Alleging a 20-year pattern of gender bias in hiring and compensation, eight female Penn State professors in the College of Medicine are suing the university.
The lawsuit states that the university and the College of Medicine have engaged in unlawful discriminatory practices in employment, with respect to compensation and benefits because of the professors' gender.
"The fact is that they believe that they have not achieved parity in pay to male employees," Clifford Haines, the professors' attorney, said. "It's largely an economic discrimination."
According to the lawsuit, the professors, whose fields include neuroscience, biochemistry and physiology, first forwarded their complaints to the College of Medicine's administration in 2000. They then filed a complaint with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), receiving permission in January to sue the university. Defendants include Penn State University, Penn State President Graham Spanier and Harold Paz, dean of the College of Medicine.
The professors are suing for back pay, denied or reduced bonuses and legal costs.
College of Medicine spokesman Sean Young said that Penn State is compliant with non-discrimination regulations, including the Federal Equal Pay Act and the Pennsylvania Equal Rights Amendment.
"The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reviewed this case extensively," Young said. "It has found no plausible cause that the laws have been violated."
University Spokesman Bill Mahon agreed with Young via an e-mail message, saying the investigation included "face-to-face fact finding conferences with both sides."
Haines said that the EEOC gave the judicial "green light" to sue and suggested that its investigation may not have gone into sufficient depth.
"The EEOC only has so much ability or opportunity to conduct an investigation," he said. "It's not considered to be the end all, be all."
Representatives from the EEOC could not be reached by press time yesterday.
Haines said that the lawsuit is not alleging any sexual harassment or unfriendly work practices, focusing solely on wage inequities.
The suit is the latest in a string of legal actions filed against Penn State on the basis of discrimination.
Former College of Education professor Constance R. Matthews filed a lawsuit in Pennsylvania Middle District Court in January against the university and two of her superiors on the basis of gender and sexual orientation discrimination.
Penn State professor Beverly Lindsay, also from the College of Education, sued the school for racial discrimination in September. The case is currently in mediation.
Mitchell Aboulafia, former philosophy department head, filed a lawsuit in 2005 claiming that he was demoted after reporting alleged discrimination within the department. The case was resolved out of court in June.
Pharmacology professor Joan Summy-Long filed a lawsuit in June claiming that the university's alleged refusal to grant her salary raises, promotions, bonuses and other benefits was a result of gender discrimination.
The university has denied any discrimination in the cases.
Penn State officials have not yet received the lawsuit filed by the College of Medicine professors, and court dates will be determined pending the response.
