AAAED New Professionals Academy (June 6-7, 2016)

Monday, June 06, 2016 8:00 AM - Tuesday, June 07, 2016 5:00 PM (Eastern Time)

42nd National Conference and Annual Meeting

Sheraton Tysons Hotel

8661 Leesburg Pike

Vienna, Virginia 22182

Click here to register.

New Professional Academy Topics include ...

Diversity & Inclusion:

• Why Diversity Matters; Building the Business Case for Diversity
• Understanding your organization’s culture
• Unconscious Bias
• Sexual Harassment Prevention Education

Effective Supervision:

• Professionalism and Business Etiquette
• New Professionals’ Presentations
• The Power of One; Influencing your supervisor and organization to achieve excellent results.
• HR, Diversity & EEO – Understanding how to create collaborative relationships and develop effective work strategies for success

Career Planning:

• How to build a comprehensive career/professional development plan

Course Eligibility: To assure that the new professional's participation in the Academy is fully endorsed by the current senior EEO/AA officer at his/her institution, registrants must have a letter of support submitted by the senior leadership from their respective institutions. There is a limit of two participants per institution.

The application process for NPA 2016 is a three-step process: Each applicant must fill out an on-line application, submit a resume and a high-resolution photo head-shot (this will be included in the NPA participant directory to be shared with academy participants.)

Monday, May 2, 2016: Deadline for submission of application and letter of support

Tuesday, May 10, 2016: Applicants advised of selection decision

Senate Bill Takes Aim at 1,933% Increase in Data Collection Proposed in EEO-1 Pay Data Revisions

Jackson Lewis PC, Lexology

Senate Bill 2693, the “EEOC Reform Act,” would put a halt to implementation of the proposed pay data revisions to the EEO-1 report so the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission instead can focus on the tremendous backlog of “76,408” discrimination charges pending at the close of fiscal year 2015.

Read the story here.

Related content:

• EEOC Seeks More Pay Data (Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP)
• Lawmaker Challenges EEOC's Collection of Pay Data (Manatt Phelps & Phillips LLP)

Mavis Discount Tire to Pay $2.1 Million to Settle EEOC Class Sex Discrimination Lawsuit

Tire Retailer Violated Federal Law by Systemically Refusing to Hire Women in Its Field Locations, Federal Agency Charged

NEW YORK - Mavis Discount Tire, Inc. / Mavis Tire Supply Corp. / Mavis Tire NY, Inc. / Cole Muffler, Inc., a large tire retailer based in the New York metropolitan area, will pay $2.1 million and provide other relief to settle a class sex discrimination lawsuit by the U.S. Equal Employment Oppor­tunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

Read the press release here.

Women and Minorities Are Penalized for Promoting Diversity

By Stefanie K. Johnson and David R. Hekman, Harvard Business Review

Roughly 85% of corporate executives and board members are white men. This number hasn’t budged for decades, which suggests that white men are continuing to select and promote other white men.

Read the story here.

Related content:

• A Workplace-Diversity Dilemma (The Atlantic)

Muslim Teacher May Proceed With National Origin Hostile Work Environment Claim

Holland & Hart LLP, Lexology

A Turkish-born Muslim teacher claimed that her school had a culture of racial and ethnic hostility. The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals (whose decisions apply to Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Kansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico) recently ruled that her complaints of national origin discrimination may move forward, offering lessons in how to handle cultural differences in the workplace.

Read the story here.

Title IX as a Threat to Academic Freedom

AAUP attempts to reframe debate and put focus on due process and the importance of faculty freedom of speech.

By Colleen Flaherty

The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights brought needed attention to the problem of sexual assault and harassment on college campuses with its 2011 letter telling institutions to enforce the law. But in so doing, the office has created a slew of new problems with implications for free speech and academic freedom. That’s the premise of a lengthy new report from the American Association of University Professors.

Read the story here.

