ony. Andrea had said her aunt
thought that the excessive course load given Diana by Lyle was an
attempt to break her spirit or drive her from the department. Ann
declared that she, "could not remember saying that. It is possible
that was what Andrea understood me to say."

When asked directly if there was sex discrimination in the department,
she said that in the past, she had felt some discrimination because of
sex, but she knew now that this was not the case. She gave several
reasons why she was not treated the same or paid as much as the males
in the department.

"It probably was because my research is so much different from the rest
or because Lyle was new in the position and didn't realize what he was
saying."

Jane felt anger toward Ann as she listened. She had asked around for
information about her when she knew Ann would be testifying. Ann, of
all people, knew what the situation truly was because Lyle had named
her as the department Affirmative Action representative. Reflecting on
the efficacy of the AA program, Jane knew that Belmont, like most
universities around the country, had continued problems with grant
procurement due to being out of compliance with the laws concerning
discrimination and harassment. To counter this, or rather, to nip any
potential problems in the bud, the administration created a setup
whereby every department had an appointed representative for
Affirmative Action.

All complaints had to be brought to this person. At NERD, this was
Ann--who in turn took them to the department chair. A case of the
proverbial fox guarding the chickens, Jane thought wryly.

The complaints and the person complaining, the complainant, were
"handled" by a special administrative flunky. It was made crystal
clear that problems would increase if one pursued a complaint. Faculty
women on tenure track were especially vulnerable to these kinds of
threats.

If the charge was serious and the complainant had evidence and
witnesses, and could not be persuaded to drop the charges, the common
practice was to transfer the complainant to another department. No one
could ever remember a male at Belmont being punished, transferred or
discharged for discrimination or harassment.

Jane knew that Ann had heard complaints--from women in the department
and from medical students who had suffered discrimination and
harassment. She shook her head sadly, wondering what she would have
done in similar circumstan