St. Phillips College Administrator Investigated for Racy Emails
You would think people would know better, by now. St. Phillip's College, a junior college, part of the Alamo Community College District system, is investigating an administrator at St. Phillip's for sending hundreds of bawdy emails. See San Antonio Express News report. Warren Parker, an instructor at St. Phillip's, filed a complaint with the EEOC about allegedly hundreds of emails sent him by Program Director Donna Laird. Mr. Parker claims that Ms. Laird cc'ed so many people, including her own supervisors, that he presumed these emails were the norm. He failed to complain until he was recently turned down for tenure. Mr. parker claims these emails evidence sexual harassment.
The Complainant says Ms. Laird has been forwarding these emails to him since he started working at St. Phillip's in 2005. He retained some 100 of these mails, but claims there have been 400 or more. The emails include scantily clad vaginas, pictures mocking young blacks dressed up for prom as "ghetto," a woman simulating oral sex on the stick shift of a car, and more.
For those of you who do not know, you should not forward such emails. Racy emails contribute nothing to your work and could place you in a position similar to that which Ms. Laird now finds herself. Not surprisingly, the Express News reporter tried to contact other recipients of the email and could find no one willing to speak to her.
The day after the Express News published this initial report, St. Phillip's College fired Warren Parker. See San Antonio Express News report. The letter firing Mr. Parker was apparently mailed before the news report was published. St. Phillips better have a good reason for the termination. Anytime an employer fires an employee after they have filed an EEOC charge, the employer needs to have a very good reason. Without a good reason, the termination will look like retaliation for EEO activity.
St. Phillip's claims it fired Mr. Parker because he used a sick day to take care of his side-busines, providing education for radiography users. But, St. Phillip's will need to show that it has fired other employees with similar transgressions.
It's funny how Mr.Parker used to read those emails to his students; laughing at all of them. Now this doesn't justify the sending of these emails, but Parker was a part of all of it and is seeking monetary retribution for not recieving tenure. I hope the defending lawyers seek the students out as they are witnesses to Parker's involvement.
I believe that PARKER and LAIRD are two of a kind. I only hope that the "System" works as it was designed and intended to. The two of them both deserve to be fired. In life what goes around....
So, I guess the first Amendment, Freedom of speech/press, doesnt apply anymore.? If you dont like something, you delete it. How many E mails have I gotten that I didnt like, and I just deleted them. Parker was fired on a technicality: He used a sick day to attend a conference. (He was fired by the Black head of St Phillips, to cover herself, for firing Ms. Laird, who is White). People today are too hyper-sensitive over Rascism, prejudice, and sexism. Delete the E Mails and move on, dont make a big deal over it.
all i have to say to Mrs. Laird..one word KARMA!!!!!!!!!! and to Mr. Parker I hope the best for you... your too better then to stoop to her level, she is wrong and racist.