Nepotism investigated

Former SF State lecturer Yuko Franklin has claimed again that she was forced out of the Asian American studies department because of her views on interracial marriage.

She also said the current chair of the Asian American studies department, Marlon Hom, gave favorable treatment to his wife Lorraine Dong, an associate professor in the department, which violates the university's nepotism policy.

Hom said he had no comment, and Dong did not return the Golden Gater's phone calls.

Franklin alleged at an Academic Affirmative Action Committee meeting Wednesday that she was treated unfavorably after guest lecturing in Dong's class, "Asian American Women," in the spring of 1992. She said after her last lecture on interracial relationships, Dong verbally attacked her feelings on the issue.

Franklin said she told her students "it's up to the individual to decide who to marry." Franklin herself is in an interracial marriage, and her husband was at her side during the meeting.

"She (Dong) was very angry and she said, 'look, we've spent so many years to build this department as a group of apples and we don't want any oranges," Franklin said.

She also said Dong questioned whether or not she was a "true minority" and told her she had to learn the "proper" way to teach ethnic studies. Franklin said she was shocked at the reaction, which she categorized as a "threat" and a "slur."

"They talk about diversity," Franklin said of the department. "But it seems to be very ethnocentric."

Three months after Franklin's lecture in Dong's class, Hom signed a temporary faculty evaluation form for Franklin's regular class. Hom wrote that Franklin's students gave her an excellent rating, but he added "some written comments/suggestions from students in regards to her perspectives on race relations" to the evaluation.

Franklin said none of her students said anything about her perspective on race relations. She claimed the evaluation was false and it "shows favoritism towards Dong by supporting her attack."

Franklin wrote in a report she presented to the committee that she was promised she would teach "Asian American Women" on a rotation basis, but in March of 1993, Dong told her that Hom and then-chair of Asian American studies George Woo had given the position to Dong.

Within two weeks Hom was elected chair of Asian American studies. Franklin said Dong served on the election committee and voted in the election.

The SF State policy concerning nepotism states in the faculty manual under general affirmative action policies, "There shall be no blanket prohibition against employment of close relatives. However, no one may serve in capacities where he/she is required to supervise, have fiscal responsibility for, or make decisions on or influence the personnel status of any close relative."
Franklin said at the meeting that Hom created a new position, "Asian American Women Specialist," and then placed his wife, Dong, into the new post.

Franklin asked the committee to investigate her charge and find that nepotism was involved in her case. According to the faculty manual, it is the responsibility of the committee, in conjunction with the affirmative action coordinator, to monitor departmental efforts to comply with affirmative action regulations.

The committee reviews hiring, retention, tenure and promotion decisions to ensure they do not result in inadvertent discrimination.
The committee made no promises.

"I explained that we would provide you this time for you to state the factual basis for your nepotism complaint," said Eunice McKinney-Aaron, chair of the committee. "We will make no representation, we will make no statement of any kind, will make no promises of any kind because we are just not in any position to do so."

According to Franklin, she has filed four grievances in this case. The last two grievances were rejected by the university. She has also taken action through the California Faculty Association and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, but would not comment on the status of those complaints in order to maintain confidentiality.

When Franklin's temporary faculty contract expired in June 1994, she was not re-appointed. Franklin said Hom made that decision.

Since she left SF State, she has done "odd jobs" and has worked as adjunct faculty at the California Institute of Integral Studies.

"When you are teaching you still have some hope (that things will work out)," she said. "But once you are gone, there's nothing else to lose. Now I can see things more objectively."

[ Golden Gater Online November 14, 1995 ]

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