FC: Part of discrimination lawsuit against PSU allowed to proceed

[StamfordBridgeVikingatLeftOffensiveTackle]

There is an article in the Atlantic (behind paywall) so I haven't linked to it.

A Constant Drumbeat’ of Racial Essentialism
A lawsuit alleging racial discrimination in Penn State’s approach to DEI can go to trial, and could shape the future of diversity programs on campus.
By Conor Friedersdorf

What's interesting is that the judge - a black, Nigerian woman - dismissed all the claims but one - "Penn State’s motion to dismiss De Piero’s (former PSU Abington English Dept. faculty member) hostile-workplace claim."

Article about the original suit - https://www.insidehighered.com/news...06/26/white-professor-resigns-alleges-reverse

Judge's ruling - https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.paed.610617/gov.uscourts.paed.610617.31.0.pdf

 

[BobPSU92]

I‘m sure it’s all just a misunderstanding.

 

[PSU Mike]

I am quite interested in the outcome of this one. The lack of consistency in theme and recommended actions in the DEI (training) at my 100k person company is appalling.

 

[kgilbert78]

A lot of this DEIR stuff is based on emotion (I "feel" discriminated against) and perception. Like the so called "microagression", which is based on the hearer's perception. That often causes the real discrimination to be missed.

 

[EricStratton-RushChairman]

 

[BobPSU92]

If you ain’t disciminatin’, you ain’t tryin’.

 

[PSUFTG2]

There is an article in the Atlantic (behind paywall) so I haven't linked to it.

A Constant Drumbeat’ of Racial Essentialism
A lawsuit alleging racial discrimination in Penn State’s approach to DEI can go to trial, and could shape the future of diversity programs on campus.
By Conor Friedersdorf

What's interesting is that the judge - a black, Nigerian woman - dismissed all the claims but one - "Penn State’s motion to dismiss De Piero’s (former PSU Abington English Dept. faculty member) hostile-workplace claim."

Article about the original suit - https://www.insidehighered.com/news...06/26/white-professor-resigns-alleges-reverse

Judge's ruling - https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.paed.610617/gov.uscourts.paed.610617.31.0.pdf

This ruling came down a couple weeks ago.
Given the Judge on the case, I think many were surprised that the entire suit was not dismissed.

Beetlestone presided on the case.
She is also the Chancellor (president) of a fairly large University in Europe. (How she does both jobs at once? I have no idea).
When she was appointed to that bench - SE District of PA (by Obama) - it led to one of the most contentious confirmations of the Obama era (which are normally very perfunctory and overwhelming approvals - with occasional "Nope" votes)
Her ruling on her highest profile case to date (one that was also trumpeted by then PA Attorney General Shapiro) was overturned by the SCOTUS.

Interesting.

 

[Midnighter]

This will be fun to watch. Would love to see his evidence (I am sure these racist practices, especially concerning grading, are written in a code or SOP somewhere....right?). Was he ever threatened? Told he would be fired if he didn't comply? Gee, you take a job in one of the most liberal professions in the US and are stunned when your colleagues are and promote liberalism. Talk about a snowflake. I will say if what he has proof (emails, as stated) that he and others were singled out simply for being non-black, that is an issue, and one I would find difficult to believe was so openly promoted. Zero chance he is the first professor to deal with this if that is the case - so where are those folks?

 

[ValleyForgeLion]

Thank goodness, something besides March Madness. I have to think the University has tried to settle and obviously he's not going for it. I wonder how much of this UP is going to try and hang on Abington campus, and how much Abington is going to say 'nope, marching orders came from the top'.
I wish him nothing but success.

 

[PSUFTG2]

This will be fun to watch. Would love to see his evidence (I am sure these racist practices, especially concerning grading, are written in a code or SOP somewhere....right?). Was he ever threatened? Told he would be fired if he didn't comply? Gee, you take a job in one of the most liberal professions in the US and are stunned when your colleagues are and promote liberalism. Talk about a snowflake. I will say if what he has proof (emails, as stated) that he and others were singled out simply for being non-black, that is an issue, and one I would find difficult to believe was so openly promoted. Zero chance he is the first professor to deal with this if that is the case - so where are those folks?

