February 20, 2015
The financial aid director at North Idaho College was arrested this month and fired for offering to trade scholarships for sex with a student. However, the student wasn't real.
Read more here!
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Fraternity Sues Wesleyan for Coeducation Requirement
February 20, 2015
The Wesleyan University chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon is suing the university for "discrimination, misrepresentation and deceptive practices" over Wesleyan's order that its fraternities must become coeducational. Delta Kappa Epsilon is one of just two officially recognized on-campus fraternities at the university. The other, Psi Upsilon, is facing a lawsuit over an alleged sexual assault, as is an unofficial off-campus fraternity called Beta Theta Pi.
Read more here!
A lack of Diversity in the Oscars, What A Surprise.
Blog
February 22, 2015
Iyanna James-Stephenson
Every year there is utter outrage over the amount of diversity (or lack there of) in the huge media ceremonies in the Spring. The first of which was the Grammy's. Although few persons of color received Grammy's earlier this month, the nominations and wins were very restricted. The restrictions were also attributed to what is known to come natural to people of color. When it came to the Oscars however, persons of color were completely erased.
This year (although this is definitely not the first year), the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has presented Hollywood films where zero of the nominations looked any different from a white, cis-gendered, blonde, brown, or brunette between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-five (this age bracket is based on looks... not reality). The nominations for the Oscars this year was so homogenous that ColorOfChange.Org has started a petition to demand that the AMPAS "officially disclose their diversity numbers, and take substantive steps toward becoming a more inclusive organization."
ColorOfChange.Org, quoted statistics from a 2012 L.A. Times survey. The survey questioned nearly 90% of the members of AMPAS who stated that the Academy was about 94% white. Furthermore, it was also noted that the acceptance into the organization ran on what is well known as an "old boy's network," where the only way to become a member is for a current member to invite you. This seems to be the most salient reason that after nearly a century's worth "of Hollywood films, 88-99% of all Academy Award winners have been white."
This is a diversity issue. It's an inclusiveness issue, and like the concerns that were brought forth to Silicon Valley, we want to see change.
**Please note: the views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the view of the American Association for Access, Equity, and Diversity (AAAED). The views expressed in this post is of personal opinion and does not pose to be the representation, side, or stance of the AAAED organization in any way.**
February 22, 2015
Iyanna James-Stephenson
Every year there is utter outrage over the amount of diversity (or lack there of) in the huge media ceremonies in the Spring. The first of which was the Grammy's. Although few persons of color received Grammy's earlier this month, the nominations and wins were very restricted. The restrictions were also attributed to what is known to come natural to people of color. When it came to the Oscars however, persons of color were completely erased.
This year (although this is definitely not the first year), the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has presented Hollywood films where zero of the nominations looked any different from a white, cis-gendered, blonde, brown, or brunette between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-five (this age bracket is based on looks... not reality). The nominations for the Oscars this year was so homogenous that ColorOfChange.Org has started a petition to demand that the AMPAS "officially disclose their diversity numbers, and take substantive steps toward becoming a more inclusive organization."
ColorOfChange.Org, quoted statistics from a 2012 L.A. Times survey. The survey questioned nearly 90% of the members of AMPAS who stated that the Academy was about 94% white. Furthermore, it was also noted that the acceptance into the organization ran on what is well known as an "old boy's network," where the only way to become a member is for a current member to invite you. This seems to be the most salient reason that after nearly a century's worth "of Hollywood films, 88-99% of all Academy Award winners have been white."
This is a diversity issue. It's an inclusiveness issue, and like the concerns that were brought forth to Silicon Valley, we want to see change.
**Please note: the views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the view of the American Association for Access, Equity, and Diversity (AAAED). The views expressed in this post is of personal opinion and does not pose to be the representation, side, or stance of the AAAED organization in any way.**
Thursday, February 19, 2015
First, Do No Harm
Inside Higher Ed
February 19, 2015
More than a dozen student affairs associations, nonprofit organizations and victims' advocate groups are releasing an open letter today urging state legislators to reconsider pending bills in several states that the letter says would interfere with colleges' efforts to prevent campus sexual assault.
Read more here!
