The Delphian
Published May 9, 2007
by Rachel Kaufman
Women professors at Adelphi are being paid less than men, according to a determination made by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
The University would not provide salary specifics, or the number of professors affected, but some estimates predict a settlement could cost the school up to $1.5 million yearly.
The salary discrepancy was first reported to the EEOC two years ago by a female professor in the Ruth S. Ammon School of Education. After her initial filing, a number of other professors also testified against the university, which resulted in the EEOC’s determination of employment discrimination at Adelphi.
As a private institution, Adelphi is not required to report salary information to government agencies. The EEOC, which monitors allegations of workplace discrimination, would not have become involved if not for the professor’s filing.
A determination, according to the EEOC, has no binding power other than requiring the two parties to try to reach a settlement. If this fails, then the EEOC may consider litigation or notify the plaintiff professors of their right to sue.
According to the education professor, the EEOC and Adelphi are still working towards conciliation. However, the University has stated in a faculty-wide e-mail that it intends “to challenge what [Adelphi] believes is an unfounded determination.”
The education professor, who has taught at Adelphi for 30 years, declined to comment, citing the advice of her legal counsel.
The University’s e-mailed statement said that the EEOC’s determination “is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the market forces and other non-discriminatory factors that are at play in the hiring and compensation of university faculty.
“We have a faculty with one of the highest percentage of tenured and tenure-track female professors in the country,” the statement said, “and [we] offer a generous leave policy that stops the clock on tenure so that our faculty members no longer have to decide between a family and their careers.”
A Freedom of Information Act request for more information was declined by the EEOC’s regional office.