Julie Nemecek, left, and Joanne Nemecek are shown in their home, Feb. 28, in Spring Arbor, Mich.
Posted on 03/06/2007 12:21:48 PM PST by TWohlford
LCC may yank SAU contract Tuesday, March 06, 2007
By Chad Livengood
clivengood@citpat.com -- 768-4918
Lansing Community College may sever contractual ties with Spring Arbor University over its decision to fire a transgender professor.
LCC officials say Spring Arbor's treatment of Julie Nemecek violates their nondiscrimination policy, which applies to students, faculty and organizations LCC contracts with.
Spring Arbor is under contract to begin offering classes at LCC's new University Center in summer 2008.
An LCC spokeswoman said the college would wait to render a decision against Spring Arbor after the outcome of a mediation session today between the local university and Nemecek. The former John Nemecek filed a gender discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
"We're going to see what comes of that to find out if any law was violated and then go from there," LCC spokes-woman Tess Brown. "We have been asked by Spring Arbor to wait."
Spring Arbor spokesman Tim Johnston said he could not confirm whether such a discussion between officials from the two schools took place.
"We know that it's there, but it's just something (President Gayle) Beebe hasn't focused on," Johnston said of the Lansing college's diversity concerns.
Nemecek, 55, had been a professor at the Christian-based college for 16 years.
When she announced she was transgender and would transition into a woman, officials docked her pay and reduced her responsibilities as associate dean of adult education.
Nemecek filed the federal complaint against the university for docking her pay, making her work from home and banning her from appearing as a woman on campus. Nemecek has been diagnosed with transgender disorder.
Spring Arbor is one of eight universities that has agreed to rent space from LCC to offer classes at its main campus in downtown Lansing next year. LCC is the state's third-largest community college and draws students from northern Jackson County.
Jackson Community College, which already has a similar partnership with Spring Arbor, has no plans to end its on-campus programs.
"Spring Arbor is a great partner of ours," said Cindy Allen, executive director
of community relations. "There's no way we would break ties with them over this issue."
LCC now claims that it will break all ties with SAU due to their dismissal of a transgendered professor. SAU is a small, conservative liberal arts college that is run by the Free Methodists.
The professor in question was only fired when he refused a job that didn't involve classroom lecturing, as John became Julie and insisted on dressing in women's clothes.
Julie Nemecek, left, and Joanne Nemecek are shown in their home, Feb. 28, in Spring Arbor, Mich.
Spring Arbor University issued a statement this morning concerning a partnership with Lansing Community College that could be in jeopardy.
“We value the partnership we’re forging with Lansing Community College to bring additional resources to their students, and we look forward to continuing our relationship,” the university said in a statement released today.
LCC officials say Spring Arbor’s treatment of fired professor Julie Nemecek violates their nondiscrimination policy, which applies to students, faculty and organizations LCC contracts with.
SAU has an unsigned draft contract agreement to rent space and teach classes on LCC’s campus in 2008, LCC spokeswoman Tess Brown said.
Nemecek, who is transgender, and SAU meet for federal discrimination complaint mediation session in Detroit today.
Now, if the good prof was a "woman trapped in a man's body who was attracted to women", aka "male lesbian", perhaps the church could overlook the whole attire issue. (/sarcasm)
I'm confused. Doesn't that just make him a transvestite rather than transgendered?
Joanne has that "Help Me" look on her face.
Somebody left the elephant whip in the mouse's cage, again.
He has a recognized disorder.
Maybe some Freeper Doctor can confirm my Jr. High biology.
Still "legally" and physically male? No nip-and-tuck scheduled? This guy is NOT transgender.
He's just a cross-dresser.
But that wouldn't sell as many papers, would it?
Yes. This is just a story about a guy who wears women's clothes.
You are absolutely correct. My criterion is what the DNA test reflects.
I don't remember any transgendered profs in engineering school. I wouldn't have known what transgendered meant in that day and time.
Of course, the transgendered would have been laughed off the campus.
Hummmm.....I think the wife is the freaky one?
As if she's had to smile and nod her head so many times to agree with "how wonderful it is" that she's read to crack.
"Somebody left the elephant whip in the mouse's cage, again."
hmm... interesting way of putting it...
In my post, I was trying to point out that the local State community college was trying to enforce it's own wildly liberal employment on a "partner" college. In other words, another example of my tax dollars paying for immoral policies that are rammed own the throat of moral people.
If the proverbial elephant whip applies....
Well just SCREW LCC. SAU has a contract with John not Julie. When I graduated from SAU they rented office space in Lansing and they can do it again. After all they ARE a Christian University. They are private and can do what they want. But the press will not report it that way.
"But the press will not report it that way."
Actually, the local newspaper had gone out of its way to do good reporting on this one.
However, I expect that this new twist in the story, along with the outcome of the discrimination hearing, will be twisted by the national media.
ping
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