Related content:

• Tenure Rights and the Rise of Title IX: a Looming Culture Clash (The Chronicle of Higher Education)
• Title IX Interpretations Could Threaten Academic Freedom, Report Says (The Harvard Crimson)
• AAUP Slams Education Dept. and Colleges Over Title IX Enforcement (Chronicle of Higher Education)

Disabled people need not apply

By David Perry, Al Jazeera America

The Arc of Texas, an organization dedicated to inclusion, advocacy and disability rights, is hiring a new CEO. Their job announcement, as originally posted, made one thing clear: Disabled people need not apply.

Read the story here.

Related content:

• Job discrimination in plain print (Al Jazeera America)

Corporate Social Responsibility: A Look at Northern Trust’s Commitment to Giving Back

By Alexandra Vollman, INSIGHT Into Diversity

For more than a century, global financial services firm Northern Trust has been giving back to the communities in which its employees live and work. Headquartered in Chicago, the company currently has more than 20 international locations and 16,000 employees.

Read the story here.

ED Secretary: U.S. Higher Ed Becoming ‘Caste System’

By Jamaal Abdul-Alim, Diverse Issues in Higher Education

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King praised colleges and universities that do an exceptional job when it comes to admitting and graduating students who rely on Pell Grants but also called on leaders of those institutions to do more to encourage others to follow suit.

Read the story here.

Higher Ed Leaders See Modest Salary Increases, but Gender Disparity Emerges as a Key Issue

By David Bellm, HigherEdJobs

Senior leaders in higher education saw pay raises this academic year, but the rate of increase dropped somewhat and is accompanied by a sharpening salary gap between genders, according to the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR).

Read the story here.

Students to Education Dept.: Small changes can make big payoffs in graduation rates

By Nick Anderson, The Washington Post

Sometimes it pays for Washington officials to hear directly from the kinds of students they want to help. About a dozen students and recent graduates from minority-serving colleges visited the Education Department in Washington late last week to tell about their experiences and what they think helps and doesn’t help in the quest to get a college diploma. Among them were African Americans, native Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos and first-generation immigrants.

Read the story here.

As Women Take Over a Male-Dominated Field, the Pay Drops

By Claire Cain Miller, The New York Times

Women’s median annual earnings stubbornly remain about 20 percent below men’s. Why is progress stalling?

It may come down to this troubling reality, new research suggests: Work done by women simply isn’t valued as highly.

Read the story here.

Related content:

• For More Money, Women Need to Aim for Welding and Mechanics Jobs (Bloomberg)
• The real reason young women leave their jobs (The Washington Post)

Similar colleges. Similar population of black students. So why the disparate graduation rates?

By Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, The Washington Post

Rutgers University-New Brunswick and Purdue University share a few things in common. They have roughly the same size student body, similar admission requirements and a similar percentage of black students. Yet in the decade ending 2013, graduation rates for African Americans at Rutgers climbed about 12 percentage points, while they slipped five points at Purdue.

Read the story here.

Related content:

• Graduation Rates for Black Students Aren’t Increasing at Same Pace as for Other Students (The Chronicle of Higher Education)
• Report: Many Black, Hispanic Science Majors Err in Choosing Elite Cal Campuses (Diverse Issues in Higher Education)

Nigeria anger as Gender and Equal Opportunity Bill fails

BBC

Nigeria's Senate has been condemned for rejecting a proposed bill aimed at eliminating "all forms of discrimination" against women.

Read the story here.

Ninth Circuit Reinstates EEOC Case Against The GEO Group for Sexual Harassment, Retaliation in Arizona Prisons

Class of Female Staffers Abused at Correctional Facilities, Federal Agency Charged

PHOENIX - The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has reinstated a class sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against The GEO Group, Inc., the federal agency announced yesterday. EEOC's suit charged that GEO, which operates and manages two prison facilities in Florence, Ariz., discriminated against female prison employees by subjecting them to physical and verbal harassment and retaliation.

Read the press release here.

