USC writing professor sues school
USC professor Gina Nahai has filed a workplace discrimination and harassment lawsuit against USC and the director of USC Dornsife’s Master of Professional Writing Program, Brighde Mullins.
Mullins has been director for five years and is an award-winning playwright and poet. Nahai, a 1988 graduate from the MPW program and award-winning author of four novels, has been an adjunct professor at the university since 1999.
The lawsuit, filed at the Los Angeles Superior Court in September, claims that Nahai has been “systematically discriminated against because she is an Iranian Jew by the bigoted Director of the Master Writing Program.”
The suit claims that Mullins had been “openly hostile and dismissive” to Nahai from their first meeting in 2008, the year Mullins was made director of the MPW program. It lists multiple occasions of alleged discrimination by Mullins toward Nahai.
In one instance in early 2009, Mullins reportedly denied Nahai the opportunity to visit local departments and universities to promote the MPW program. When pressed on the matter by Nahai, Mullins allegedly replied, “It’s important to have the right face to represent us.”
Another occurrence claims that Mullins supposedly removed Nahai from marketing materials related to the program. The record claims it was Mullins’ intention “to render [Nahai] invisible.”
As time went on, Mullins allegedly attempted to cut Nahai’s compensation to “less than living wages.” Mullins cited budgetary restrictions, but the lawsuit states that at the same time “Mullins was hiring new teachers” and “expeditiously got rid of 10 of the most senior members of the faculty.”
In the fall of 2010, Nahai allegedly confronted Mullins about her discriminatory behavior toward her and other older faculty members. Mullins allegedly “admitted that she should not have gotten rid of older employees,” and told Nahai, “You people [Iranian Jews] are very ambitious.”
On multiple occasions, the lawsuit cites Mullins as making discriminatory remarks toward Nahai, referring to Nahai and Iranian Jews as “you people.” The court filing states that Mullins “meant prejudiced negative traits associated with Iranian Jews.”
The lawsuit also claims that Nahai’s career has been “crippled,” and that Mullins refused to promote Nahai to assistant professor even though “she is the most qualified candidate.”
In the spring of 2010, Mullins allegedly attempted to change the status of the MPW from a terminal to non-terminal degree. A terminal degree is the highest degree that can be achieved in a field.
According to the lawsuit, Nahai was the only faculty member with this degree, and the decision “effectively would prevent [Nahai] from advancement to the title of Assistant Professor for not holding a terminal degree.”
Within the last three months, the lawsuit claims that Nahai’s name “has been removed as a faculty member of the Associated Writing Program,” allegedly harming both herself and her professional reputation.
The lawsuit states, “[Nahai] seeks only to be able to continue to teach, a true love in her life, and thrive in a discrimination-free work environment.”
The filing also accuses the university of not properly responding to the discriminatory accusations.
As a result of these alleged abuses, Nahai is claiming the loss of multiple benefits, salaries and promotional opportunities. She is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, as well as injunctive relief against future discrimination.
Due to pending litigation, Mullins would not comment on the allegations. USC Vice Provost Martin Levine released a statement on the lawsuit to the Daily Trojan.
“Ms. Nahai’s allegations have been looked into seriously within the university,” the statement said. “Considerations of privacy prevent me from going into the specific facts, but USC’s policy is to make all academic decisions on academic grounds, through established processes and committees, and consistent with our values.”
USC’s Office of General Counsel has also released a statement to Jewish Journal earlier this month.
“The university is committed to a teaching and learning environment free from unlawful harassment and discrimination. Ms. Nahai had already made her claims known to the university prior to filing this lawsuit, and the university has determined that they are wholly without merit,” the statement said. “The university is proud of its diverse and talented MPW faculty, including its director, Ms. Brighde Mullins, and will vigorously defend against these unfounded allegations.”
Tracy Chabala, a student of the MPW program from 2005 to 2008, said that she and fellow alumni were shocked over the allegations and the university’s stance.
“It was all very surprising to us now that it’s gone public,” Chabala said. “I found it troubling that the university would put more faith in this new director instead of showing loyalty to one of its alums.”
Chabala wrote a letter to President C. L. Max Nikias regarding her concerns over how the university has handled Nahai’s case.
