UQAM will have to compensate an employee who complained of having been the victim of racism by correcting the exam copies of a course on racist stereotypes.
The proofreader must have read responses containing discriminatory content, a labor arbitrator has ruled. The severity of her beatings was also criticized by students, with one attributing it to the fact that she was “foreign” and “from the French school”.
Gaëlle Summer Lebogo has therefore “been the victim of psychological harassment in the course of his work”, according to the decision of labor arbitrator Robert Côté dated last month. “The employer failed to take all necessary measures to put an end to the harassment after being informed of it by the complainant. »
The decision continues: “this situation deprived the plaintiff of her quasi-constitutional right to the safeguard of her dignity. […]but also compromised his right to equality on the basis of his sex and his ethnic origin”.
UQAM will have to pay him $4,000 in compensation. The institution defends its anti-harassment policies.
toxic atmosphere
The course in the center of the file, titled Introduction to black feminism, dates back to the year 2018-2019. It was provided by the Institute for Feminist Research and Studies (IREF) at UQAM, but accessible to students from all university programs.
Mme Summer Lebogo, a black woman, was chosen as a proofreader by the lecturer. The relationship between, on the one hand, the students and, on the other hand, the lecturer and the corrector deteriorated after a mid-term exam, the results of which were particularly poor.
“The reaction of some students to the results obtained following this first exam is the trigger for the allegations of harassment made by Ms.me Summer Lebogo,” explains the decision. Several copies contained answers “espousing colonial stereotypes”, assured the corrector.
The meeting organized afterwards with the class had “a certain je ne sais quoi of its own”, continued Mr.me Étémé Lebogo, who describes a toxic atmosphere marked by discrimination. Emails and meetings with disgruntled students followed, some of whom were familiar with her. It was on this occasion that a student would have reproached her for her correction inspired by “the French school” linked to the fact that she was “foreign”.
The “upset” corrector
The final exam asked students to discuss racial stereotypes associated with black women in history. The proofreader was “overwhelmed” by reading the responses.
Most of these responses do not constitute discrimination, decided Robert Côté. One of the copies, on the other hand, went too far.
“The student literally stuffs his text with animal qualifiers, in particular canines, to illustrate his point,” reports the referee. “About Aunt Jemima, who according to [l’auteure afro-américaine Patricia Hill] Collins is the stereotype of the helpful and submissive black woman, he will mention that she “is part of the family, like the dog”. Regarding the mythical figure of the n[ou]nou, which does not really exist, but is only fantasized by the white majority, he affirms “Like the dog of the residence to which the nanou is sometimes compared, the African-Americans can bite and refuse this role”.
The proofreader said she was overwhelmed by this reading and added that she cried a lot.
This event “is therefore retained as vexatious conduct”, ruled the referee.
In response to complaints from students, UQAM decided to completely redo the correction made by Mr.me Summer Lebogo. Making this decision without informing him was also vexatious conduct, according to Mr. Côté.
UQAM “always concerned with improving its practices”
Labor arbitrator Robert Côté concludes above all that UQAM and IREF did not act adequately in the face of the denunciations of the corrector.
“Rather than carefully examining and judging the complainant’s allegations, whether they subsequently prove to be founded or not, the various representatives of the University have, in a way, passed the buck,” he said. he assessed.
On Thursday, the university defended its handling of the case, pointing out that the arbitrator had recognized the existence of anti-harassment mechanisms within the establishment.
“UQAM takes note of the judgment and is always keen to improve its practices with regard to its interventions to prevent and put an end to situations of harassment,” said Jenny Desrochers, communications manager at UQAM. In this sense, a revision of the policy against psychological harassment came into effect in February 2020.
Mme Desrochers added that the IREF has created a new course called Feminisms and anti-racisms that students are encouraged to take before Introduction to black feminism. Gaëlleétémé Lebogo had recommended that the course she was correcting be accessible only to students enrolled in feminist studies, rather than to everyone.
The Union of Students Employed at UQAM (SETUE), which represented Ms.me Summer Lebogo, did not want to comment on the file. The union did not contact The Press with the complainant. The Press was unable to speak with her.