Niemann Foods / County Market Store #224 To Pay $300,000 To Resolve EEOC Discrimination Finding

Class of Women Subjected to Misconduct, Including Unwelcome Physical Contact, Federal Agency Found

CHICAGO - Niemann Foods, Inc., doing business as County Market Store #224, based in Quincy, Ill., has agreed to pay $300,000 to conciliate a sexual harassment charge investigated by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

Read the press release here.

Windings to Pay $19,500 to Settle EEOC Race Discrimination Lawsuit

Company Refused to Hire Biracial Applicant Because of His Race, Federal Agency Charged

MINNEAPOLIS - A manufacturing company based in New Ulm, Minn., will pay $19,500 to settle a race discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

Read the press release here.

NFI Roadrail and NFI Industries to Pay $45,000 to Settle EEOC Pay Discrimination Suit

Company Underpaid Executive Because of Her Gender, Federal Agency Charges

DALLAS - NFI RoadRail, LLC and NFI Industries, Inc., New Jersey-based businesses that provide logistics, transportation and warehouse services to manufacturers and retailers, will pay $45,000 and furnish other relief to settle a gender-based discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

Read the press release here.

Ninth Circuit Reinstates EEOC Case Against The GEO Group for Sexual Harassment, Retaliation in Arizona Prisons

Class of Female Staffers Abused at Correctional Facilities, Federal Agency Charged

PHOENIX - The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has reinstated a class sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against The GEO Group, Inc., the federal agency announced yesterday. EEOC's suit charged that GEO, which operates and manages two prison facilities in Florence, Ariz., discriminated against female prison employees by subjecting them to physical and verbal harassment and retaliation.

Read the press release here.

FACT SHEET: Spurring African-American STEM Degree Completion

U.S. Department of Education

Early in his Administration, President Obama made improving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education a priority. To meet the nation's evolving workforce needs, America will need to add 1 million more STEM professionals by 2022. [ 1 ] To meet this need and bring welcome diversity to STEM industries, we must continue to support and encourage STEM degree completion, especially for African-Americans and others who are underrepresented in these fields yet have a long history of achievement in STEM fields.

Read the press release here.

Related content:

• ‘To be left behind in tech is to be left behind.’ Jesse Jackson on digital diversity (Digital Trends)

Settlement Reached on Title IX Athletics Probe at Buffalo’s Erie Community College

U.S. Department of Education

The U.S. Department of Education announced today that its Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has reached a settlement with Erie Community College in Buffalo, New York, to resolve issues of women’s access to athletic opportunities at the institution.

Read the press release here.

Bloomberg Ranks Maryland Top State for Gender Diversity

by Macy Salama, INSIGHT Into Diversity

According to an analysis conducted by Bloomberg media company, Maryland ranks as the most gender-equal state in the nation.

Read the story here.

Harvard professor describes the problem with colleges trying to become more 'diverse'

By Abby Jackson, Business Insider

In December, the US Supreme Court reheard oral arguments in an affirmative action case called Fisher v. University of Texas.

The highly anticipated case could have a far-reaching impact on the ability of US universities to consider race in admissions as part of their efforts to create a diverse campus.

Read the story here.

At some colleges, your gender — man or woman — might give you an admissions edge

By Nick Anderson, The Washington Post

Far more men than women apply to enter the Massachusetts Institute of Technology every year. The imbalance produces a perennial gender gap: MIT’s admission rate for women is significantly higher.

Read the story here.

1 in 3 Tech CEOs Don't Think Gender Diversity Is Important

By Valentina Zarya, FORTUNE

According to a new survey.

It will take more than four decades for corporate boards to reach a 50-50 gender split — but do CEOs care?

The short answer: Only some of them do, at least according to new research by insight platform Qualtrics and theBoardlist, a “marketplace” for female board candidates.

Read the story here.

New advisor at Temple U. focuses on diversity, equity and Title IX

Valerie I. Harrison brings decades of higher education leadership to the newly appointed role.