Investigation returns $39.8M to more than 400 benefit plans nationwide
EBSA News Release: [02/18/2015]
Contact Name: Joanna Hawkins
Phone Number: (215) 861-5101
Email: Hawkins.Joanna@dol.gov
Release Number: 15-0246-PHI
Contact Name: Joanna Hawkins
Phone Number: (215) 861-5101
Email: Hawkins.Joanna@dol.gov
Release Number: 15-0246-PHI
Judge orders restitution and bars defendants as fiduciaries, service providers to ERISA-covered plans
BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — After nearly six years of litigation, a federal district court in Philadelphia recently entered a $39.8 million judgment, protecting the rights of workers who participated in more than 400 death benefit plans mismanaged by John J. Koresko V; companies he controlled; and a former associate, Jeanne Bonney. The defendants are permanently barred from serving as fiduciaries to any employee benefit plan and, with the exception of Bonney, must make restitution to the plans.
Read more here!
Lahey Clinic settles pay discrimination case with US Labor Department
OFCCP News Release: [02/12/2015]
Contact Name: Ted Fitzgerald or Andre J. Bowser
Phone Number: (617) 565-2075 or x2074Email: Fitzgerald.Edmund@dol.gov or Bowser.Andre.J@dol.gov
Release Number: 14-2056-BOS
Read more here!
Contact Name: Ted Fitzgerald or Andre J. Bowser
Phone Number: (617) 565-2075 or x2074Email: Fitzgerald.Edmund@dol.gov or Bowser.Andre.J@dol.gov
Release Number: 14-2056-BOS
Massachusetts medical center will pay $190K in back wages, interest
and salary adjustments to 38 underpaid female housekeepers
and salary adjustments to 38 underpaid female housekeepers
BOSTON — Lahey Clinic Hospital, Inc. will pay $190,000 to resolve allegations of systemic pay discrimination at its medical center in Burlington, Massachusetts. A compliance review by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs found that Lahey Clinic discriminated against 38 female housekeepers by paying the women 70 cents less per hour than their male counterparts.
Read more here!
GE Oil & Gas to Pay EEOC $5,300 for Contempt in EEOC Subpoena Enforcement Action
Company Failed to Comply With Court Order in Race and Age Bias Case
HOUSTON - A federal judge has ordered GE Oil & Gas, Inc., a subsidiary of General Electric Corporation, to pay $5,300 as a sanction for contempt of court in an age and race discrimination case brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.
Read more here!
Wal-Mart to Pay $150,000 to Settle EEOC Age and Disability Discrimination Suit
Keller Store Manager Was Harassed and Fired Because of His Age and Denied Accommodation for His Diabetes, Federal Agency Charged
DALLAS - Wal-Mart Stores of Texas, L.L.C. (Wal-Mart) has agreed to pay $150,000 and provide other significant relief to settle an age and disability discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today. The EEOC charged in its suit that Wal-Mart discriminated against the manager of the Keller, Texas Walmart store by subjecting him to harassment, discriminatory treatment, and discharge because of his age. The EEOC also charged that Wal-Mart refused to provide a reasonable accommodation for the man's disability as federal law requires.
Read more here!
EEOC Sues Sims Recycling and All-Star Personnel for Disability Discrimination
nternational Recycling Company and Staffing Agency Refused to Assign Employee With Hearing Loss, Federal Agency Charges
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - An international electronics recycling company and a local staffing agency refused to assign an employee because of her hearing impairment in violation of federal law, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed today.
Read more here!
EEOC and Defense Support Services Conciliate Discrimination Charges
Federal Agency Issues Reasonable Cause Finding on Retaliation Charge
PHOENIX - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has found reasonable cause to believe discrimination occurred in charges filed by three female employees against an Arlington, Va.-based government defense contractor, the federal agency announced today.
Read more here!
St. Alexius Medical Center of Hoffman Estates To Pay $125,000 to Resolve EEOC Disability Suit
Hospital Fired Employee With Cognitive Disabilities Rather Than Reasonably Accommodate Her, Federal Agency Charged
CHICAGO - St. Alexius Medical Center of Hoffman Estates will pay $125,000 to a former employee as part of a two-year consent decree resolving a civil rights suit by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.
