RYAN STROTHER

News Editor

Thomas White, a former Denison professor, claims he was discriminated against in the tenure process while he was employed as a professor in the art department three years ago. As a result, a complaint has been filed in the United States District Court.

His lawyer, John C. Camillus of Columbus, Ohio, filed the complaint on September 20th, 2016. According to the document, Thomas White is demanding a jury trial, and is accusing Denison University and Ron Abrams, a current Denison Professor, of two counts of violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

One count is for gender discrimination and the other count is race discrimination. The plaintiff is a white male.

White was hired in 2010 as a tenure-track visual and studio art professor. In 2013, Denison University began to consider White for tenure, but later that year he was informed that the University decided to recommend to the Board of Trustees that he not be granted tenure. White and his attorney claim that this was in part due to Mr. Abrams’ reservations about Mr. White’s qualification for tenure on the basis of his race and gender.

Allegedly, as a result of the denial of tenure, Thomas White was terminated from his position. Mr. White seeks compensation in an amount to be determined at trial.

There have been no further proceedings in this case beyond the initial complaint submitted in September.