Employee sues U. over bias, harassment

University employee Joyce Schofield, an administrative assistant in the Compensation Office of the Division of Human Resources, is suing the University claiming her superiors sexually harassed her and discriminated against her because she is black. A court document filed in Federal Court Tuesday by Schofield and her attorneys is asking for compensation in excess of $100,000. Schofield's attorney, Deborah Weinstein, said she feels very confident concerning her client's claim against the University. "She made an internal grievance with the University and they failed to take prompt and remedial action against her charges," Weinstein said. "And consequently her supervisors retaliated against her." University General Counsel Shelley Green said she had not seen the complaint, and could not comment on its allegations. She added, however, that the "University takes very seriously any allegations of sexual harassment and race discrimination." Much of Schofield's case against the University concerns her supervisors, former Human Resources Communication Manager J. Bradley Williams, former Vice President for Human Resources R. William Holland and former Assistant Vice President for Human Resources Adrienne Riley. Schofield alleges that Riley said there was a systematic design to keep black employees "uneducated and stupid." Schofield also said Williams compared the division to a "plantation" and said that Riley would always view the plaintiff as a "slave." Between January 1993 and July 1993 Schofield said she was subjected to sexual harassment, according to a court document. She alleges that Williams made several sexually explicit comments to her that made her feel uncomfortable. Schofield also claims that Williams made unwelcomed sexual advances to her. When she rejected these advances, Williams threatened to punish her. "All you need a man for is to fulfill your physical desires," Williams allegedly told the plaintiff. The suit also alleges that Schofield was denied benefits normally provided for white employees. When Schofield asked to have her position reclassified to a higher position, she claims her request was denied. Subsequently, she alleges that a white female was hired for the job who had much less experience than Schofield. "Williams repeatedly told plaintiff that Riley and the University administration had racist attitudes toward plaintiff and that Riley hated plaintiff because plaintiff was a "strong black woman," according to the suit. In one alleged racial incident, Schofield claims that she requested to work at home for about eight weeks because she had just undergone major surgery. Her request was allegedly denied by Williams. He also allegedly told her that Riley would accept a white woman's request but "will not do anything to assist a black person." According to the suit, Williams' alleged racist comments were part of a policy of racial discrimination that supervisors knew or should have known about. Schofield alleges that she felt constantly threatened and was afraid to complain because of fear of retaliation from Riley. The suit states that on June 15, 1993, Schofield informed Riley of Williams' discriminatory conduct. Then on June 29, 1993, University officials allegedly told Schofield that they would investigate her internal grievance. After filing her complaint, Schofield claims she was continually discriminated against, and become the subject of retaliation because she had filed the grievance within the University. Schofield filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in February 1994, Weinstein said. It is law for individuals to file grievances with the EEOC before a suit can be heard in federal court. The EEOC must then issue a right to sue. University officials in the Human Resources Department interviewed yesterday said Williams, Riley and Holland had all resigned in the past few months. Williams, Riley and Holland could not be reached for comment.

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