$1.6 million suit alleges gender discrimination

Editor's note

The lawsuit that was eventually filed against the University was dismissed in November 2006 when a Court did not find evidential support for gender bias in the record, and the case did not go to trial.

Former chemical engineering assistant professor Lynn Russell filed a $1.6 million suit last week against the University, alleging gender discrimination and breach of contract. The suit claims chemical engineering chair Pablo Debenedetti discriminated against female junior faculty and undermined Russell's tenure application after she complained about his behavior.

Communications director Lauren Robinson-Brown '85 said the lawsuit hasn't been served to the University.

"Neither President Tilghman nor Provost Gutmann nor anyone else in the administration would tolerate gender discrimination," she said.

Debenedetti said he hasn't seen the complaint and called the allegations in the local press "totally untrue."

Regardless of the outcome, the lawsuit may prompt introspection after last semester's release of a University report calling for more women to be represented in the science and engineering faculty.

The suit claims that Debenedetti "bolstered, exaggerated, and/or misrepresented undergraduate student complaints" against Russell in retaliation for her complaints that he treated female faculty members in a "disparate fashion."

According to Russell's lawyer, Ty Hyderally, the exaggerations led to the revocation of Russell's advising responsibilities in 2001.

Hyderally said that a member of the tenure committee — whom he declined to name — said that he would have voted for granting tenure if Russell's advising privileges had not been revoked.

He did not offer other examples of how Debenedetti discriminated against Russell. He said they would be revealed as the case evolved.

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The suit also claims Debenedetti's exaggerations resulted in the University's decision to deny Russell tenure, and the University placed undue and unprecedented emphasis on the student complaints when reviewing her tenure application.

Hyderally said Russell actually received a large number of "extremely favorable reviews."

The University's online student course guide, based on computer-tabulated student evaluations at the end of each term, awarded Russell a 2.4 out of 5 in fall 2002, and 3.3 for fall 2001, for the overall quality of her class on mathematical models of engineering analysis.

Robinson-Brown emphasized that the administration would not tolerate gender discrimination.

Both Tilghman and Gutmann sit on the Committee of Three that reviews tenure applications. When Russell asked the University to reconsider its decision to deny her tenure, a committee of appeals determined the original decision had been fair, Robinson-Brown said.

Russell claims the University failed to properly investigate her allegations.

She is asking $1 million for "mental anguish, physical discomfort, pain and suffering, shame and embarrassment" and "lost wages, a diminished ability to earn a living, and a diminished capacity to enjoy plaintiff's life," the suit says.

Russell is also asking for $160,000 for graduate support she says the University had promised her, but did not fully provide.

Hyderally, the lawyer, said he thinks the case will reveal other instances of gender discrimination.

"We believe there are other female professors in the engineering department who will hopefully have the same strength as professor Russell to come forward with their claims which will develop this issue further," Hyderally said.

He said he will look to civil and environmental engineering associate professor Catherine Peters and chemical engineering professor Sandra Troian to develop his case.

Troian said further inquiry is important, but she declined further comment. Peters didn't comment.

According to Hyderally, De-benedetti refused to show Russell the student complaints against her, preventing students from discussing their complaints with her.

"There's no question that Professor Russell would have immediately responded to any student issues that were brought to her attention," Hyderally said. "It certainly appears that Paulo Debenedetti's actions were intentionally done to promulgate student dissatisfaction."

Nevertheless, Hyderally said, "Most students have provided extremely favorable reviews of [Russell's] teaching, and she enjoys excellent relations with most of her students."

The suit says reports of undergraduate dissatisfaction played a crucial role in the tenure committee's decision.

Robinson-Brown said that no professor is denied tenure solely on account of student reviews.

"Those arguments are not logical," she said. "These are very important decisions, and they are taken extremely seriously. Typically, no one factor would be enough for a committee of this magnitude to deny tenure. These committee members will be looking at a professor and their scholarly and teaching career holistically."

Fifteen faculty members, two of whom were female, were eligible to vote on Russell's tenure application.

According to last semester's report on women faculty in science and engineering, 17 percent of professors in the chemical engineering department are women, compared to the average of 13.9 percent. Women in sciences and engineering have a tenure rate similar to that of men, the report said.

Russell, at the University of California, San Diego, could not be reached for comment.