Skip Robinson, PCC's first African American to gain a full-time teaching/coaching position, has been demoted.
I know this isn't a high school topic, but Robinson is a big part of Pasadena history. Officials at PCC need to go on record and explain their actions for his demotion. It's obvious their decisions were tied to the sexual-harrasment suit filed against him, which he continues to deny even though the school settled on a monetary settlement.
Is this a knee-jerk reaction? 37-years at the school and this is how it ends.
This comment from former coach Dennis Gossard leaves me wondering why this happened to a person I've always had a lot of respect for.
"We're puzzled by it," Gossard said. "If half the department was fed up with him, it'd be understandable, but there is like 95, 98 percent that love the guy."
Story in Monday's Star-News ...
PASADENA - Long-time Pasadena City College athletic director, coach and teacher Skip Robinson will be demoted from administrator to instructor effective July 1.
The decision by the PCC Board of Trustees to demote Robinson, who has been the athletic director and dean of the athletic department for more than 11 years, came around the same time as a March monetary settlement by the college of a sexual-harassment lawsuit filed by former PCC student and employee Kelley Mueller, 37, of Pasadena.
No one at PCC would tie the demotion to the settlement.
To continue reading story, click thread
In a complaint filed in November 2005, Mueller, who worked part-time as Robinson's assistant from 2003 to 2004, said she was frequently subjected to suggestive comments and inappropriate physical contact by Robinson and other PCC staff.
Mueller also blamed the college for mishandling her complaints and failing to prevent what she called a year-long pattern of similar behavior by Robinson.
Robinson, the first African American to gain a full-time teaching/coaching position at PCC, has denied the allegations.
"(People) just talk and try to spread things about me that aren't true," he said.
Though she could not give details, one of Mueller's attorneys, Anne Richardson of the Pasadena firm Hadsell & Stormer, said she believed the financial settlement to be "positive" for her client.
"Hopefully, PCC has done what it needs to do to make sure this does not happen to other women," she said Friday.
The decision to demote Robinson came at the end of a March 7 board meeting, with a vote of 4-1-1. Board member Geoffrey Baum voted against the decision, and new board member Hilary Bradbury-Huang abstained. Board Vice President John Martin was absent.
Prior to the vote, 10 colleagues from the athletic department spoke in support of Robinson in an attempt to prevent the action.
PCC board member Beth Wells-Miller said Friday she is unable to discuss the board's decision.
"With this situation, because it's a personnel matter, I think it's best that I make no comment on Mr. Robinson," she said.
PCC board President Consuelo Rey Castro and board member Geoffrey Baum also said they could not comment.
During his 37 years at PCC, Robinson was the first black track coach to win a state title in 1978 and the first black golf coach to win a state title in 1995.
"I don't know," said Dennis Gossard, PCC football coach from 1984 to 1994.
Gossard spoke on Robinson's behalf at the March 7 board meeting.
"We're puzzled by it," he said. "If half the department was fed up with him, it'd be understandable, but this is like 95, 98 percent that love the guy."
Still the athletic department dean until the end of the school year, Robinson continues to carry out his position's duties.
He was in Fresno the day after the meeting to support the women's basketball team and acted as the school's representative throughout the weekend.
He is also involved in the hiring process for a new men's basketball coach to take over the position from Mike Jones.
Robinson's attorney, Richard Schwab, said he and Robinson plan to meet with the board to see if the situation can be remedied.
Schwab noted that the board has the ability to modify or change past actions.
"I think the school board wants to do what's best for the school, but we also want to acknowledge the contributions he's made to them," Schwab said.
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Melendez worked as a correspondent for the San Gabriel Valley Tribune for three years and later landed a job as a freelance writer at the Los Angeles Times before accepting an offer at The Orange County Register covering high schools. Melendez covered Major League Soccer at The Register for three years before being promoted to report on the Lakers, Angels and Dodgers for the Web. Melendez also worked for the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Fresno Bee, Oakland Tribune and The Boston Globe. E-mail opinions, suggestions and tips to miguel.melendez@sgvn.com. |
Did we ever get more of an explanation?
You got to give this guy a break.I think he is completely innocent. Signed Judge Clarence Thomas
Accusations for $$. My how times have changed for the emotionally deprived.
Eventually
I don't think Mr. Robertson did anything wrong at all.
Sincerely,
former Sen. Packwood
Does the court of public opinion get you your job back?
If Mr. Robinson did what the public thinks as sexual harassment than it should erase his previous accomplishments - no one deserves to harassed in the work place and for Mr. R to use his position of power than his treatment in light.
However, if on the other hand as i suspect it is the nutty legal definition that lawyers have make up so they can't blackmail companies, governments and people to line their own pockets than shhame on PCC.