You might want to read the documents in the case. They are public.

I trust that if you did, you are critical and intelligent enough that you might adjust many of the posits in your post. But that is just my hunch.

Originally (but not anymore) myself and every individual trustee (IIRC) was a defendant in the suit.

 

[StamfordBridgeVikingatLeftOffensiveTackle]

You might want to read the documents in the case. They are public.

I trust that if you did, you are critical and intelligent enough that you might adjust many of the posits in your post. But that is just my hunch.

Originally (but not anymore) myself and every individual trustee (IIRC) was a defendant in the suit.

It's too bad you were dropped from the suit. I know you're indemnified, but I couldn't help but imagine a courtroom scene with you representing yourself at the trial. It would have been great theater.

 

[Midnighter]

You might want to read the documents in the case. They are public.

I trust that if you did, you are critical and intelligent enough that you might adjust many of the posits in your post. But that is just my hunch.

Originally (but not anymore) myself and every individual trustee (IIRC) was a defendant in the suit.

I will check them out - thanks.

 

[PSUFTG2]

It's too bad you were dropped from the suit. I know you're indemnified, but I couldn't help but imagine a courtroom scene with you representing yourself at the trial. It would have been great theater.

 

[Zenophile]

If you ain’t disciminatin’, you ain’t tryin’.

EEOC / It just means more

 

[TiogaLion]

This ruling came down a couple weeks ago.
Given the Judge on the case, I think many were surprised that the entire suit was not dismissed.

Beetlestone presided on the case.
She is also the Chancellor (president) of a fairly large University in Europe. (How she does both jobs at once? I have no idea).
When she was appointed to that bench - SE District of PA (by Obama) - it led to one of the most contentious confirmations of the Obama era (which are normally very perfunctory and overwhelming approvals - with occasional "Nope" votes)
Her ruling on her highest profile case to date (one that was also trumpeted by then PA Attorney General Shapiro) was overturned by the SCOTUS.

Interesting.

This should answer your Chancellor question as it pertains to the University of Liverpool. Also, I'd love to know how in the world she get to claim to be black?

 

[s1uggo72]

There is an article in the Atlantic (behind paywall) so I haven't linked to it.

A Constant Drumbeat’ of Racial Essentialism
A lawsuit alleging racial discrimination in Penn State’s approach to DEI can go to trial, and could shape the future of diversity programs on campus.
By Conor Friedersdorf

What's interesting is that the judge - a black, Nigerian woman - dismissed all the claims but one - "Penn State’s motion to dismiss De Piero’s (former PSU Abington English Dept. faculty member) hostile-workplace claim."

Article about the original suit - https://www.insidehighered.com/news...06/26/white-professor-resigns-alleges-reverse

Judge's ruling - https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.paed.610617/gov.uscourts.paed.610617.31.0.pdf

Why do you think the judge is Black?

 

[StamfordBridgeVikingatLeftOffensiveTackle]

Why do you think the judge is Black?

It was mentioned in the Atlantic piece.

"This isn’t a case where, say, a white Donald Trump appointee who hates academia took an extreme position, like “Any departure from color-blindness is illegal,” that would be overturned on appeal. This particular judge is more difficult for DEI partisans to dismiss. Wendy Beetlestone, a Black district-court judge born in Nigeria, was appointed to the bench by Barack Obama. She was announced last year as the University of Liverpool’s next chancellor; she is clearly not hostile to higher education. And the substance of her ruling is hard for would-be critics to reject in full."

Also, according to her Wiki bio, "In 2023, she was announced as the next chancellor of the University of Liverpool. She is the University’s eleventh chancellor and the institution’s first female and first black chancellor."