Read more here!
Seapod Pawnshops to Pay $300,000 to Settle EEOC Harassment Lawsuit
Former Owner Harassed Employees Based on Sex, Race, and National Origin, And Fired Employees Who Filed Complaints, Federal Agency Charged
NEW YORK - Seapod Pawnbrokers, a chain of pawnshops in Brooklyn and Queens, N.Y., will pay $300,000 and cut ties with its former owner to settle an EEOC lawsuit charging harassment and retaliation against its Hispanic female employees, the agency announced today.
Read more here!
Seasons 52 Refused to Hire Older Workers Nationwide, EEOC Charges in Lawsuit
Chain Denied Older Workers Positions at Its Newly Opened Restaurants Throughout the Country, Federal Agency Claims
MIAMI - Seasons 52, a national restaurant chain and one of the Darden restaurant brands, engaged in a nationwide pattern or practice of age discrimination in hiring hourly employees, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today.
Read more here!
Justice Department Settles Sexual Harassment and Retaliation Suit Against the State of Maryland, Queen Anne’s County, and the Queen Anne’s County Sheriff
WASHINGTON - The Justice Department announced today that it has entered into a consent decree with the state of Maryland and the Queen Anne's County Sheriff. If approved by the court, the settlement will resolve Murphy-Taylor v. State of Maryland, et al., a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit in which the United States intervened in Feb. 2013. The United States previously entered into a consent decree with Queen Anne's County in May 2014.
Read more here!
Benny Boyd Car Dealership to Pay $250,000 to Former Manager in EEOC Settlement
General Manager with Multiple Sclerosis Denied Partnership and Harassed Because of His Disability, Forced to Resign From Dealership, Agency Charged
LUBBOCK, Texas - Benny Boyd Chevrolet-Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep, Ltd., d/b/a Benny Boyd Lubbock, and Boyd-Lamesa Management, L.C. will pay $250,000 in damages and back pay to former manager Randall Hurst to settle a federal disability discrimination suit, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today. The EEOC had charged the automobile dealership with disability discrimination law by denying a partnership to Hurst because of his multiple sclerosis, subjecting him to a hostile work environment and forcing him to quit as a result.
Read more here!
Oakland Children's Hospital Settles EEOC Disability Discrimination Suit
Commission Obtains $300,000 for Employee with Breast Cancer Fired Due to Medical Center's Strict Leave Policy
OAKLAND, Calif. - An Oakland-based non-profit regional medical center has agreed to pay $300,000 to a former employee with breast cancer and to implement revised policies and training to settle a federal disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.
Read more here!
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Women Gain 39 Percent of New Jobs in January, Half in Low-Wage Sectors, NWLC Analysis Shows
National Women's Law Center
Press Release
February 6th, 2014
(Washington, D.C.) Women gained 39 percent of jobs added in January—but half of women’s gains were in the low-wage sectors of retail and leisure & hospitality, according to new analysis by the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) of data released this morning by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Read more here!
Press Release
February 6th, 2014
(Washington, D.C.) Women gained 39 percent of jobs added in January—but half of women’s gains were in the low-wage sectors of retail and leisure & hospitality, according to new analysis by the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) of data released this morning by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Read more here!
NWLC Applauds Bill that Ensures that All Women Who Rely on the Military for Health Care Get Comprehensive Contraceptive Coverage and Counseling
National Women's Law Center
Press Release
February 4th, 2015
(Washington, D.C.) Today, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) introduced the Access to Contraception for Women Servicemembers and Dependents Act, a critical piece of legislation that will ensure all women who rely on the military for health care receive comprehensive contraceptive coverage and counseling. The bill will give these women equal access to the same comprehensive birth control coverage, education and counseling at no cost that all other federal employees and tens of millions of other women now enjoy, thanks to the Affordable Care Act. The bill also ensures that servicewomen will receive comprehensive family planning counseling and are provided the information they need to plan if and when to have a child.
Read more here!
