Black professor at CU dental school alleges longtime racial bias
By Kevin Vaughan and Jennifer Brown
The Denver Post
Posted: 05/13/2010
A black professor at the University of Colorado dental school is alleging a 29-year pattern of discrimination asserting he has been paid less than white colleagues and subjected to snubs and racial jokes.
Dr. Morris Clark is alleging violations of state and federal law in a 63-page notice to CU that sets the stage for a lawsuit and asserts he is entitled to damages that "potentially exceed several million dollars."
"It appears to be a continuous pattern," said Clark's attorney, Diane King. Clark was not available for comment, she said.
Dr. Denise Kassebaum, dean of the dental school, said in an e-mailed statement Wednesday that she takes the allegations "very seriously" and has initiated an investigation. The dean said the results of the investigation will be released and that "I look forward to commenting on the findings when they are available."
Kassebaum touted her efforts to increase diversity but did not specifically address assertions made in Clark's notice that he has been paid less than white colleagues or subjected to a pattern of racial abuse "including the stereotype that because Dr. Clark is black, he is both lazy and incompetent."
Neither Kassebaum nor any other official named in the notice would grant an interview, although several released written statements.
CU spokeswoman Jacque Montgomery said neither the university's human resources department nor its employment office has any record of a complaint filed by Clark during his almost three decades with the school. Those are the "appropriate places to report concerns of racial discrimination," she said.
Allegations outlined
Clark, who is director of anesthesia in the surgical dentistry department and a professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery at the Aurora campus, claims that he was the victim of a hostile work environment and that the school violated his First Amendment rights by retaliating against him after he complained about the treatment of minority and foreign students.
The allegations against administrators and fellow professors at the School of Dental Medicine are outlined in a "notice of claim" required under Colorado law before a government agency can be sued.
Among Clark's allegations is that he was paid far less than white professors.
For example, according to the notice, Clark and Dr. Mike Savage, who is not tenured, divide their coverage of the school's in-house clinic "equally." But the supplemental pay each was awarded for that work was disparate $19,027 for Clark, $192,269 for Savage.
And Clark claims that even though he has been the director of anesthesia since 1984, he has never received a stipend for that position while other directors are paid annual bonuses from $10,000 to $50,000.
Clark alleged Kassebaum routinely snubbed him in professional settings ignoring him at school functions, singling him out as the only faculty member not invited to the Christmas party, and turning a program he developed over to another faculty member.
Accusations disputed
Clark also alleged numerous instances in which other professors made racially charged comments to him.
At one meeting, Clark said, Dr. Don Kleier said of African-Americans: "Just because they have a president, they think they can get away with anything."
Clark also alleged that Dr. Lonnie Johnson said to him, "Aren't you taking off for Martin Luther King Day?" and referred to President Barack Obama as Clark's "boy."
In a statement, Kleier said he has worked with Clark for about 20 years and Clark never complained "to me about my conduct," adding that "I do not believe the press provides the proper forum in which to address Dr. Clark's concerns, I look forward to responding at the right time and in the right place, and I have no further comment at this time."
Johnson said he has worked with Clark for 25 years and during that time, "I have never been informed that Dr. Clark had expressed concerns or a complaint regarding offensive behavior on my part."
Clark also alleged a wider pattern of discrimination.
Since 1977, he and his attorney said, only eight of the 1,046 dentists who have graduated from CU were African-American.
Dean Kassebaum countered that 62 percent of the people she has hired since 2006 are "diverse or women." She said this year's entering dental class is the "most diverse we have ever enrolled," exceeding the national average for diversity.
Clark's claims come after months of turmoil for the dental school, including a probe by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration into drug-distribution practices.
Kevin Vaughan: 303-954-5019 or [email protected]
By Kevin Vaughan and Jennifer Brown
The Denver Post
Posted: 05/13/2010
A black professor at the University of Colorado dental school is alleging a 29-year pattern of discrimination asserting he has been paid less than white colleagues and subjected to snubs and racial jokes.
Dr. Morris Clark is alleging violations of state and federal law in a 63-page notice to CU that sets the stage for a lawsuit and asserts he is entitled to damages that "potentially exceed several million dollars."
"It appears to be a continuous pattern," said Clark's attorney, Diane King. Clark was not available for comment, she said.
Dr. Denise Kassebaum, dean of the dental school, said in an e-mailed statement Wednesday that she takes the allegations "very seriously" and has initiated an investigation. The dean said the results of the investigation will be released and that "I look forward to commenting on the findings when they are available."
Kassebaum touted her efforts to increase diversity but did not specifically address assertions made in Clark's notice that he has been paid less than white colleagues or subjected to a pattern of racial abuse "including the stereotype that because Dr. Clark is black, he is both lazy and incompetent."
Neither Kassebaum nor any other official named in the notice would grant an interview, although several released written statements.
CU spokeswoman Jacque Montgomery said neither the university's human resources department nor its employment office has any record of a complaint filed by Clark during his almost three decades with the school. Those are the "appropriate places to report concerns of racial discrimination," she said.
Allegations outlined
Clark, who is director of anesthesia in the surgical dentistry department and a professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery at the Aurora campus, claims that he was the victim of a hostile work environment and that the school violated his First Amendment rights by retaliating against him after he complained about the treatment of minority and foreign students.
The allegations against administrators and fellow professors at the School of Dental Medicine are outlined in a "notice of claim" required under Colorado law before a government agency can be sued.
Among Clark's allegations is that he was paid far less than white professors.
For example, according to the notice, Clark and Dr. Mike Savage, who is not tenured, divide their coverage of the school's in-house clinic "equally." But the supplemental pay each was awarded for that work was disparate $19,027 for Clark, $192,269 for Savage.
And Clark claims that even though he has been the director of anesthesia since 1984, he has never received a stipend for that position while other directors are paid annual bonuses from $10,000 to $50,000.
Clark alleged Kassebaum routinely snubbed him in professional settings ignoring him at school functions, singling him out as the only faculty member not invited to the Christmas party, and turning a program he developed over to another faculty member.
Accusations disputed
Clark also alleged numerous instances in which other professors made racially charged comments to him.
At one meeting, Clark said, Dr. Don Kleier said of African-Americans: "Just because they have a president, they think they can get away with anything."
Clark also alleged that Dr. Lonnie Johnson said to him, "Aren't you taking off for Martin Luther King Day?" and referred to President Barack Obama as Clark's "boy."
In a statement, Kleier said he has worked with Clark for about 20 years and Clark never complained "to me about my conduct," adding that "I do not believe the press provides the proper forum in which to address Dr. Clark's concerns, I look forward to responding at the right time and in the right place, and I have no further comment at this time."
Johnson said he has worked with Clark for 25 years and during that time, "I have never been informed that Dr. Clark had expressed concerns or a complaint regarding offensive behavior on my part."
Clark also alleged a wider pattern of discrimination.
Since 1977, he and his attorney said, only eight of the 1,046 dentists who have graduated from CU were African-American.
Dean Kassebaum countered that 62 percent of the people she has hired since 2006 are "diverse or women." She said this year's entering dental class is the "most diverse we have ever enrolled," exceeding the national average for diversity.
Clark's claims come after months of turmoil for the dental school, including a probe by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration into drug-distribution practices.
Kevin Vaughan: 303-954-5019 or [email protected]