It's mentioned in the University of Liverpool press release concerning her appointment.

United States District Judge Wendy Beetlestone appointed University Chancellor - University of Liverpool News

United States District Judge Wendy Beetlestone appointed University Chancellor

news.liverpool.ac.uk

United States District Judge Wendy Beetlestone has been announced as the next Chancellor of the University of Liverpool. She is the University’s eleventh Chancellor and the institution’s first female, and first Black, Chancellor. Wendy succeeds Colm Tóibín, who carried out the role from 2017 until 2022.

Liverpool Guild President, Vasiliki Samuels said: “It was a wonderful opportunity to be involved in Wendy’s selection as Chancellor of the University of Liverpool. As an alumna of the University and a past Student Officer, Wendy’s connection and dedication to the University shone throughout and I am elated she has been selected as our first Black, female Chancellor. As the first Black, female President at the Guild I find her journey and international success to be inspiring. On behalf of the Guild, I wish Wendy a warm welcome.”

In Open Jurist - https://openjurist.org/judge/wendy-beetlestone - Race or Ethnicity: White/African Am

 

[s1uggo72]

It was mentioned in the Atlantic piece.

"This isn’t a case where, say, a white Donald Trump appointee who hates academia took an extreme position, like “Any departure from color-blindness is illegal,” that would be overturned on appeal. This particular judge is more difficult for DEI partisans to dismiss. Wendy Beetlestone, a Black district-court judge born in Nigeria, was appointed to the bench by Barack Obama. She was announced last year as the University of Liverpool’s next chancellor; she is clearly not hostile to higher education. And the substance of her ruling is hard for would-be critics to reject in full."

Also, according to her Wiki bio, "In 2023, she was announced as the next chancellor of the University of Liverpool. She is the University’s eleventh chancellor and the institution’s first female and first black chancellor."

It's mentioned in the University of Liverpool press release concerning her appointment.

United States District Judge Wendy Beetlestone appointed University Chancellor - University of Liverpool News

United States District Judge Wendy Beetlestone appointed University Chancellor

news.liverpool.ac.uk

United States District Judge Wendy Beetlestone has been announced as the next Chancellor of the University of Liverpool. She is the University’s eleventh Chancellor and the institution’s first female, and first Black, Chancellor. Wendy succeeds Colm Tóibín, who carried out the role from 2017 until 2022.

Liverpool Guild President, Vasiliki Samuels said: “It was a wonderful opportunity to be involved in Wendy’s selection as Chancellor of the University of Liverpool. As an alumna of the University and a past Student Officer, Wendy’s connection and dedication to the University shone throughout and I am elated she has been selected as our first Black, female Chancellor. As the first Black, female President at the Guild I find her journey and international success to be inspiring. On behalf of the Guild, I wish Wendy a warm welcome.”

In Open Jurist - https://openjurist.org/judge/wendy-beetlestone - Race or Ethnicity: White/African Am

Well her Dad is white, her mom is from the US but it’s tough finding a picture of her. At the end of the day I don’t think it matters

 

[StamfordBridgeVikingatLeftOffensiveTackle]

Well her Dad is white, her mom is from the US but it’s tough finding a picture of her. At the end of the day I don’t think it matters

Me neither. Just explaining why I originally wrote that. OTOH, it doesn't seem that she objected to the University of Liverpool press release, and Open Jurist seems to indicate that her mother is African American. In this day and age one is free to identify. With me, there's no ambiguity - 73% Scottish/23% Irish/2% Welsh/2% Norwegian. At least, according to some service my sister paid to find out where we originated.

 

[Nitt1300]

Me neither. Just explaining why I originally wrote that. OTOH, it doesn't seem that she objected to the University of Liverpool press release, and Open Jurist seems to indicate that her mother is African American. In this day and age one is free to identify. With me, there's no ambiguity - 73% Scottish/23% Irish/2% Welsh/2% Norwegian. At least, according to some service my sister paid to find out where we originated.