Press Release
February 4th, 2015
(Washington, D.C.) Today, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) introduced the Access to Contraception for Women Servicemembers and Dependents Act, a critical piece of legislation that will ensure all women who rely on the military for health care receive comprehensive contraceptive coverage and counseling. The bill will give these women equal access to the same comprehensive birth control coverage, education and counseling at no cost that all other federal employees and tens of millions of other women now enjoy, thanks to the Affordable Care Act. The bill also ensures that servicewomen will receive comprehensive family planning counseling and are provided the information they need to plan if and when to have a child.
Read more here!
$5M in grants to provide employment services in correctional facilities to assist inmates gain job skills and employment opportunities prior to release
ETA News Release: [02/03/2015]
Contact Name: Jason Kuruvilla
Phone Number: (202) 693-6587
Email: Kuruvilla.Jason@dol.gov
Release Number: 15-0187-NAT
Contact Name: Jason Kuruvilla
Phone Number: (202) 693-6587
Email: Kuruvilla.Jason@dol.gov
Release Number: 15-0187-NAT
WASHINGTON — More than 9 million people are released from more than 3,000 county jails nationwide each year, many with few job skills and little prospect for employment. Without a strong support system or a steady job, many former inmates commit new crimes and end up back in jail — a cycle of incarceration that persists across the country. The U.S. Department of Labor is working to break that cycle with the announcement of a new $5 million funding opportunity that will provide employment services to inmate prior to release and steady support as they transition back to their communities.
Read more here!
Ashley Furniture faces $1.76M in fines after OSHA finds more than 1,000 worker injuries at Wisconsin site in past 36 months
OSHA News Release: [02/02/2015]
Contact Name: Scott Allen or Rhonda Burke
Phone Number: (312) 465-6699 or (312) 909-6630
Email: Allen.Scott@dol.gov or Burke.Rhonda@dol.gov
Release Number: 15-0133-NAT
Contact Name: Scott Allen or Rhonda Burke
Phone Number: (312) 465-6699 or (312) 909-6630
Email: Allen.Scott@dol.gov or Burke.Rhonda@dol.gov
Release Number: 15-0133-NAT
Largest furniture retailer in the U.S. exposes employees to amputations, other hazards
ARCADIA, Wis. — In a three-and-a-half year period, 4,500 employees at Ashley Furniture Industries Inc., in Arcadia, experienced more than 1,000 work-related injuries. One worker became another terrible statistic when he lost three fingers in July 2014 while operating a dangerous woodworking machine without required safety mechanisms in place. Of the injuries recorded, more than 100 were caused by similar machinery.
Read more here!
Skanska USA Building to Pay $95,000 to Settle EEOC Racial Harassment and Retaliation Lawsuit
EEOC
Press Release
January 29th, 2014
Read more here!
Press Release
January 29th, 2014
Building Contractor Ignored Complaints of Racial Harassment and Fired Black Employees in Retaliation, Federal Agency Charges
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Skanska USA Building, Inc., a building contractor headquartered in Parsippany, N.J., will pay $95,000 to settle a racial harassment and retaliation lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.
Read more here!
Saved by the "Bell Hooks"
Inside Higher Ed
Scott Jaschik
February 2nd, 2015
Bell hooks started making waves in scholarship long before "Saved by the Bell" became a television hit. She published Ain't I a Woman: Black Women in Feminism, one of her best-known books, in 1981, and she's still publishing today from a base at Berea College. The sitcom aired only from 1989 through 1993 (though it also had some spin-offs).
Read more here!
Scott Jaschik
February 2nd, 2015
Bell hooks started making waves in scholarship long before "Saved by the Bell" became a television hit. She published Ain't I a Woman: Black Women in Feminism, one of her best-known books, in 1981, and she's still publishing today from a base at Berea College. The sitcom aired only from 1989 through 1993 (though it also had some spin-offs).
Read more here!