“It’s on behalf of all the other students because we’ve been in casual contact with each other and everyone is pretty shocked,” she said.
Follow us on Twitter @dailytrojan
You can tell we’re writers, because our responses just go on and on :-) And again, I have to jump in. Tracy, it is in NO WAY disrespectful to say I don’t know you and you don’t speak for me. As you are aware, those are simple statements of fact. There was nothing in anything I said that even hinted that you shouldn’t speak positively on Gina’s behalf. You and I did exactly the same thing which was speak positively about what we believed. There is nothing wrong with that, and nothing I said indicates otherwise.
The additional fact that you haven’t been in the program for five years hasn’t nothing to do with connection to or dedication to USC but was specifically about the quoted statement that you speak for all of us, i.e. how could someone who isn’t even here and hasn’t been for years claim to speak for students she doesn’t even know.
And on that subject, I note that you said both you “never INTENDED” to speak for all the students and also that you “did not say all of the students or at least [you] DID NOT MEAN TO.” I’m sure you know that this makes it appear that, according to you, you very well may have said what I was reacting to. But let’s assume that you didn’t. That leads to the possibility (which you present as fact with several of the statements you make) that you were either deliberately or somehow unintentionally misquoted. And if that’s the case; if this writer intentionally took what you said to him, reworded it, and put it into quotation marks in such a way as to make what you said sound “ridiculous”–your word; then I don’t understand why you’re defending how this piece was constructed. I would think you’d be more upset than anyone.
I am neither naive, nor am I blind. I note, Austin, that you begin your letter by pledging your support for Gina and end it by warning not to blindly pledge support. I understand that, because, like me, you don’t believe you’re totally blind in this matter. You both feel you know Gina well enough to support her on these issues. You both also say you don’t know Brighde. I know them both (as stated in my original comment), and like you, wasn’t there behind closed doors. So, also like you, I am basing what I say, my support, on my gut feelings and my interactions with both over these years. I hold no animus toward Gina whatsoever, but like you, I have beliefs based on what I have seen and experienced.
And by the way, Austin, Gina is still teaching at USC and is on the website.
I am a 2012 graduate of the MPW program and would also like to pledge my support behind Professor Gina Nahai. Though she did have incredibly high standards, more so than some of the other professors in the program, I came to value that because I learned so much more from her. I loved her honest feedback and genuine concern for her students so much that after the first workshop I took with her in the Spring of 2012 I signed up for two more of her courses before graduation.
Gina stuck up for us and the value of our degrees and was apparently punished for it if she is no longer teaching at USC. The question you should be investigating is why Brighde wanted to devalue our degrees. Brighde is not an MPW grad and devaluing our degrees would not affect her. Our degrees would no longer be seen as an equivalent of an MFA, more like a technical certificate, and hurt all of us professionally in an already dismal economy. Because it would hurt the program and all of its alumni, what other reason could Brighde possibly have to do that other than to keep Gina from receiving tenure? What else could Brighde gain by requiring every MPW alum to also earn an MFA after entering the program under a different pretense to be seen on equal footing with our competitors? I am not making assumptions or accusations here, the facts seem to speak for themselves. I would love to know if there is a logical explanation at all. I personally cannot think of one.
I cannot say with conviction whether Brighde is racist or bigoted as I do not know her personally. I only came into contact with her during program-wide lectures and social events, where she did come across as warm and caring, but I never had her as a professor. Usually people who are racist or bigoted, however, go to great lengths to hide their prejudice and come up with pretext excuses. That is why the Civil Rights Act was created. Just because some students may be unaware of their professors’ prejudices does not mean they do not exist.
Allegedly Brighde also forced John Rechy off the faculty and fought his discrimination claims as well. If you are unfamiliar with Rechy’s work, he was a pioneer in LGBT and Chicano literature.
I mean you no disrespect but before you blindly pledge your support to either Gina or Brighde, I would recommend finding out the whole story.
