Posted on 12/31/2015 6:38:14 PM PST by Jacob Douglas
The former Registrar of the University of South Florida, Ms. Angela DeBose, has filed a 20-count lawsuit in the Middle District Court of Florida, alleging discrimination, retaliation, and other serious civil wrongs against the University. In the lawsuit, DeBose named USF Board of Trustees and several top officials, including the University's Provost, Ralph Wilcox. DeBose alleges that all engaged in an "invidious scheme to terminate her" prior to and following her filing complaints with the USF Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Equal Opportunity, and later with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The education software company, Ellucian is also named as a Co-Defendant.
USF terminated DeBose amid her discrimination complaint with EEOC, while DeBose was under the "federally protected status" of the Title VII of the 1964 Civil rights Act, and was awaiting a ruling from the (MDF) Middle District Court of Florida on her preliminary injunction to maintain the status quo with regards to her employment while the EEOC investigation was underway.
Ms. DeBose worked with USF for 27 years, and was first hired by the University in 1988 as a Computer Programmer and Analyst. After holding several progressively higher positions, DeBose was given a written employment contract in 1996 to serve as the University's Registrar. DeBose has more than 20 years of Registrar-related experience and information systems experience, and served four different presidents and various provosts during her time at USF. During the course of her employment, Ms. DeBose's complaint states she consistently received exemplary performance evaluations but was not evaluated in 2014 like other white directors.
In the lawsuit, DeBose alleges that in 2013 she noticed a "marked change in the behavior exhibited by her immediate supervisor" but also several other university officials, which included Provost Ralph Wilcox. DeBose alleges that the defendants engaged in "continuous and unwarranted criticism of her from 2014 forward"; that they began "making her [DeBose's] race an issue by seeking to portray or stereotype her as an angry black woman"; and that they created "a work environment that was permeated by threatening behavior, isolation, bullying, and repeated degrading epithets."
DeBose alleges that her immediate supervisor began verbally attacking her, exhibiting threatening behavior, making discriminatory remarks or references to marginalize DeBose and her race. DeBose also alleges that her immediate supervisor sought to develop in DeBose a fear of Wilcox, stating that "He and the Provost [Wilcox] pushed out Jennifer Meningall, 'another hostile black woman' from her position of Vice President of Student Affairs; that he and the Provost were committed to significant reductions in black student enrollment; that he and the Provost would maintain diversity by increasing international enrollment to offset anticipated declines in black enrollment from their plans to reduce the number of Pell Grant recipients at USF by recruiting students of families with higher incomes by concentrating efforts on certain zip codes; that he and the Provost did not want USF to be viewed as an 'HBCU' (that is a historically black college or university) on the same level as FAMU." Their main objective DeBose claimed was "more smarts and less blacks." DeBose also alleges that "Wilcox referred to black students in disparaging ways and used references to infer that blacks were animals and thugs."
In the 20-count complaint, DeBose lays out an elaborate scheme and conspiracy to terminate her that first began with a "false and malicious E-Mail" that was circulated and used by various staff in an attempt "to get her [AD] fired." Even though the E-Mail was determined to be false, DeBose claims that the Provost and her supervisor still used the false and malicious E-Mail to "reduce her scope and span of authority" by removing Degree Works, a software program that she had successfully launched in 2012, from the Registrar's Office to (IT) Information Technology in June 2014.
This incident was immediately followed by DeBose being accused of calling a member of her supervisor's central staff, "little girl." Though DeBose presented her own statement and three other affidavits to the contrary, DeBose who had never been reprimanded during her whole 27-year tenure at USF, received a written reprimand, which DeBose immediately sought to grieve but was denied by USF officials. The final incident that DeBose documents in her complaint is a meeting invitation given to her by USF's IT Director to discuss Degree Works, which DeBose accepted though the program had not been under her or her office's charge for approximately one year. DeBose alleges that several key USF staff and the Ellucian representative used the software's subsequent failure in the months following its removal to IT, to cast blame on DeBose and her office [the Registrar's Office], and as the basis for her subsequent termination. E-Mails submitted into court entitled, "the Ellucian Meeting", shows the Ellucian Steering Committee agreeing to and scheduling a meeting after learning of DeBose's acceptance of the invitation to discuss. The Ellucian Meeting E-Mails appear to support DeBose's allegation that a plot was in the works.
DeBose when contacted by the Florida Sentinel Bulletin, gave the following statement: "My reputation and 27 years of exemplary service in various positions should have mattered. Ultimately, I filed complaints with EEOC and a federal district court after being subjected to heightened discrimination and retaliation. "With both actions active, USF separated me and subsequently terminated me from my employment. The treatment I received is not isolated to me, but an ongoing pattern against African American administrators that has left little diversity at higher levels of the organization. This lawsuit does not come about from playing a 'race card,' or being an alarmist. "The personal and professional harm that I have experienced is damaging and lasting," she said.
DeBose also alleges in her complaint that Provost Ralph Wilcox "tortiously interfered" with her seeking future employment by causing a subsequent job offer to be withdrawn. DeBose's complaint also states how she was told by her supervisor that the Provost was not a person to back down, "having taken on the President [Genshaft], her Jewish contingent led by Momberg, and John Long" and won by "shaking her up" with a no confidence letter from her faculty concerning her "draconian" budgetary tactics and "having the ear of her Board and an influential trustee." DeBose also alleges in her complaint how "President Genshaft's efforts to persuade her Board to remove Ralph were unsuccessful."
USF's response when contacted by the Sentinel was as follows: "As a matter of practice, the University does not intend to comment on this ongoing litigation other than to state that the claims are without merit" said Adam Freeman, the University of South Florida Media/Public Affairs Manager. My question to Mr. Freeman would be, "Did you read the complaint and the Exhibits filed by DeBose? There is a fight in the works and the public, and in particularly the black community, are certain to follow it with great interest. To my knowledge, the educational software company, Ellucian, has not been contacted or issued a statement regarding the lawsuit. The lawyers are lining up. Ms. DeBose is represented by Fernee-Kelly; USF by Greenberg Traurig; and Ellucian by Litler Mendelsen.
A picture would help the reader to access the validity of the charges.
It is sad when a black, a Hispanic, a female, a queer, a lesbian, a transgender, and those who claim part Indian are accepted and a white kid best have a top ten GPA and 1200 plus combined SAT score .
Sad to hear about this crap. My 3 boys attended USF, FSU and UF respectively and, of the three, USF was hands down the best of the three. The other schools will let students fall flat on their faces, but USF takes student support *very* seriously.
Way to make it harder for any black person to get a promotion from now on. Not helping. If things go south at your job, find a new job. No one is entitled to lifetime tenure in an administratiive job.
What is wrong with college today in a nutshell.
After decades of the insane BS from "minorities", genuine minorities and all of the socially constructed imaginary ones, I have ceased to care. I am simply desensitized to it. It probably is unfair to some (the few) who have legitimate gripes. But I just don't give a damn anymore. They've carried it so far that none of them can be believed. Sad state of affairs.
Welcome to FR.
I am not sure. She was an employee of the college for 27 years and the Registrar for 20 years. It is very strange that she would suddenly become a problem at the work place. Sounds like she her new supervisor had a personal ax to grind against her.
Hi Jacob.
Good article to post. Certainly hard to tell what might be going on. However, the way you posted it makes you look like the author rather than Frances. Otherwise, good post.
My daughter graduated from USF during this time and I’m going to ask her if she can add any insight into any of this crap.
USF does this sort of thing all the time. White administrators, who are terminated or let go, are generally always given a “golden parachute” while black administrators are given a freaking lump of coal.
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