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Part of Southern culture is a deep loyalty to one’s alma mater. That loyalty is often synonymous with kinship, sister or brotherhood and community. Although this deep attachment is most obvious during big sporting events, it lasts long after the lights are dimmed on any playing field.
!["William J. Samford Hall" at Auburn Univ. [Photo Credit: Robert S. Donovan, via Flickr/Wikimedia CC. lic]](https://wildhunt.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/640px-William_J._Samford_Hall-500x346.jpg)
“William J. Samford Hall” at Auburn Univ. [Robert S. Donovan, via Flickr/Wikimedia CC. lic].
As an alumni, myself, I cannot reconcile such an action against my deep loyalty to my university … I have been, in effect, disowned by the very institution that created me as a teacher and a scholar without any more ado than that given to a stranger.
In the local Alabama Pagan community and in the blogosphere, Privett-Duren is better known as Seba O’Kiley, the Southern Fried Witch. She has been a spiritual leader, Pagan teacher and blogger for years. However, until May, her two identities were, more or less, kept separate. Religion is generally not discussed. A former English department colleague, Dr. Robin E. Bates, said:
In the Auburn English department, faculty and staff don’t discuss religious feeling openly. I think that, for most, this is because it is a publicly funded school and many feel that faith has no role in the workplace there … No one discusses religion with students, because it’s outside the purview of the job as teachers of English, and discussion of anything personal like religion would be considered unprofessional.
While some colleagues, like Bates, knew Privett-Duren’s religion and even followed her Pagan blog, the College of Liberal Arts administration did not. Due to the alleged “hush hush” circumstances surrounding her termination, Privett-Duren believes that her religion was, in fact, the cause. She explained:
They [administrators] found out when a colleague complained about me to the Dean’s office. I have never been allowed to know the details of that complaint and it (apparently) was unfounded and dropped. Soon thereafter, the Dean asked that I not accompany my committee of which I was a member for our meeting with the Dean. He did not want me there. From that moment, it escalated.
Seba O’Kiley, or Dr. Katharyn Privett-Duren
The initial problems arose in the fall of 2013 but, as she noted, appeared to have been dropped within a month. In fact, in April 2014, Privett-Duren was honored with the English department’s teaching award for the 2013-14 school year. In addition, she was being considered for a promotion to a permanent lecturer and for a grant to establish online class material.
However, things turned sour that very same month. On Apr. 4, the administration sent Privett-Duren an email informing her that she was “was not selected” for the grant. Her department chair admitted that he was “surprised by the decision which was made outside the department.” She was unable to obtain any further information about the decision-making process.
A month later, Privett-Duren was sent the termination letter with no further explanation. Within days, she contacted her chair, the administration and the Affirmative Action/EEO offices. During that time, she was neither able to gain an audience with the dean, nor learn the conditions of her termination.
Frustrated and confused, Privett-Duren turned to the American Civil Liberties Union. Within days, the organization returned her letter stating, “We have reviewed your request for assistance and concluded that your situation raises serious questions about the possibility of discrimination with your company.” However the ACLU also added that her complaint did not constitute a civil rights issue, and recommended that she contact the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
On June 16, she filed a charge of religious discrimination and ageism with the EEOC in Birmingham. The organization is currently investigating her case and, she is waiting for a response. She says:
How do I feel about the whole thing. I feel betrayed–not by my department, as I understand that their hands were tied, nor by my students, who didn’t know nor care about the status of my religion. I feel betrayed by the red tape of administration that did not protect me from the machination of Dean’s Aistrup’s decision and by the refusal of the Provost’s office to investigate it. The unprecedented act of terminating an employee without regard to work record, the opinion of the supervising faculty or the simple (ethical) step of allowing that employee the right to meet with the dean of the college is nothing short of a witch hunt.
While Privett-Duren was communicating with officials at the school and with these outside agencies, her students launched their own protest in the form of an online petition. By June, 142 students of many faiths digitally signed a request to “bring Dr. PD back to Auburn University.” While the petition doesn’t directly address the reason behind her dismissal, it does highlight her reputation as a popular, well-loved teacher. Former student Sam Christensen said, “I don’t know anyone who disagrees with the petition. I can say that I would be surprised if there was serious student opposition to it, I haven’t known many professors as universally liked by students as her.”