If it is the latter than Mr. R should defend himself in the court of public opinion.
The previous comment, like the Duke soccer coach situation, which was in Rick Reilly's column in Sports Illustrated recently, is one of the most disturbing overall situations I've ever read or heard of in the professional education field. The comment from the Duke Athletic Director telling the coach that "the truth doesnt matter anymore." The way you described the process reads like legal terrorism and ultimately a redistribution of power and wealth program. It goes so far, that even after power is changed (conflict coercion), then it gets redistributed again. Running fast to get nowhere. Im paraphrasing a bit and cant remember the verse number, but theres a verse in the Bible and it reads like "in the final days, what is white will be called black and what is black will be called white." Who and what mechanism set up the legal process for interpreting sex harrasment this way and is there anyway to change it? We were taught in Teacher Education school that when dealing with laws in the professional education environment, "its whats reasonable" is a safe way to interpret them. I dont see anything reasonable about losing your job over unproven accusations and dont see anything reasonable about being in fear for your job, everytime you come in the slightest bit of contact with somebody of any gender in the workplace. The whole educational environment is predicated on a person being able to connect and you cant connect when your live in fear of others. I cant believe that anyone at any occupational level in our society wants to go to a dis-empowered, unproductive work environment everyday.
I don’t know Skip Robinson, nor am I aware if this legal situation at PCC, however, I may be able to give some insight with respect to this situation. The current situation with respect to “harassment” claims in the workplace is very different then what the general public thinks. Today’s reality is what constitutes a legitimate harassment claim has made the workplace a very sterile place. Also, the potential liability associated for employers and their supervisors is enormous. The standard old precepts of “innocent until proven guilty” don’t necessarily prevail before a claimant can collect a hefty financial award.
First of all, what legally defines a legitimate harassment claim does not necessarily mean that someone has to sleep with someone, or even make an overt sexual advance. Just the mere suggestion of any sexual connotation by an employer or a management representative of an employer can create an extremely troubling legal situation, and creates what is legally termed a “hostile work environment.” Also, the behavior of a line employee in relation to another line employee becomes the responsibility and legal liability of an employer and their management. If an employee makes a claim, and the employer and supervisor doesn’t take very specific legal steps immediately, the employer takes on tremendous legal liability. Many times the simple accusation of harassment, even without significant proof, results in the immediate termination or suspension of a supervisor to protect an employer financially. In this situation, guilt or innocents is of very secondary concern to an employer, their financial liability is their first and sometimes only concern. Also, what is legally deemed inappropriate banter between two employees can leave an employer open to a harassment claim from a disinterested 3rd employee. The response from an accused that they didn’t mean anything or they were just joking is basically an admission and will typically result in them being immediately fired to insulate an employer from further financial liability.
To offer an extreme, but very real example, if Monica Lewinski’s objective was to gain a financial settlement from Bill Clinton she would have sued him for sexual harassment. Her claim would have surely been astronomical and it wouldn’t have been a claim against him personally. It would have also been a personal claim against her immediate supervisor in the White House and also the U.S. government. Some would suggest that she wouldn’t have a legal claim because her involvement was “consensual behavior.” Not true, because her legal claim would be that she felt her employment was threatened unless she consented and that claim is legally legitimate. Even if there was no sexual act, she would have had a very legitimate legal claim for harassment and that claim would have prevailed.
My guess is there was nothing even remotely as significant at PCC. It may have not even been a direct situation between the claimant and Mr. Robinson. I bet the claimant had a situation that was “legally” deemed “sexual harassment” and there was at least one other individual that confirmed that situation (that individual might not have even known they were substantiating a legitimate legal claim against Mr. Robinson or PCC). PCC recognized that legal defense is typically futile in these cases and opted to make legal settlement. Very typically this settlement is not just financial, but it will involve the termination or demotion of a supervisor … all of this without legally been proven guilty. A very sad situation but a very real situation, however, that is the status of employment law today and is a very typical situation. Oh yeah, as a term of settlement typically all of the parties involved are legally bound to not offer any explanation or comment of the situation to anyone … you’ll never find out the real story.
One other personal comment, my advice is that this situation should not be the postscript to judging Mr. Robinson’s character or his 37 years of service to PCC. Chances are he is a very decent guy, who got stuck in a very sticky legal situation.
Best of luck to you Mr. Robinson!
is that urkel's dad?
None of us works with Skip so we'll all be speculating. However, I've had some brief encounters with Skip, he's a good guy with a long and dedicated tie to PCC.
No one was willing to tie a demotion to a lawsuit but if the Trustees' reaction goes the way the whole Duke situation was handled by their administration, how very very unfortunate.
You are correct Fred. We need more of an explanation. This goes beyond a coach stepping down and saying "he wants to spend time with his family." Were there any statements from Robinson?