Dear Tracy ~
Thanks for clarifying your comments. I, like you, am not in a position to comment about what happens behind closed doors. I am addressing three things: a) It would be a shame if scholarship suffers because of a one-sided portrait in an investigation that is still pending. (Just do a simple word count of the blaming and shaming implications within the text. ) If this were a school paper, I would imagine it would be a good example to examine for fair reporting. b) What is our obligation as artists to the truth? Yes, truth can be a dense thorny bush, but it is not a stick figure, unless you are a Steinberg or a Picasso. As aspiring journalists and writers, who have an opportunity to be in print through a school paper and expose our words for mass consumption, we have to tell it like it is; but tell it in 3-D, with well-researched arguments on both sides, empathy for the subjects discussed, fairness and concern for everyone depicted. I just did not think this particular portrait was fair. I still feel it was muckraking and unnecessarily inflammatory. But, that is just my opinion.
Hey everyone, yeah, I wrote a letter to the president on behalf of Gina’s character. I said nothing of Mullins. I told this writer that I wrote the letter on behalf of my FRIENDS who agree with me about the situation. I did not say all of the students, or at least I did not mean to.
In any event, we all are entitled to our opinions. I came forward with my opinion, and I am proud that I did and I am sticking to that and I never EVER intended to say that I speak for all the MPW students. That’s ridiculous. But, I wanted to speak on behalf of Gina’s character.
That’s it. Our convo was a lot longer. I did not approach this author to print this story.
Peace.
P.S. Let’s not be so naive to think that, just because we did not witness a particular behavior in someone, it does not exist. Trust, I have seen some pretty shocking things over the years in both my professional life and also in the MPW program itself back in 2007.
The program was in shambles and nearly fell apart and was ridden with scandal about six or seven years ago. Obviously, newer students aren’t aware of this. But let’s not forget the instructors who stuck with the program during that tumultuous time, who fought for its survival, and of course, Gina Nahai was one of them. This adds to my concern.
To diss me, because I have an opinion, because I spoke out on Gina’s character, like you all are doing for Mullins, is not fair. To rip this journalist a new one for reporting a pending lawsuit, when he in fact quoted the university’s stance on things, is also unfair.
Imagine the outrage when supporters of Nahai watch a beloved professor of nearly 15 years, with the very MPW degree the whole program is emphatically promoting, who Mullins called “treasured” in an introduction on a panel, is not promoted to Assistant Professor, while there are a bunch of new teachers in there who are?? It seems a bit, well, odd to say the least!
Does this mean those allegations are true? I’m not a lawyer, and I certainly won’t get into it here, neither will I say a bad word about Mullins, which you will see is not what this is about for me. But if I want to come forward on Nahai’s behalf, I have the right to, in as much as you all of course have the right to defend Mullins. And I was 100% honest in my letter to the president that I had no personal complaint with Mullins, that I barely interacted with her, and I even told this writer this.
No, I have not been at the university for five years. So? I put in my time and energy and passion five years ago, oh, and I was also the producer and director of the professional writing series. In fact, under my watch, we finally moved out of the dingy WPH basement and started readings in more interesting venues with faculty members and bestselling alums.
And my father played football for USC under John McKay. Oh, and I went to USC as an undergrad. And I worked at the USC Fisher Gallery to pay for my education. And oh, half my family and extended family went to USC, so I could go on and on about my DEEP investment/connection in the university, too.
It is very naive to think that having handbooks on harassment, training, and policies either prevents it from occurring or can possibly stop it. Harassment can be very subtle, and individual, and extremely insidious. Believe me. I have been the recipient. I have fought my way through my current field and seen plenty of duality in personalities. None of us know what went on behind closed doors for goodness sake, and yes, that includes me.
I actually appreciate that you guys put in your two cents, as it does add to the article. But the truth is, other publications made the lawsuit public. He reported it. And he has the right to write about it, and Gina has the right to her side of the story. And, clearly, USC has the right to promote and hire whomever they choose.
Dear Mr. Lemas,
I so wish I did not have to write this comment, but I feel compelled. I enjoy reading the “Daily Trojan” for reportage on ongoing events as well as special interest stories at my beloved USC; the school paper has been especially entertaining during moments of procrastination during homework assignments. At times admittedly, I use the paper to line my birdcage.
It seems after yesterday’s article, however, I might be using the paper more often to collect bird droppings. I do not fault the paper, but just wonder how could this have happened? Your article displays an unfortunate lack of objective reporting regarding an alleged, pending lawsuit against the MPW program, and in particular the inspired department head Professor Mullins.