Many of these students didn’t find out that “Dr. PD” was Pagan until the petition was made public. Former student Casey Jo Berland, a practicing Christian, said, “Kat kept her religion completely hidden from her students. I had absolutely no idea until after the semester was over and I called her for advice. And even then she was hesitant to open up about it.”
Privett-Duren’s hesitation to discuss her religion was more about professionalism than about fear of discovery. All of the interviewed students and faculty agree that Auburn’s climate is generally more progressive as compared to many other locations in Alabama or the Southeast. The university was even home to an active Pagan student organization, Pantheon, for years.
More recently, the town itself has become host to the only Pagan Pride Day event in the state. In fact, Auburn Pagan Pride Day is held at the Arboretum on the University campus. APPD organizer and longtime resident Linda Kerr says, “I’ve lived here since 1983, and have been Pagan here since 1988, and have never had any issues due to being Pagan. I worked at Auburn University for 25 years, and never had any trouble there either.” She holds the Pagan pride event on campus because, “the site is beautiful and lends itself well.” However, APPD is not endorsed or sponsored by the university in any way.
Kerr’s comments, however, were corroborated by other Pagan residents and students. Former Pagan AU student, Jillian Smith, actually applied to the university upon encouragement from Privett-Duren. She said:
Kat told me how open-minded and accepting AU was, allowing for a great deal of personal expression, pursuance of personal interest and acceptance of differing viewpoints when well presented. She spoke of AU as forward-thinking, encouraging of new ideas, and a supposed melting pot of creed, race, color, religion, sexual orientation, and so forth. This was not only a driving point for my application to AU, it was also the kind of community environment in which I wanted my son to be raised — an environment of AU “family” and “All in.”
Despite this progressive climate and academic environment, Privett-Duren still maintains that her termination was related to her religion. She says that the university is located in the very conservative South and that administrators are sometimes not as open-minded as the professors working in the departments. As she points out, her termination came from the college administration, who didn’t know about her religion prior to last fall, and not from her department head, who did.
Unfortunately, university officials declined to comment due to this situation being “a personal employment matter.” Both the AA/EEO department and dean’s office responded similarly saying that they are unable to speak publicly in such cases.
Privett-Duren in her garden
Therefore, the investigation into Privett-Duren’s termination and her allegations of religious discrimination now rest entirely with the EEOC. In the meantime, Privett-Duren has begun other projects. She will be teaching at Cherry Hill Seminary and at another online university. She is writing a memoir about life as a witch in the south and has already sent a fiction project to a publisher. In addition, she is the newest, regular writer at Crone magazine. Her column, which begins this October, is aptly called “Southern-Fried Crone.” Dr. Privett-Duren says:
As a direct result of my termination, I have been forcibly outed by the process. For over a decade, I existed in fracture: Seba O’Kiley, the country witch versus Dr. Privett-Duren, the academic. That fracture has healed from the chaos. What I am now is quite a force of nature, and for that alone, I am grateful. I am now whole, a witch/teacher/mother/academic with no apologies.
Regardless of the outcome of the EEOC investigation, Privett-Duren says that she will keep fighting. She loves Auburn University and the students that call it home. With the spirit of “War Eagle” in her tone, she says, “I just want my job back. I just want to teach.”
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She was presented an award for teaching two weeks before they terminated her? I really believe she has a case. This story is far from over.
Great story! I’ve been a fan of Seba’s writing for ages, and I’m glad that she is pursuing a lawsuit in this case. I know it has hit her really hard–as you’d imagine, given how much she invests in her students. (I’m sure her students at CHS and elsewhere will agree.)
On a side note: while I’m normally not a grammar maven, I cannot allow the publication of an important story on a professor of English to stand without asking you to remedy a few errors in usage. (I tried to resist and just flat-out failed. My apologies… Occupational hazard.)
In paragraph 1, “Deep loyalty to one’s Alma matter” should read, “deep loyalty to one’s alma mater.”
In paragraph 2, “Divorce papers in-hand” should read, “divorce papers in hand.”
In the second to the last paragraph, “She is writing a memoir about life as a witch in the south” should either read “She is writing a memoir about life as a Witch in the South” or “She is writing a memoir about life as a witch in the South,” depending on Kat’s own usage.
Finally, the quotation marks around “War Eagle” in the final paragraph are enough to point us to the fact that it is the name of the Auburn fight song; no italics are required.
While you’re on that subject, she is an alumna of AU, not an alumni.
