Lawsuit Claims Bard College Is Racist Environment

ANNANDALE, NY — A former visiting assistant professor at Bard College filed a lawsuit against the institution claiming an environment "so racist she could only describe it as a scenario from the racial horror film, 'Get Out.' "

The plaintiff, identified as Jane Doe and described as a gay woman of color, said in the lawsuit that Bard professors called her "arrogant" and "feral" and unapologetically had her African American guests held at gunpoint by state police in the middle of the night.

Doe claims that, during her 10 years of employment at Bard, she was denied promotions and kept in a "visiting" faculty position, which was against the college's own policy, while lesser-qualified white employees were promoted.

She said the college was openly hostile to people of color and had to endure a continuously hostile work environment.

Doe said, for years, she alerted Bard senior faculty and administrators to the discriminatory treatment she and students of color experienced and the college's inaction in addressing students who came forward with sexual assault and harassment allegations.

She said the college retaliated against her "by denying her promotions, undermining her career, refusing to protect her against a violent student, conducting a sham investigation against her that was itself an act of racial harassment, and ultimately terminating her employment."

The lawsuit was filed Aug. 25 in the United States District Court Southern District of New York.

A spokesman for Bard College told Patch that it does not generally comment on pending cases, "but the allegations in this complaint are so outrageous that they require response."

He said the complaint has no merit, and the college will defend itself and its colleagues against the baseless claims in court.

"The plaintiff, who has chosen to file this case anonymously, was terminated for cause after a thorough, independent investigation, and is making provably false statements in the complaint," the spokesman said, adding that the college wants to push back on the "terrifyingly successful exploitation of falsehoods in public life."

He said the college will not be held hostage to salacious, unfounded claims and looks forward to refuting these allegations through the legal process.

Doe is being represented by attorneys Avery Gilbert and Zachary Bendiner of Rhinebeck, the Strategic Advocacy Clinic at Yale Law School as well as Larry Organ, Zarrina Ozari, and Kira Brekke of the California Civil Rights Law Group.

When contacted by Patch for a comment, Gilbert said they are confident Bard will be held accountable and that the truth will come to light.

"The facts alleged in the complaint are indeed shocking, but unfortunately true," she said. "The evidence will show that our client was not terminated for "cause" but for failing to be silent in the face of ongoing discrimination against people of color, Title IX violations and the long-standing, institutionally accepted, misconduct of Bard faculty and administrators."

Doe is seeking a jury trial and damages from Bard College in amounts to be determined at trial.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was modified from its original version to add comments from Jane Doe's attorneys.