Black College Hit With Racism Rap
LinkedIn Logo. (PRNewsFoto/PwC) / AP
A historically black college in South Carolina has been sued after three white faculty members say they were passed over for jobs or let go for because of their race, federal officials announced Wednesday.
Alleging that Benedict College "engaged in unlawful practices," the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission also said that the Columbia school had agreed to pay $55,000 to each of the three former instructors.
Under a settlement reached between Benedict and the EEOC, the school also agreed to remind staff about its employment policy prohibiting discrimination, provide administrators, faculty and staff with training and make periodic reports to the EEOC.
In its complaint, the EEOC says art instructor Argiri Aggelopoulou in December 2004 applied for but did not receive a position as assistant art history professor, adding she was instead passed over in favor of a black instructor.
In March 2005, Benedict did not renew teaching contracts for Aggelopoulou and two other instructors - assistant art professor Michael Hale and Katherine Mille, an associate English professor -because of their race, the complaint says.
In a response also filed Wednesday, an attorney for Benedict denied any allegations of discrimination and said the school acted in good faith and treated the employees fairly.
Aggelopoulou was rejected because she was not qualified for the professor job, and her contract wasn't renewed because she was only hired for a one-year position, attorney Carol Ervin wrote.
Hale's contract was not renewed because, after seven years of employment, he had failed to attain tenure - a timeframe under which school policy allowed Benedict to let him go. And Katherine Mille, a linguist, was released in part because the school could not afford to pay both her and another, more senior person with the same position, Ervin wrote.
"The College further responds that it embraces diversity and opposes discrimination," attorney Carol Ervin wrote, citing part of the school's mission statement, which states "Benedict College is an equal opportunity educational institution. We seek geographic, international, and racial diversity in our student body."
Aggelopoulou and Mille did not immediately return phone messages, and a listing for Hale could not be found. A spokeswoman for the school did not immediately comment on the lawsuit.
In a statement, Ervin said Benedict opposes all discrimination and noted that it costs the school less to pay the former employees rather than defend the claims.
"The College specifically denies the claims of discrimination raised by the three faculty members in question," Ervin said. "The non-renewal decisions were made in the context of a recommendation for curriculum change, reallocation of resources and in light of the needs of the separate departments where each faculty member worked."
According to its Web site, Benedict is a private, coed liberal arts school with more than 2,500 students with a "continued commitment to facilitate the empowerment, enhancement, and full participation of African-Americans in American society."
© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Alleging that Benedict College "engaged in unlawful practices," the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission also said that the Columbia school had agreed to pay $55,000 to each of the three former instructors.
Under a settlement reached between Benedict and the EEOC, the school also agreed to remind staff about its employment policy prohibiting discrimination, provide administrators, faculty and staff with training and make periodic reports to the EEOC.
In its complaint, the EEOC says art instructor Argiri Aggelopoulou in December 2004 applied for but did not receive a position as assistant art history professor, adding she was instead passed over in favor of a black instructor.
In March 2005, Benedict did not renew teaching contracts for Aggelopoulou and two other instructors - assistant art professor Michael Hale and Katherine Mille, an associate English professor -because of their race, the complaint says.
In a response also filed Wednesday, an attorney for Benedict denied any allegations of discrimination and said the school acted in good faith and treated the employees fairly.
Aggelopoulou was rejected because she was not qualified for the professor job, and her contract wasn't renewed because she was only hired for a one-year position, attorney Carol Ervin wrote.
Hale's contract was not renewed because, after seven years of employment, he had failed to attain tenure - a timeframe under which school policy allowed Benedict to let him go. And Katherine Mille, a linguist, was released in part because the school could not afford to pay both her and another, more senior person with the same position, Ervin wrote.
"The College further responds that it embraces diversity and opposes discrimination," attorney Carol Ervin wrote, citing part of the school's mission statement, which states "Benedict College is an equal opportunity educational institution. We seek geographic, international, and racial diversity in our student body."
Aggelopoulou and Mille did not immediately return phone messages, and a listing for Hale could not be found. A spokeswoman for the school did not immediately comment on the lawsuit.
In a statement, Ervin said Benedict opposes all discrimination and noted that it costs the school less to pay the former employees rather than defend the claims.
"The College specifically denies the claims of discrimination raised by the three faculty members in question," Ervin said. "The non-renewal decisions were made in the context of a recommendation for curriculum change, reallocation of resources and in light of the needs of the separate departments where each faculty member worked."