Woman after my own heart.
I fully support Seba’s decision to file a claim.
In the meantime, I also failed to resist the temptation to request a correction, to her own words. Unless she’s a collective being, she cannot be an “alumni”. She could be one of the alumni, but as presented it should be an “alumna”. 😀
Serious note: filing a claim with the EEOC is not “pursuing a lawsuit”. They review her claim, persue arbitration-type efforts, and only if those efforts fail AND EEOC determines the case warrants it do they go to court.
Good point, and I stand corrected. 😉
(Such are the perils of policing others’ language! Let that be a lesson to me. *Cat goes back under her rock*)
I thought Cats lived in Hats. I guess your world is Rocked instead. 😉
University culture very strongly promotes exchange of ideas by routinely refusing to employ their own graduates. Her 3 degrees from Auburn would be sufficient for her to be terminated. Many universities will employ a PhD graduate for a SHORT time while they do a “nation wide” search for employment, but WILL NOT promote or continue employment longer than a year or so. Dr. Kathleen should have been working hard to find a Professor job at some other school even before receiving her PhD. She should have understood that she had no rational expectation of a career at Auburn. The position of Instructor is a temp job. That’s not how University culture works in the US.
Paganism and Witchcraft is now an accepted field of study in the Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association (a premier professional academic English literature and language group) For example: http://www.pamla.org/2014/topics/magic-and-witchcraft It is also now included in the scholarly American Academy of Religions.
Blaming the operation of normal University process on assumed religious discrimination in the absence of specific statements makes no sense to me. Instead of whining about it she needs to get out on the job market and apply for a tenured position at some other University.
Of course, universities do make exceptions to this rule. I think the fact that she was recognized for her teaching ability and her popularity would work in her favor. But, you are right, there shouldn’t be any expectation on her part for staying on.
What is curious to me is the secrecy around the termination. It reminds me of the “double secret probabation” of the Delta house in a certain fraternity movie that starred some Saturday Night Live actors years ago. And it is not just the secrecy, but the timing– immediately after she was outed.
In university culture we now see instructors and even tenured professors get treated pretty sh!tty these days. After being terminated, especially if it was wrongfully done, I do not envision her returning. She can now start looking for something better.
Of course, Cernowain, there are exceptions, but exceptons are not common. Allowing her to study for a PhD at the same school where she was an undergraduate is an exception she already received. Many universities want graduate students who bring in ideas from other places, and frown upon admitting their own graduates. Incestuous ideas is their reason.
When my wife got a PhD in English the Department had an excellent program to assist graduates finding positions at other universities. We traveled and interviewed at Universities from Georgia to Washington State. If Auburn had a professional assistance program and Dr. Katharyn did not take advantage of it then it is her failing. In any event there is no reasonable expectation for a PhD graduate to expect career employment from their own school. incestuous ideas prevention is the motive.
As for the “secrecy,” it is common in all employment decisions to avoid specifying a reason because of legal hassles like this EEOC complaint. An Instructor is an “at will” employee often under a 1 term contract, sometimes for 1 year or 2 years. When the contract expires they just don’t offer another. If that is what happened, and this article doesn’t give details, then she was neither fired nor terminated. She just was not hired again.
My wife is now the Chair of the English Dept.at another University. She does a lot of such temporary Instructor contracts every year. Sometimes she tells me about individual decisions and problems. This situation sounds like a ROUTINE discontinuation of temporary post-doc employment. Instead of filing a complaint, Dr. Katharyn needs to go find a real tenured job.
The article did say that she “was being considered for promotion to a permanent lecturer,” which implies that the position of lecturer at Auburn U. is not necessarily “a temp. job.” So your remarks are either ignorant, or (if you are on the faculty of Auburn U. yourself) out of ine with that Uiversity’s actual policy.
as
being considered for a promotion to a permanent lecturer – See more at:
http://wildhunt.org/2014/09/former-instructor-accuses-auburn-university-of-religious-discrimination.html#disqus_thread
as
being considered for a promotion to a permanent lecturer – See more at:
http://wildhunt.org/2014/09/former-instructor-accuses-auburn-university-of-religious-discrimination.html#disqus_thread
It also says she got a termination letter… doesn’t sound like the mere expiration of a contract to me. If there is a contract, you would know when it would end and be expecting it. The timing of her outing to her termination is suspicious in and of itself.