President Neil D. Theobald has announced he is centralizing and strengthening university compliance efforts, with a focus on diversity, equity and Title IX. To lead this important universitywide initiative, Theobald has named Valerie I. Harrison, CLA, ’07, ’15, the senior advisor to the president for compliance. Harrison has been serving as senior associate university counsel at Temple. She will immediately begin to assemble a team to develop, implement and coordinate the university’s efforts.

Read the story here.

Register to Attend the 2016 AAAED Annual Cnference and Meeting

June 7-10, 2016, Washington, DC

Sheraton Tysons Hotel
8661 Leesburg PIke
Vienna, Virginia 22182 USA

Please join us for our 42nd annual national conference and meeting in Washington D.C., entitled Bridging Opportunities: Business, Education, and Government. As the conference theme illustrates, we will help you to develop proactive partnerships to make your workplaces more diverse, inclusive, and compliant.

Our goal is to provide attendees with practical guidance and tips that can be put to use quickly within your organizations. We will offer interactive workshops on a variety of topics such as Affirmative Action, Title IX, Diversity, Inclusion, LGBTQ, Veterans, Disability-related matters, and so much more. You will hear from agencies such as the OFCCP, EEOC, OCR, and others. We will also offer a pre-conference day of basic learning in access, equity, and diversity topics, Title IX, and senior certification for PDTI.

This conference is designed to meet the needs of any person classified as an EEO/AA or diversity professional. This would include equal opportunity directors, EEO specialists, affirmative action officers, human resource professionals, diversity consultants and leaders, industrial relations specialists, labor relations advisors, career planning specialists, prospective managers, and other professionals. You do not need to be a member of AAAED to attend. Registration is open!

Click here to register for the conference

Agenda at a Glance

June 6-7, 2016 - New Professional Academy Day (separate registration required, application and recommendation by employer needed)

June 7, 2016 - Annual Refresher for Federal EEO Counselors & Investigators (separate registration required) 

June 7, 2016 - PDTI Program for Experienced Practitioners (separate registration required) 

June 7, 2016 - Title IX: Beginner & Beyond the Basics (separate registration required)

June 7, 2016 - Preconference Workshops (eligible for CAAP and Sr. CAAP recertification)

June 8-10, 2016 - Conference 

AAAED will pursue HRCI and CLE certification for the program.

EEOC to Hold Public Hearing On Proposed Changes to EEO-1 Form

Commission Will Hear Input from Stakeholders on Collection of Pay Data

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) will hold a meeting on Wednesday, March 16, at 9:30 a.m. (Eastern Time), at EEOC headquarters, 131 M Street, N.E., Washington, D.C.

On Feb. 1, 2016, under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, EEOC published proposed revisions to the EEO-1 Form to include collection of pay data. The notice requested public comments on the proposed changes by April 1, 2016 and stated that a hearing would be held. The following individuals will provide feedback to the Commission at the March 16 hearing:

• Margot Dorfman, U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce
• Michael Eastman, Equal Employment Advisory Council
• David Fortney, Fortney & Scott, LLC
• Jocelyn Frye, Center for American Progress
• Ariane Hegewisch, Institute for Women's Policy Research
• Elizabeth Hirsh, University of British Columbia
• Lisa Maatz, American Association of University Women
• Emily Martin, National Women's Law Center
• Elizabeth Milito, National Federation of Independent Business
• Janese Murray, Exelon Corporation on behalf of the Society for Human Resource Management
• Camille Olson, Seyfarth Shaw LLP on behalf of U.S. Chamber of Commerce
• Hilary O. Shelton, NAACP
• Gary Siniscalco, Orrick
• Betsey Stevenson, University of Michigan
• Amanda Wood, National Association of Manufacturers

Members of the public and press are cordially invited to observe. Seating is limited, and EEOC encourages visitors to arrive 30 minutes before the meeting to be processed through security and escorted to the meeting room. Visitors should bring a government-issued photo identification card to facilitate entry into the building.

Wayne State University Found Responsible for Pregnancy Bias on an Internship

Appeals court upholds verdict that Wayne State must pay $850,000 to former student whose pregnancy was subject of inappropriate criticism by supervisor.

By Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has affirmed a jury finding that Wayne State University failed to respond to pregnancy-based discrimination against one of its students. For failing to do so, Wayne State must pay $850,000.

Read the story here.

FYC International to Pay $80,000 to Settle EEOC Sexual Harassment Suit

?Top Warehouse Manager Abused Women and Promoted a Culture Condoning Such Misconduct, Federal Agency Charged

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - FYC International Inc., a manufacturer and wholesaler of women's and children's clothing and accessories that is no longer in operation, will pay $80,000 and provide other relief to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

Read the story here.

You May Be Discriminating Based On Employee Genetics

Fisher & Phillips LLP, Lexology

Federal Anti-discrimination Law Likely To Be Strengthened In 2016

The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) is one of the newer federal anti-discrimination laws in the country, and one that requires employers to tread carefully when it comes to employee medical information. If you are not familiar with the law, the time is now to get caught up, especially because the coming year is bound to see important changes impacting your employment practices.

Read the story here.

PMT Corporation to Pay over $1 Million to Resolve EEOC Class Age and Sex Discrimination Lawsuit

Minnesota Medical Device Company Refused to Hire Women and Older Applicants for Sales Jobs, Federal Agency Charged

MINNEAPOLIS - A Chanhassen, Minn.-based medical device and equipment manufacturer will pay $1,020,000 and furnish other relief to settle an age and sex discrimination lawsuit by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today. EEOC said PMT Corporation violated federal civil rights laws by refusing to hire otherwise qualified applicants for outside sales positions because they were female or over the age of 40.

Read the press release here.

Equal Pay Act in Action: Court Approves $8.2M Settlement

Manatt Phelps & Phillips LLP, Lexology

As both states and the federal government amp up their efforts to enforce the Equal Pay Act (EPA)—with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) set to collect pay data from employers and states passing their own versions of the statute—a federal court judge in California granted final approval to an $8.2 million deal for a class of about 1,500 female pharmaceutical reps in an EPA lawsuit. The case involved allegations that although half of the company's sales representatives were female, just one-third of the district managers were female and the upper-level management positions were almost entirely filled by men. The complaint referenced a "high number" of harassment and discrimination complaints against the employer, adding that the mostly male management made final pay decisions that favored men and disfavored women in violation of the EPA. After the court conditionally certified a collective action for the female reps, the employer agreed to pay $4.6 million to the women and retain a consultant to review its employment policies and practices, including criteria in promotions and career development. The settlement fund will be paid proportionately between the class members as back pay, based upon the number of workweeks during the damages period. The employer also agreed to cover the costs of settlement administration, incentive awards for class representatives (ranging from $1,000 to $25,000), and about $3 million in attorneys' fees and costs.

Read the story here.

Related content:

• Latest California Equal Pay Legislation Targets Race and Ethnicity (Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP)

Berkeley Is Under Fire, Again, for How It Handled Sexual Harassment

By Robin Wilson, The Chronicle of Higher Education

For the second time in the last five months, the University of California at Berkeley is facing charges that it failed to adequately punish an academic, in this case, a law dean, whom it found responsible for sexual harassment.

Read the story here.

Related content:

• Law Dean Accused of Harassment Says UC-Berkeley Violated His Rights (The Chronicle of Higher Education)
• At UC Berkeley, promises of a crackdown on sexual misconduct are met with skepticism by students (Los Angeles Times)
• UC Berkeley Names Interim Lead to Address Sexual Harassment (NBC Bay Area)
• UC Berkeley announces new plans to prevent sexual assault, harassment (Berkeley News)
• UC Berkeley law dean Choudhry resigns amid harassment scandal (San Fransisco Chronicle)
• Berkeley Professors Complain About Response to Other Sexual-Harassment Cases (The Chronicle of Higher Education)
• Multiple sex harassment cases against UC faculty prompt new review process (Los Angeles Times)
• U. of California President Orders Tougher Response to Alleged Sexual Misconduct (The Chronicle of Higher Education)
• Berkeley Moves to Fire Assistant Basketball Coach After Harassment Investigation (The Chronicle of Higher Education)

Race on Campus, Nontraditional Leaders, Rising Confidence: A Survey of Presidents

By Doug Lederman and Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed

College and university presidents overwhelmingly describe race relations on their campus as excellent or good, are increasingly upbeat about their institutions' financial situations, give President Obama's higher education record a grade of C, and generally dismiss the push to hire campus leaders with nonacademic backgrounds.