A New Critique of College Admission: Affirmative Action is in the mix
Inside Higher Ed
Scott Jaschik
February 3rd, 2015
Elite colleges admit students in a way that will fail to diversify higher education -- and the current use of affirmative action has little impact, according to a new book by Lani Guinier. Her new book, The Tyranny of the Meritocracy: Democratizing Higher Education in America, has just been published by Beacon Press. In it she argues that current admissions systems are based on tests, rankings and prestige -- in ways that undermine American democracy. And she argues for replacing what she calls "testocratic merit" with a new "democratic merit." This shift would place more emphasis on the good to society of educating a diverse group of people than on identifying the people with the best credentials (as currently defined by society) for admission. Guinier, a professor of law at Harvard University, responded via e-mail to questions about her new book.
Read more here!
Military Veteran Training for Higher Education
Inside Higher Ed
Paul Fain
February 4th, 2015
Military veterans have more life experience and maturity than the average traditional-aged college student. But some say they could benefit from extra guidance as they make the transition to a residential college environment often designed for 18-year-olds.
Read more here!
Paul Fain
February 4th, 2015
Military veterans have more life experience and maturity than the average traditional-aged college student. But some say they could benefit from extra guidance as they make the transition to a residential college environment often designed for 18-year-olds.
Read more here!
More questions about sexual assault: Who should report the discrimination?
Inside Higher Ed
Colleen Flaherty
February 4th, 2015
Should all professors be required to report student accounts of sexual assault to college officials? A growing number of institutions are saying yes, adopting policies requiring all faculty members and other professional employees -- not just those obligated by law to do so -- to report sexual misconduct to designated administrators, who may then initiate investigations and alert authorities. Facing calls for greater transparency about sexual violence statistics and accountability to victims, colleges and universities view such one-size-fits-all policies as a way to streamline and simplify reporting processes and assure that illegal abuse comes to light.
Read more here!
Colleen Flaherty
February 4th, 2015
Should all professors be required to report student accounts of sexual assault to college officials? A growing number of institutions are saying yes, adopting policies requiring all faculty members and other professional employees -- not just those obligated by law to do so -- to report sexual misconduct to designated administrators, who may then initiate investigations and alert authorities. Facing calls for greater transparency about sexual violence statistics and accountability to victims, colleges and universities view such one-size-fits-all policies as a way to streamline and simplify reporting processes and assure that illegal abuse comes to light.
Read more here!
Emotional Health in Higher Education
Inside Higher Ed
Jake New
February 5th, 2015
The emotional health of incoming freshmen is at its lowest point in at least three decades, a new survey shows, with students reporting that they're spending more time studying and less time socializing with friends.
Read more here!
Jake New
February 5th, 2015
The emotional health of incoming freshmen is at its lowest point in at least three decades, a new survey shows, with students reporting that they're spending more time studying and less time socializing with friends.
Read more here!
Disparities amongst professors differing in race and gender raises questions
Inside Higher Ed
Colleen Flaherty
February 6th, 2015
Lots of colleges and universities acknowledge troublesome -- if relatively small -- gaps in pay among men and women professors, and among white and minority professors. But it’s a hard thing to study and address, given the many variables and competing theories involved. So a new,comprehensive study of tenure-line faculty salaries at the University of California at Berkeley -- along with an administrative pledge to close revealed gaps -- is getting a lot of attention.
Read the article here!
Colleen Flaherty
February 6th, 2015
Lots of colleges and universities acknowledge troublesome -- if relatively small -- gaps in pay among men and women professors, and among white and minority professors. But it’s a hard thing to study and address, given the many variables and competing theories involved. So a new,comprehensive study of tenure-line faculty salaries at the University of California at Berkeley -- along with an administrative pledge to close revealed gaps -- is getting a lot of attention.
Read the article here!
Join AAAED for the February Webinar: Executive Order 13672 on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
It is still not too late to sign up!
The Webinar will be held Wednesday, February 11th,
2015 2PM – 3PM EST
Register here!
Do you have your CAAP? Register for March Title IX, EEO/AA and Diversity Training!
Employers are looking for individuals with CAAP credentials!
Join Us in Atlanta for the AAAED PDTI
Spring Training Institute
March 16-21st, 2015
at Georgia State University
Title IX Investigations Training, Diversity Management, and
the Certified Affirmative Action Professional (CAAP) will be provided!
AAAED Member Discount: 30%
Early Registration Deadline is in a week! February 16, 2015
Happy Training!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)