According to its Web site, Benedict is a private, coed liberal arts school with more than 2,500 students with a "continued commitment to facilitate the empowerment, enhancement, and full participation of African-Americans in American society."
Popular on CBSNews.com
- Bridge collapse blamed on tractor-trailer 271 Comments
- Washington state bridge collapses 20 Photos
- Port Authority releases photo of One WTC workers at dizzying heights
- Best U.S. beaches 2013 10 Photos
- No fatalities in I-5 bridge collapse in NW Wash. 137 Comments
- Earthquake, multiple aftershocks jolt Californians
- Boy Scouts approve plan to accept openly gay boys 1097 Comments
- Clean-up efforts underway in Okla. 29 Photos
For your info, every college in this country is a white college. They are all predominantly white. So don't try to call HBCU's racist..look at how many thousands of historically white colleges this country has..you can't be serious. Wasn't Notre Dame orginally made for Irish Catholics?...why is it only racist when Blacks try to better themselves and make an institution were they can learn?.... also they were made at a time when they were not getting accepted at any other colleges because they were WHITE schools. Even though HBCU's are predominantly Black other races are allowed to attend and teach there.
It is bigots like you that keep this country from advancing. Only bigots see things like B.E.T. or the NAACP as "reverse racism". What is the matter with B.E.T....is it because it caters to a Black audience?...What about Telemundo?..is that racist for catering to a Hispanic audience?...what about the other 1000 channels that cater exclusively to whites?...
I'm so sick of people like you who are resentful at Blacks for what you percieve as "unfair advantages" trying to take things that are made for our advancement and make it negative.
What bigots like you fail to realize is that if Blacks were getting equal treatment and/ consideration there would be no need for a B.E.T. or a NAACP. Every channel out there caters exclusively to whites, so if Blacks would like to have something that caters to our cultural tastes what should we call it?....because we call it what it is that makes it racist?...if every channel out there wasn't W.E.T. then we wouldn't need a B.E.T....
Anyway, to the others that are confused let me break it down,
White people don't even realize how much things are in their favor because in this country white culture is the standard. So when something is not exclusively white they actually think its racist. For example, its "normal" for EVERYTHING to be white and cater to white culture. Look how many television shows have an all white cast. I bet they don't even consider or notice that because thats "normal". But when they see an all Black cast, then its "reverse racism" which is why even in Black shows and movies that have to put at least one or two token white characters.
So, for example...."the hills" is a white t.v. show..but people don't call it a "white tv show" they just call it a tv show, because white culture is the standard...everything that is white is the regular norm. Now anything that is in contrast with the white norm is annotated by race....like "black entertainment television" for example....thats why a lot of whites get confused and think those things are racist. They complain that "black entertainment television" is racist because it caters to Blacks...but what they don't realize is that whites have hundreds and hundreds of channels that are "white entertainment televsion" that caters exclusively to white people...its just that white is the norm, so they don't have to call it "w.e.t." they can just call it NBC or FOX. White people don't even realize how much things are in their favor, because it has become the accepted norm..having everything white is "regular" and "normal" so when something is NOT white they actually think its racist against THEM...they actually think they're being discriminated against. Like they complain about the NAACP but what they don't realize is that the reason the NAACP even exists is because there were hundreds of programs just like it EXCLUSIVELY for whites. They just weren't annotated by race and called "white association" or whatever cuz there was no need too...to be white was normal, and an organazation didn't need to point out the fact that it was for whites because that was a given....other races of people weren't even considered.
Biggest difference is we do not have a level playing field, no matter what some bigoted and ignorant whites would like to believe or propagandize. There is no legitimate excuse for living and promoting racism, but there are still millions of minorities who lived through some very dark and oppressive times. Its understandable if they are still gun-shy and maybe see to promoting the minorities who they know and trust, and who are most often qualified.
How many whites walk down a street and feel suspicious of black youths? How many blacks don't trust a white man will be fair?
Man, AM I gonna make a bundle.
"Well, I guess it works both ways. Black Americans are just going to have to accept the fact that they won. They are equal. :o) "
__________
proves one of my points...African Americans love to see the white go down...I'm sure it gives you a warm fuzzy doesn't it?
You missed the fact that I misspelled "crutch" too. I need to slow down my typing.
Posted by pw08-2009 at 2:28 PM : Apr 9, 2009
*********************************
That is "losing" their jobs.