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.