My daughter went to USC, my husband taught at USC and I am now a student in the MPW program. I appreciate USC’s diverse community of students, faculty, and support staff. It is deeply concerning that you as a journalist appear to have misled your reader. It seems that you may have not pursued an even-sided account before printing one word. I have been very impressed with USC with the rigor when it comes to harassment (including annual online training required every year).
As a Jew I am particularly sensitive to remarks that could undermine me if I let them. I have had my share of mean remarks. I agree with the previous two comments in this thread. Of coures, it is important to investigate any allegations, but to fly the imaginary dirty laundry on our flag-pole, you need to be metaphorically b-slapped. I have to wonder about the timing on this article? Was it really necessary to publish this before the other shoe drops? I hope there is an outpouring of outrage, because this kind of name calling in the press — any press — whether in quotation marks or not — is not pretty, even in the spirit of freedom of speech. The subtext is mean-spirited, inflammatory and one-sided. I hold our community to a higher standard in the pursuit of truth… in art, science, religion, and journalism.
Carry on, we are all here to learn to be better people, better artists and better scientists. My request is that you send out a correction/retraction/amendment to this unfortunate, unkind suggested portrait of someone who has only given her blood, tears and complete soul to the MPW program, Bridghe Mullins. She deserves a medal for her service, not muckraking based on false innuendo. The “he said/she said” formula does not work when people’s hard earned
careers are on the line. Get the facts. Not implications. ‘Nuff said, back to my homework!
I am a current student in the MPW program and will be submitting my thesis in December. I, like a lot of my peers in the program, was shocked at the allegations in this matter. I was equally shocked at the tenor of the Trojan article which was criminally one-sided. One has to wonder why Mr. Lemas didn’t pick up the phone or walk across campus to at least get a comment from Brighde, or perhaps speak with someone other than Tracy Chabala. Did he even question how she was in a position to speak for “all the other students?”
Let me be clear: I wasn’t a witness to any of the conversations or actions which the lawsuit alleges, so I am not commenting on that, and this is not about those allegations. But let me further clarify: I don’t know Tracy other than as a writer on Gina’s Facebook page, and SHE DOESN’T SPEAK FOR ME. If I need someone to speak on behalf of my 62-year old black ass, I will. . .wait, I DON’T.
So, speaking for myself, here is what I have to say: I had a class with Gina, and I’ve interacted with her across these two plus years, including attending a function at her beautiful home. I’ve also had classes with Brighde and gotten to know her. I’ve interacted with both as the Coordinator of the MPW Student Faculty Readings series and as one of the Organizers of the Second Act Club. I found both of them to be excellent teachers and speakers and amazing writers, each in her own style.
From my personal perspective, I have found Brighde to be warm, welcoming, supportive, and positive. I’ve never seen or heard anything that might indicate the kind of bigotry she is accused of. And no, I’m not an Iranian Jew, but my experience has been that bigots out themselves sooner or later. I’ve heard from both Middle Eastern and Jewish classmates about this, and I think it would behoove anyone who wonders about the matter to speak with some of them directly, rather than believe one person, who’s been out of the program for five years, speaks for all of us.
I am not “anti-Gina,” because she has the right to her feelings, but I have to share the truth of what I’ve experienced, and the Brighde I’ve known for these years is not the person described in that article.
I see that Brighde was, in fact, approached for a comment, so my apologies for that oversight. I stand by everything else.
Why did you publish an incomplete story? Where’s your work?
You repeat other people stories. You repeat on what other people told the Jewish Journal last month, but you don’t say Nahai’s connection to the Jewish Journal.
Did you look for students who like MPW program, or Mullins? The sole student in story is Facebook friend of Nahai’s, member of a Twitter group called #ginaswriters, who says on internet over and over she supports Nahai. Did you seek out any students who did not already express a view on this lawsuit, or students who know Mullins?
Did you find out why case is in court and not arbitration? Here’s USC policies from USC website: http://policies.usc.edu/i-alphaindex.html It includes a link to the Faculty handbook, and agreement to arbitrate claims policy. Every faculty signs this. Is Mullins even the decider about promotions in MPW?
Anti-Semitism is very bad and it is good laws can stop it. Allegations of anti-Semitism are important. But they are not fact. You should report fact.