Also, not a fan of the whole “at will” employment craze. Workers rights have been degrading so much in this country that we accept such things as normal. I think if you’re terminated, there should have to be a cause given. And especially under circumstances like these, you should have the right to know why. Hopefully the EEOC can give her that much. Unfortunately, discrimination cases are hard enough to prove, even without the “at will” hurdle. I’ve lost at least one job due to what I believe was religious discrimination on the part of a direct supervisor. Did I have a chance of proving it? Not at all. I wish her luck.
The article does state that she was being considered for a promotion to permanent lecturer,” which is at variance with your own claim that a lecturer is necessarily a temporary job.
Being “considered for promotion to permanent” is another way of saying “She had a TEMP job.”
The culture at Universities strongly wants their PhD graduates to go out into the world to become faculty at other schools. Its the same at Auburn. I looked up their Department of English faculty on-line, all the Professors, Associate Professors, and Assistant Professors. NONE of them got a PhD at Auburn. ALL of their Dept. of English faculty had been hired form other universities. It is beyond any reasonable expectation for Dr. Katharyn to assume she would be an exception.
If you fail at University they kick you our. If you succeed at University, sooner or later they pin a degree on you and KICK YOU OUT! It was time for Dr. Katharyn to go out into the world and look for a job.
“Lecturer” *is* a temp job in higher ed–the rank is typically not tenure-eligible which means that the instructor can be let go at any time.
Based on the timing (April of this year?) it’s entirely possible that her contract simply wasn’t renewed. I’ll be interested in the outcome of the EEOC complaint.
With all due respect, Greybeard, I have responded to you above. I hear what you are saying, valid points all. But there is missing information that might color your perception of the way this was handled. Blessings, Kat/Seba
So, Greybeard, why doesn’t your wife give her a call and hire her?
Auburn University REGULARLY makes exceptions to this.
I looked up all the Professors, Associate Professors, and Assistant Professors from the Auburn University Dept. of English. Among those who listed their credentials on-line, NONE of them were PhD graduates from Auburn. NO exceptions. She presumably had been there for 10 years and knew the faculty well. It should not have been a surprise to her.
Four of the current lecturers at Auburn University in the English department hold PhDs from AU. Perhaps this info is not readily available?
The relative insecurity of academic employment these days in no way justifies religious discrimination. Nor does it entitle the university to a pass from all scrutiny on its decision. Let the inquiry go where the facts lead it. If it really was just a routine academic business sort of decision, the dean and university have nothing to worry about and they’ll be able to put the matter to rest in short order. If it was discrimination, I hope it proves to be a very costly mistake for them.
Dr Privett-Duren was an instructer in the english department for 13 years. That doesn’t sound like a temp job.
Why do I hear “budget cuts” over and over?
Follow the money.
I’ve been following this case since before it broke, having been a fan of Seba’s writing for the last year or two. In my experience, she was fully professional in her public identity, and kept it separate from her Pagan identity. From what I can gather, she had been teaching at Auburn for a number of years, was well-beloved by her students, and gave no indication of participation in any wrongdoing. The fact that her termination was without cause, and it took place after she was “outed”, in a conservative, Bible Belt town, gives us strong reason to believe discrimination took place.
Bible Belt towns are still places where Pagans have to live in hiding and fear if they wish to keep their jobs and avoid harassment. I know well the feeling of “living in fracture” that Dr. Privett-Duren describes, the alienation from self that takes place. At a time when the Pagan Community seems so apt to eat its own, it might be good to remember that there are still places where we fight for the right to merely exist.
From time to time, one still runs into people who say, in essence, “Oh, I’ve been out of the broom closet forever, what with being a professional Pagan and all, and shame on those of you who aren’t,” generally, just before they want the rest of us to cover their medical expenses, legal fees, donate to their cause, etc. Some of us make a living being professional Pagans. Some of us work for government agencies or businesses that don’t care how out we are about our religion. And some of us work for places that will let us go if they find out that we’re Pagan. Some of us live and work in places that will go out of their way to harm us and/or our family members if we’re outed. There are reasons why people choose to keep their religion private. I’ve no idea what the real issue is, here, but the fact that the Dean wouldn’t even meet with her or say, “Gee, you’ve been here forever, we want to promote more diversity,” or whatever seems suspicious. She certainly deserves her day at the EEOC. Meanwhile, as a Southern Witch, I’m off to check out her blog. Thanks for covering this.