Read the story here.

Related content:

• Missouri: A Thin Line Divides Engaging With Activists and Alienating Them (The Chronicle of Higher Education - requires paid subscription)
• Mizzou Diversity Officer Ready ‘to Help Effect Transformational Change’ (Diverse Issues in Higher Education)
• San Jose State Scrambling to Address Racial Tensions (Diverse Issues in Higher Education)
• Students Should Feel Like ‘Equal Partners,’ Says Missouri’s First Chief Diversity Officer (The Chronicle of Higher Education)
• Missouri Interim President: Faculty on Frontline of Quest for Diversity (Diverse Issues in Higher Education)
• Mentorship, promotion among challenges of keeping black faculty (Missourian)
• ACE Survey: Policy Change not Widely Enacted to Address Campus Racial Issues (Diverse Issues in Higher Education)
• The Importance of Identity: How the University of Maryland Uses Self-Discovery to Explore Diversity (INSIGHT Into Diversity)
• University of Missouri Unrest Reverberates at ACE (Diverse Issues in Higher Education)

She Wanted to Do Her Research. He Wanted to Talk ‘Feelings.’

By A. Hope Habren, The New York Times

Honolulu — OVER the past two decades as a professor, I’ve grown thousands of plants, studying how their biology shifts in response to our changing environment. Soon I’ll begin to design and build my fourth laboratory; I’ll teach classes and take on more staff members, as I do every year. Like all professors, I also do a lot of extra jobs for which I was never trained, such as advising former students as they navigate the wider world. Last year, after one of my most talented students left to start her next adventure, she would text me now and then: “This is such a great place,” “I am learning so much here” and “I know this is where I am supposed to be.”

Read the story here.

Related content:

• (The Chronicle of Higher Education - requires paid subscription)

Building ‘Bridge Leaders’ for Minority Professors and Students

By Audrey Williams June, The Chronicle of Higher Education

A researcher examines how white faculty members can play a bigger role helping minority students and younger academics succeed.

Read the story here.

Related content:

• How Faculty of Color Can Achieve Good Work-Life Balance in Academe (Inside Higher Ed)

Recruitment and Retention Key in Diversifying Faculty at Public Schools

by Jamaal Abdul-Alim, Diverse Issues in Higher Education

Washington — The longstanding demographic mismatch between America’s public school teachers and the students they serve got a fresh airing Tuesday at Howard University, where a panel explored the nature of the problem and discussed a variety of potential solutions.

Acting U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. said the lack of diversity among America’s teachers emanates from problems of recruitment and retention.

Read the story here.

Related content:

• Why Teach for America Is Scrapping Its National Diversity Office (The Atlantic)

How Children Around the World Learn to Be Sexist

Gender bias is rampant in textbooks in multiple countries, researchers argue.

By By Lauren Camera, U.S. News & World Report

Sexism is rife in textbooks all across the globe, with many portraying girls and women in submissive household roles – or not at all.

Read the story here.

Related content:

• Young children must be protected from ingrained gender stereotypes (The Guardian)
• Women around the world on how sexism affects their daily lives (The Guardian)

In corridors of power: Equal opportunity for women stressed

The Express Tribune

ISLAMABAD: Human rights activists have called for equal access and fullest participation of women in corridors of power and public institutes in addition to increasing their capacity to engage in decision-making and leadership roles.

Read the story here.

