While many Californians are struggling to keep their jobs, one professor’s position remains in limbo after filing an age discrimination complaint against CSUN for a full-time position he feels should have been given to him.

Dr. James Aldrich, a 10-year veteran of the sociology department said he filed the complaint last September after being told the position had to be properly advertised first.

‘[Faculty Affairs] said they had to advertise the position nationwide first, before they could give the position to me,’ Aldrich said. ‘I have been teaching the coursework for 10 years part-time.’

Aldrich was applying for an assistant professor position in the sociology department.
He said he had received excellent ratings from past students, but was not called for an interview.

‘I was rated 60th of 64 applicants,’ Aldrich said. ‘I have been seeking answers since Dec. 2007 as to how I earned this low ranking and age discrimination emerged as a result of ageist remarks and actions from the chair of the Sociology Department.’

Aldrich, 63, added that the applicants considered for the position were in their mid-thirties.

‘It appears that the university is taking the position that teaching (our primary responsibility) takes a back seat to numerous other considerations,’ said Aldrich.

Vice President of Faculty Affairs, Dr. Penelope Jennings, wouldn’t comment on the details or acknowledge the fact that a complaint was made.

‘This is a confidential university personnel matter that would not be discussed at this time, said Jennings.’

Jennings said that if a faculty member felt they were being discriminated against in any way they could refer to the California Faculty Association union contract that outlines grievance procedures.

Under the article, when an employee is the grievant, they are directly wronged in connection with the rights accruing to his or her job classification, benefits, working conditions, appointment, reappointment, tenure, promotion, reassignment or the like, including but not limited to rights arising under this agreement.’

The contract states there are two grievances to file, a statutory grievance and a contract grievance.

A faculty employee who has been employed for more than one semester or quarter that alleges they have been directly wronged as defined above, either individually or as a group, can file for a statutory grievance.

Any faculty employee who alleges they have been directly wronged in one of the grievances mentioned above can file a contract grievance.

‘After the filing of all the necessary paperwork there is a Faculty Hearing Committee Panel scheduled to analyze what is being alleged by the grievant,’ Jennings said.

The paperwork that is filed must include a description of the grounds of the grievance, including names, dates and places, a proposed remedy, the name or the department the grievant is filing the complaint against, and the date of submission, according to the article.

‘At this point I am unsure regarding the outcome,’ Aldrich concluded. ‘The FHC members have 14 days to write an advisory report.’