This is OUTRAGEOUS! Modern day witch hunt. SHAMEFUL!
Looks like some things never change.
Stand Strong’ Stand Proud, with you in Solidarity.
I’d like to address the commenter on the original blog here who appears to have a very “university sympathetic” point of view: No. I was not let go because I was an alumni. Two other instructor’s who hold Ph.D.s from our very department are still firmly within their hire. As to the Lectureship Promotion: I had gone on to work at another university as an Assistant Professor for a while and came *back* to Auburn. They do not allow you to go through all stage of applying, interviewing and more of an application process without this particular caveat. The other two were *not* allowed to apply for the permanent position as they had never worked outside of the university–only I was allowed. Irony: the other two still work at the university. I was the *only* one of those to be awarded with Teacher of the Year. In addition: only one month after I was terminated without reason, an ad went up on the university employment page for–wait for it–my very position. Apparently enrollment was up (as per their own website) and they needed instructors. In addition, the Dean has refused to speak with me, or the Ombudsperson, on this issue three separate times. While I understand that you think I should have just left my mortgage, my grown children, and a department that had encouraged me heavily to stay on year after year and even to apply to a more levied status, some of us do not have those options. I’d like to also point out that the department wanted to keep me–as my annual reviews were well above the norm and most often above my peers–but was blocked by a very new dean. This is not the “norm” in academics. Please. Do better research before you automatically dismiss my claims. Thank you.
I’m a former employee benefits professional, and I offer this unsolicited advice with change for my two cents gladly accepted: be patient with the claim process. Dot every “i” and cross every “t”. Let the EEOC do the initial heavy lifting, even if it seems to take a long time. They’re not perfect, but like the cliche about democracy being the worst form of government, they look pretty good compared to some other agencies.
With you on this. They have such a heavy load in Alabama, but they have been fair and diligent thus far. Thank you for that advice.
Dear Dr. PD,
Amidst the tumult and toss of the comments I would like to take a moment of calm, pausing reflection to say that I have followed your blog for years and to thank you for sharing so deeply, persistently, and with such open hearted vulnerability your lessons, experiences, and personal pains and triumphs.
Thank you also for devoting your life’s work to the education, instruction, and improvement of so many students.
Five of my closest relatives work in universities at various levels. As a business owner I have found that “arcane” and “bewildering” are insufficient to describe the practices I have observed. Unnecessarily cruel, capricious, and dehumanizing are more fitting in my view. I have seen my own loved ones struggle with these practices and can only imagine your current travail.
I hope for the very best outcome for you and yours. Please know that there are people who feel the frequent and regular impulse of gratitude for your efforts, your example, and your loving diligence.
Roi: won. Thank *you* for the kind support. It does matter, regardless of the outcome, that there are people out there who stand with me–and anyone who faces discrimination. Blessed Be.
As former Chair of my department before I retired Emerita from a large state university, Dr. Privett-Duren’s termination does look suspicious to me. When a lecturer’s contract expires, s/he typically is not given a letter of termination, simply informed that the contract has expired. In my experience, it is the responsibility of the Chair of the department to tell the part-time employee that the contract will not be renewed, not the Dean. That the Ombudsperson will not meet with her is also unusual, especially because there has been a termination, not simply an expired contract.
I was fortunate to work at a university where there was a strong union. I didn’t always agree with it, but all the employees benefited from it, including me. I assume there is no union at her school.
I have to wonder if a major donor isn’t involved. Usually academic administrators are more accepting of difference.
I’m also a retired Emeritus and former chair. Almost certainly either a major donor or an influential politician insisted directly on Dr. P-D’s termination, or let it be known that if Dr. P-D stayed, the donor (or politician) would no longer support the University. The second is the likelier of the two, but they come down to the same thing in the end. There are several features here that suggest unusual circumstances, not business as usual, as Greybeard Wise has suggested. — Also, the appearance of some anonymous voice such as Greybeard Wise’s, insisting that the whole thing was nothing more than business as usual, is almost predictable once the termination has become a matter of public interest. I do not believe he is a wholly disinterested outside figure. And his account of how routine the whole matter is, and how unremarkable, squares neither with my own knowledge or how academia works nor with various small details in Dr. P-D’s own account of what happened to her.