Bill to Reinstate Affirmative Action in Washington State Dies in Committee

By Sharayah Lane, Seattle Medium

A bill that would repeal I-200, the vote-passed initiative that effectively banned affirmative action for public institutions in the state, was dead on arrival at the state Legislature this session. House Bill 2822 would repeal the controversial initiative that voters approved in 1998 and reinstate mandatory anti-discriminatory practices for public institutions in Washington state, but it did not move past the House Capital Budget Committee

Read the story here.

Valerie Smith of Princeton to become Swarthmore's first African American president

By Jason Laughlin, Philadelphia Inquirer

A Princeton dean and professor of literature and African American studies will lead Swarthmore College when the new academic year begins.

Read the story here.

Dr. Quentin Young, Chicago activist for civil rights and public health, dies at 92

By Marwa Eltagouri, Chicago Tribune

Dr. Quentin Young, a champion of civil rights and public health reform who was chairman of medicine at Cook County Hospital during a tumultuous period in the 1970s, died Monday, according to his family.

Read the story here.

US Labor Department sues B&H Foto & Electronics Corp. for hiring, pay, promotion discrimination; harassment

US Labor Department sues B&H Foto & Electronics Corp. for hiring, pay, promotion discrimination; harassment

NEW YORK – A lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs alleges that B&H Foto & Electronics Corp. has systematically discriminated against Hispanic employees and female, black and Asian jobseekers at its Brooklyn Navy Yard warehouse.

Read the press release here.

Related content:

• OFCCP Sues B&H for Alleged Discrimination (Proskauer Rose LLP)
• Federal Contractor Sued Over Alleged Hiring Discrimination Against Women, People of Color (NBC News)

Handling Harassment Allegations: What Constitutes A Hostile Work Environment?

Holland & Hart LLP, Lexology

Employees sometimes complain about undesired or harassing conduct that does not rise to a level that creates a hostile work environment in violation of Title VII. A recent federal court case in the District of Wyoming reveals how to take steps to avoid liability and how to defend against such allegations if an employee files a claim.

Read the story here.

AT&T to Pay $250,000 and Reinstate Employee to Settle EEOC Disability Discrimination Lawsuit

Telecom Giant Removed Visually Impaired Technician From His Job, Ignoring His Accommodation Request, Federal Agency Charged

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - AT&T, a multi-national telecommunications company, will pay $250,000, reinstate an employee, and furnish other relief to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today. EEOC had charged the company with failing to provide a reasonable accommodation to a visually impaired employee who had worked for the company since 2001.

Read the press release here.

EEOC Files First Suits Challenging Sexual Orientation Discrimination as Sex Discrimination

In Two Separate Lawsuits, Federal Agency Charges That a Gay Male Employee and a Lesbian Employee Were Subjected to Hostile Work Environments Because of Sex

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today that it has filed its first two sex discrimination cases based on sexual orientation. The federal agency's Philadelphia District Office filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania against Scott Medical Health Center, and, in a separate suit, in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, Baltimore Division, against Pallet Companies, dba IFCO Systems NA.
Read the press release here.
Related content:

• EEOC takes sexual orientation discrimination to federal court (Pepper Hamilton LLP)
• EEOC Files Landmark Lawsuits Alleging Sexual Orientation Discrimination (Dykema Gossett PLLC)
• The Next Frontier of Title VII - EEOC Files its First Sexual Orientation Discrimination Cases (Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC)
• EEOC Files Suits Alleging Sexual Orientation Bias Violates Title VII (Arent Fox LLP)
• The EEOC Files Historic Lawsuits Testing Theory That Title VII Covers Discrimination Based On Sexual Orientation (Seyfarth Shaw LLP)
• EEOC Files First - and Second - Sexual Orientation Discrimination Lawsuits (Squire Patton Boggs)
• EEOC Files First-Ever Sexual Orientation Discrimination Lawsuits (DiversityInc.)
• EEOC files first two sexual orientation discrimination cases, including one against Baltimore workplace (The Baltimore Sun)

Report Reveals Lack of Diversity in Nation’s Most Powerful Roles

By Macy Salama, INSIGHT Into Diversity

The New York Times published an article Monday that reveals diversity statistics of the most powerful people in American culture, government, education, and business. Of the 503 most powerful people in the country, only 44 are from racial or ethnic minorities.

