A University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire staff member is suing his employer for being kicked out of a position in a campus diversity office for allegedly being “white.”
The lawsuit alleges that when Rochelle Hoffman was promoted to interim director of the UW-Eau Claire campus Multicultural Student Services office, students told the school’s former vice chancellor of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and Student Affairs, Olga Díaz , that a white woman was unfit to preside over a position intended to serve students of color.
“You hired a white woman as interim director?” one student was named in a federal complaint against the university.
According to the complaint, another student asked, “Do you personally believe that white staff can do as effective a job as a person of color, within a space for people of color?”
Hoffman said she felt forced to resign last year after eight months of intense hostility and staff questioned her “legitimacy” after she was promoted to interim director of the campus’ Multicultural Student Services office, the complaint states.
Hoffman worked for the campus office of Blugold Beginnings for six years before the promotion.
According to Wisconsin Public Radio, “the office served first-generation, low-income and underrepresented college students.”
The office reportedly merged with UW-Eau Claire’s Office of Multicultural Affairs last year.
“Yet, despite Hoffman’s exceptional qualifications, students, faculty, and staff opposed her appointment as interim director of MSS solely because she was white,” the complaint states. “The problem was exclusively Hoffman’s white identity; The criticisms were about her race and color, not her qualifications.
Hoffman said she felt forced to resign last year after eight months of intense hostility and staff questioning her “legitimacy” after she was promoted to interim director of the campus’ Multicultural Student Services office. WKBT News 8 Now/YouTube
The complaint also says that while Hoffman worked at Blugold Beginnings and Multicultural Student Services, her ratings in a performance review praised her as “Exceeds Expectations” and “Outstanding.”
The complaint further states: “However, despite Hoffman’s exceptional qualifications, students, faculty and staff opposed her appointment as interim director of MSS solely because she was white. The problem was exclusively Hoffman’s identity as a target; The criticisms were about her race and color, not her qualifications.
After suing her employer on December 14 in the Western District of Wisconsin, Hoffman now works as a senior academic advising coordinator for the university.
The lawsuit lists the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, UW-Eau Claire Chancellor Jim Schmidt and Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Teresa O’Halloran.
A UW-Eau Claire spokesperson sent Fox News Digital a statement about the lawsuit.
The lawsuit lists the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, UW-Eau Claire Chancellor Jim Schmidt and Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Teresa O’Halloran. WKBT News 8 Now/YouTube
“As is the case with all pending litigation, UW-Eau Claire will not provide a statement or comment on the lawsuit. “UW-Eau Claire does not discriminate on the basis of race in any employment decisions,” the spokesperson said.
The UW-Eau Claire Board of Regents sent Fox News Digital the following statement: “We do not comment on pending litigation.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn