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Posted: 9/24/07

Student sues over racial slur

Graduate student Barbara Franks, liberal arts, has filed a lawsuit against the University of Missouri (UM) and the UM Board of Curators, alleging discrimination on the basis of race, sex and retaliation.

While employed in the Work Study Program in October 2006, Franks alleges her supervisor, Janet Carnett, administrative manager in the UMKC Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Office, made a racial slur by stating, "Don't make the black bitch come out in me."

The lawsuit, filed Sept. 6, alleges Franks was terminated for complaining about the racially hostile environment. It also alleges she lost another position as a work study because of a negative reference from the first department.

Carnett replied to the University News by e-mail, suggesting that, as the lawsuit was against UM, all inquiries should be directed to Grace Hernandez, Director of Affirmative Action.

UMKC Public Communications said the university could not comment due to pending litigation.

Franks, as of press time, had not yet replied to the University News.

- Derek Simons

UMKC professors get grant

Caroline Davies, assistant professor of Geosciences, Donna Russell, assistant professor of Education, and Iris Totten of the Kansas State Department of Geology were awarded a $700,000, three-year grant from The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The grant creates and assesses geosciences virtual learning environments in Second Life, a 3-D virtual world. Currently under construction, "Terra World" will be a geologic space composed of different times and places in the earth's history.

- Joshua Seiden