Read the story here.

Related content:

• Diversifying a Discipline (The Chronicle of Higher Education - requires paid subscription)
• Gender pay gap to remain for thousands, says Conservative MP (The Guardian)
• The best—and worst—places to be a working woman (The Economist)
• Among NFL Coaches, a Lack of Diversity Trickles Up (The New York Times)

Greyhound Admits Cheating People with Disabilities

By Frank Kineavy. Diversity, Inc.

In response to a Justice Department complaint placed in mid-February, Greyhound Lines Inc., a bus transportation company serving over 3,800 destinations in North America, will reimburse passengers with disabilities on top of paying fines for allegedly violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The agreement is currently pending approval by the U.S. District Court in Wilmington, Delaware.

Read the story here.

National Science Foundation Launches Million-Dollar Initiative To Improve Diversity in STEM

By Laurel Raymond, Think Progress

The lack of diversity in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields has been a persistent problem for decades. White men currently take up 51 percent of all STEM jobs despite making up only 31 percent of the population — which means women and most minority groups are underrepresented and underserved. Not only does this contribute to race and gender wage gaps — STEM workers typically have higher salaries and currently enjoy a lower rate of unemployment than the general working population — but it also critically shortchanges the STEM community, since it means there are likely talented minds that haven’t been reached, and important perspectives that are missing.

Read the story here.

Related content:

• Universities Ramp Up Black Students' Interest in STEM (U.S. News & World Report)
• Why Tech Degrees Are Not Putting More Blacks and Hispanics Into Tech Jobs (The New York Times)

Nearly a third of Japan's women 'sexually harassed at work'

Survey showing women were touched inappropriately and pressed for sex deals blow to efforts to support female workers

Almost a third of Japanese women have been sexually harassed at work, according to a government report that deals another blow to attempts to boost women’s role in the workplace.

Read the story here.

Related content:

• One Female Exec’s Story of Japan’s Gender Imbalances (Fortune)
• A Shocking Number of Japanese Women Say They've Been Sexually Harassed at Work (Fortune)

My Brilliant (White Male) Professors

By Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed

For years, critics have pointed to flaws in the reliability of RateMyProfessors, which remains popular with many students. As far back as 2006, for example, a study found that students gave the highest ratings to professors seen as easy graders or good-looking. But a new study raises the possibility that students are not equal opportunity in what they write in their anonymous reviews. And while those reviews may not be used officially, they can easily reflect what students write on their official evaluations of faculty members.

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Retired HBCU Presidents Start Search Firm for Black-College Leaders

By Lee Gardner, The Chronicle of Higher Education

How do you strengthen historically black colleges and universities? By strengthening the pipeline of administrators to run them. At least that’s the solution being taken up by a group of retired presidents of historically or predominantly black institutions.

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The Concentration of Poverty in American Schools

An exclusive analysis uncovers that students of color in the largest 100 cities in the United States are much more likely to attend schools where most of their peers are poor or low-income.

By Janie Boschma and Ronald Brownstein, The Atlantic

In almost all major American cities, most African American and Hispanic students attend public schools where a majority of their classmates qualify as poor or low-income, a new analysis of federal data shows.

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Feds launch probe into racism allegations at Boston Latin School

By David Harris, Boston Business Journal

Federal authorities have launched an independent investigation of alleged civil rights violations involving alleged race-related incidents at the prestigious Boston Latin School, the nation's oldest public school.

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Related content:

• U.S. launches probe of alleged civil rights violations at Boston school (Reuters)
• U.S. Attorney’s Office To Investigate Civil Rights Complaints At Boston Latin School (WBUR)

What South Africans really think about racism and affirmative action

A new report by the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) reveals the opinions of South Africans of all races when it comes to issues of racism and affirmative action.

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