign is another act of
retaliation. Yet, I had to
consider the continuing toll this lawsuit would take on my family. I believe
this settlement
will send a strong message to this university and to other institutions of
higher education that
any kind of discrimination cannot be allowed."
The University of Oregon has denied wrong doing in Arkin´s case. That
stance has
been seen before but the award of tenure and promotion and almost half a million
... speaks for itself.
-wage@wage.org-