Regretfully, I concur. We were told early on by an attorney who spoke to the Dean and various other higher ups on my behalf (no longer able to sustain the pressure of the university’s advice as a local man) that I would not be working for AU in the coming year. In fact, serious allegations were made about my religion previously that my department chair fought and thought he put to rest–but letters did make their way to the provost’s office about a “witch” working in the English department. If any investigation is done, these things would end up as public record. I have not yet found an attorney within the state willing to take them on. Thank you for the candid response.
Robert, a browse of Greybeard’s Discus profile shows a couple of dozen posts on several blogs over some months. I do believe it is a serious stretch to suggest that he has a direct interest in this. I won’t dismiss your suspicion, but I can’t accept it as likely.
Wendy: we think so–but it’s almost altogether unprovable (as I’m sure you would have ascertained). One note: The ombudsperson, Kevin Coonrod, did meet with me and often–it was the dean who refused to meet with him when Mr. Coonrod attempted to get to the heart of the matter. And myself, but that has already been said. Thank you for this response and congrats on your retirement. 🙂
Dr. PD,
I recently went through a discrimination suit against a VERY large global company. My attorney was Russ Parker out of Birmingham. Give him a ring and see if he will take your case.
Stand strong sister!
Oh, and Linda Kerr is a personal friend.
Oh thank you, thank you. He spoke with me. Moving forward. Cross those fingers!
Good luck to you!
Agreed, Wendy. Having worked in post-secondary education for approximately 10 years, my impression is that this whole thing stinks on ice. The fact that the decision not to renew Dr. P-D’s contract was made by the dean, with no apparent involvement of the department chair, cries “outside interference” loud and long.
And if, as Greybeard WIse, has suggested, it was an issue of Auburn not wanting to employ its own grads (although they appeared content to have had her on board for 13 years), this, again, would have been the department chair’s call, and it would almost certainly have been discussed by the chair and the instructor before the axe fell. In this case, however, the decree came down from on high, “because reasons,” as they say on the Interwebz.
And then there’s the fact that Dr. P-D’s position was advertised shortly after she was let go, which would seem to me to indicate that financial considerations were not involved in the decision. I do hope that the EEOC gives the administration a going over. In this regard, I would suggest that Dr. P-D look up the case of Charles E. Curran, who was denied tenure at Auburn on what appear to have been religious grounds, for which the university was censured by the AAUP in 1983.
DISCLOSURE: While I have never met Dr. P-D in person, she is one of my Facebook friends.
Greetings and Merry Meet Dr. PD. I understand well your desire to stay in the same location and keep the same employment, but a career in higher education usually means relocating after getting your degrees. I understand well because we left our home, our children, and our coven when my wife got her PhD in English, and had to do a nationwide search for a tenure track position. Its not fun, but its the way university life works.
I really don’t see this EEOC complaint as a positive for you. I understand you feel hurt from being let go. But what do you gain? Even if successful with EEOC, what will you win? You had a “temp” instructor job. You might get that back, but will also get a reputation as a “trouble maker” that might have negative effects down the road. If AU doesn’t want you, for whatever reason, you don’t want them either. Even if you are “right,” you are not making the best decisions.
There are many universities where you could do better. University professors are teaching “Magic and Witchcraft” at PAMLA (my wife). University Professors are doing serious scholarship on Goddesses and Witchcraft at the American Academy of Religion. Instead of trying to hang on at AU, now is a good time to pull up stakes and go where witches are being hired as serious scholars.
May the Lord and Lady bless you and guide your path.
My heavens, you do take a lot upon yourself, don’t you? “[Y]ou are not making the best decisions.”
I am deeply impressed at the depth of your understanding of employment law, the profession of college teaching, and Kat Privett-Duren’s personal and professional needs. Seldom have I met such a polymath as you, Mr. Greybeard Wise.
You are at once able to explain to a woman the ins and outs of her own career (because your wife is a member of it, at a different institution–and what a loss it is to us all that your wife is not a physician so that you could perform brain surgery); the outcome and aftermath of an EEOC complaint (having handled many of them, in your career in jurisprudence, I am sure); and what choices in life will best suit her…a complete stranger to you.
It will no doubt amaze you that many of the finest psychotherapists not only insist upon actually meeting people before recommending to them their best course in life, but foolishly believe that people are generally the best judge of such matters themselves! Yes, really!
