News from the Legal Fund Committee of Feminists Against Academic Discrimination
January 2006

Contact:Sheila Graziano,Esq
P.O. Box 180
Buffalo, NY 14207
Office: 716 834-3899
Fax: 716 831-9667

For Immediate Release

FAAD helps women educators and administrators (especially those associated with women's studies programs) who are victims of discriminationon the basis of gender, race, or sexual orientation.

The Legal Fund Committee of Feminists Against Academic Discrimination finds it disturbing that it has been a women's studies program at San Diego State University where Pat Washington has experienced discrimination on the basis of both race and gender. We are outraged that the judge in Washington v. Trustees of the California State University and Colleges, et a1. granted the defendants' motion for summary judgment, dismissingWashington's case in its entirety. We are particularly disturbed that the Judge put into legal precedent a reinforcement of colleagiality as an acceptable basis for tenure denial, and we support her in her appeal against this decision.

Facts:

• Dr. Washington was denied tenure by the Women's Studies Department in 2002 and her employment was terminated in 2003, even though she had been awarded SDSU's Outstanding Faculty Award three times and had consistently performed as well or better than others of her cohort granted tenure during the same general period.
• She immediately stood up for herself and for other women and minorities employed at San Diego State University by taking her case to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. On September 23, 2003, the EEOC issued "reasonable cause" findings that SDSU had discriminated against Dr. Washington by denying her tenure and promotion and terminating her "on the basis of her race/sex combined and in retaliation for previous complaints." The Commission's proposed remedies included Washington's reinstatement "with tenure, promotion, back pay and benefits."
• It is reported that the EEOC called a conciliation meeting, and their attorneys and representatives tried to get her to retire "with her permission," tantamount to allowing herself to be fired.

The Legal Fund Committee of Feminists Against Academic Discrimination is especially concerned that universities are able to maintain whole stables of lawyers while the plaintiffs we support must find the money to pay for legal representation that they can ill afford. We ask concerned members of the San Diego State University system to join us in preventing the University from a continued practice of institutional racism and sexism against faculty women of color. We are pleased to contribute to Dr. Patricia Washington's Legal Support.