Happily, we can all rest easily now, because Greybeard Wise is on the case. And so aptly named…
Good sir, while I must confess to some sympathy for the tone and content of Cat’s post here, I will also offer some benefit of the doubt: I believe your intentions are good and honest.
However, my serious objection to your posts here is that you demonstrate a significant failure of empathy. Your experiences, those of your wife, are worthy of sharing, but not license to project your opinions onto others. I am a former expert in employee benefits regulations, and I can assure you that “standard practice” is never an immediate and valid justification for the consequences of that practice under the regulations. Indeed, the first motivation for Affirmative Action was the opposition to and eventual removal of standard practices of discrimination. The EEOC, I assume now and certainly when I had the professional obligation to know, is diligent about both advocating for claimants and determining when claims are without merit. Those last two words, I point out, are the formal term they use for labelling claims that are what others might call frivolous while tracking claims. The EEOC is the first and only arbiter of the regulations, not I and certainly not you.
That, by itself, falsifies your assertions.
Merry Meet Franklin. Since you are a former employee benefits regulations expert, I’m sure you are aware of the legal differences between a “temp” employee on a limited time contract, and a regular or “permanent” employee. Whatever the EEOC decides, it is my opinion that Dr. Kat has been stuck far too long in a dead end temp job, and would be much better served to take this opportunity and look to improve her career path. Often, even when you “win” the outcome is still not a real win.
And yes, the whole point of on-line responses such as this is license for people to give our opinions. In my opinion, simply offering sympathy and support for poor decisions is often not helpful. Your mileage may vary.
Well, all I can add is that your opinions about Kat’s experiences and decision processes are clearly wrong — because she has told you so several times over — and you have not taken to heart my objectively proven assertion that neither your opinion nor mine can be validated until the EEOC completes its investigation and publishes its conclusions.
The primary point of the regulations under the aegis of the EEOC is that people like Kat have recourse against otherwise overwhelming power. The EEOC never blithely says “yes” to every claim. Indeed, you can find their yearly statistics on their website, where you will find that the vast majority of claims reside in the category of “without merit”.
If, as so described so far, the EEOC finds her claim merited, your entire opinion is falsified.
As stated so far, your opinions are intrusive, dismissive and IMO patronizing. As such, you are only serving to push your status from a demonstrated lack of empathy into trolldom.
Good luck to her I proudly support Pagans and Wiccans. My wife is a practicing witch and she is wonderful. Too.much fear and hatred for differences of faith. Do what makes you happy. Life is too short.
I wish Dr. Privett-Duren all the best. Blessings to all.
I have been discriminated just like this many times, but I will not “hide” my religious beliefs for anyone. My beliefs saved my life and therefore I feel very strongly about them. It has been difficult to find work as a result, but irregardless of what the job “specialist” tell me, I will not hide my ring and necklace.
If this was because the university decline to renew her contract then why not simply say so? What’s the secret?
She was given a written notice, according to the report.
Of termination, not failure to renew.
As has been pointed out to you before.
Good luck, Dr. P.D.!! It’s wrong that they did not give you a reason for termination…and it’s suspicious, too. Mr. Greybeard needs to check his attitude…I do not like him saying that you were “whining.” Being treated unfairly in a secretive manner is not something to ignore. As someone who worked in Higher Ed for over 40 years, I can guarantee there are many politically-motivated decisions that are made “behind the scenes.” If you decide to pursue this case, you will be helping not only yourself, but others who are wrongly discriminated against because of their religion. If we can help, let us know! I’m pretty good at sending letters! 😉
Years ago I was a visiting professor at a Northwestern University for a few years. I was also their final choice for what had been advertized as a tenure track position. But when I was given it I was told it had inexplicably been changed to another one year position. Two people made sure I was not chosen as a contender for the tenure track position offered the following year. I was naive though all this.
Late in my final year I was told by a former girlfriend of one of these worthies that he had told her he would make sure I would not stay due to my religion. (I have always been out of the closet but never talked about Wicca in a Political Science class.) I was pledged to silence regarding what she told me because this person could make her life at the university Hell. The second person was later forced to resign over issues of corruption once they became very public.
Two corrupt bigots.
Corrupt members of universities, especially when the university administrations themselves are corrupt, have many ways to act illegally while covering their trail. I believe Dr. Privett-Duren completely. Anyone who denies these things happen is ignorant of university politics and the pettiness and bigotry of many academics.