"I don't think students realize how powerful they are, and I want them to realize that," Garcia said.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
To The Honorable Linda Garcia (Del Mar Board of Regents)
"I don't think students realize how powerful they are, and I want them to realize that," Garcia said.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
THINGS EMPLOYERS WISH THEY HAD NEVER SAID
"I don't think students realize how powerful they are, and I want them to realize that," Garcia said.
Table of Contents Index Previous Page Next Page
THINGS EMPLOYERS WISH THEY HAD NEVER SAID
"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." Whoever came up with that old saying probably never talked with employment law attorneys and the employees who file lawsuits against their employers based in part on hurtful language at the workplace. The days when people can say whatever they want to without fear of recrimination are gone forever, if they ever really existed at all. Here is another old saying that one never seems to hear in court: "To err is human; to forgive is divine." Employers sometimes err, but should not count on employees being divine. Court cases and newspaper articles dealing with employment discrimination are often replete with words that employers end up wishing they had never spoken. This article outlines some of the many things that, once uttered, cannot be unsaid and usually end up being thrown back in an employer's face in court. The various epithets and sayings are organized into the categories of discrimination they implicate, and all are examples of epithets, offhand remarks, or conversational snippets that have appeared in real court cases. One way to think of them is as "never-says", for they are things that an employer that wishes to stay out of court should never say either to or in the presence of an employee.
Racial Discrimination Never-Says
*
Racially-oriented jokes - laughter is cheap; lawsuits are expensive
*
Singling out racial minorities for obscene gestures or words
*
Criticizing only racial minorities
*
Telling minority employees that the only reason they're not fired is because the law won't let them be fired
*
Well-known racial slurs
*
Antiquated terms relating to race or color
*
Terms based on assumptions about a person's ethnic background
*
"You people"; "your people"
*
"wrong side of the tracks"
*
Do not say: "Do you prefer being called 'black', 'African-American', or what?"; "… 'brown', 'Hispanic', 'Latino', 'Mexican-American'…?" - this shows far too much preoccupation with ethnicity; the employer should stick to worrying about whether someone can do the job; just call employees "employees" and refer to them by name
EEOC guidance on racial discrimination: http://www.eeoc.gov/types/race.html
National Origin Never-Says
*
National origin-related jokes
*
Referring to people in terms of their assumed nationalities
*
Making fun of accents
*
Constantly bringing up shortcomings of people's supposed countries of ancestry
*
EEOC is focusing on discrimination against people who are assumed to be of Middle Eastern descent
EEOC guidance on national origin discrimination: http://www.eeoc.gov/origin/index.html
Age Discrimination Never-Says
*
Jokes that depend upon making fun of older people
*
"You can't teach an old dog new tricks."
*
"over the hill", "past his prime", "she's seen better days", "golden-ager", and cruder slurs typically associated with age-related put-downs
*
Referring to older employees as "Prunella" or "Methusaleh" or other names associated with old age
*
"Over-qualified"
*
"We need new blood around here."
*
"We need fresh faces around here."
*
Frequently asking when someone is finally going to retire
*
Subtler - even this can be misconstrued: asking someone if they're going to be comfortable working under someone younger than they are (too much focus on age – find another way to get an idea on that)
EEOC guidance on age discrimination: http://www.eeoc.gov/types/age.html
Links to good articles on the value of recruiting older workers:
http://www.aarp.org/research/work/employment/workers_fifty_plus.html
http://www.hrms-netassets.net/templates/template.asp?articleid=1536&zoneid=16
Disability Discrimination Never-Says
*
Disability-related jokes
*
Making fun of various disabilities
*
Disability-related slurs
*
Frequently calling attention to someone's limitations
*
"Now he'll probably go and file a workers' comp claim!"
EEOC guidance on disability discrimination: http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/accommodation.html
DOL Guide to hiring people with disabilities: http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/disability/hiring.htm
Job Accommodation Network: http://janweb.icdi.wvu.edu/
Religious Discrimination Never-Says
*
Religion-based jokes
*
"You're not going to Heaven."
*
"There's only one way to get into Heaven."
*
"Atheists are going to hell."
*
"That's a Jew/Muslim/Buddhist/atheist for you!"
EEOC guidance on religion-based discrimination: http://www.eeoc.gov/types/religion.html
Gender Discrimination Never-Says
*
Jokes that depend upon making fun of one gender or another
*
Always calling attention to male/female worker ratios, or differences between genders (isn't there something related to the actual work that people can talk about?)
*
Unsolicited remarks about a person's appearance, even if they seem like compliments
*
Words relating to female stereotypes: the "b" word, "honey", "darling", "cute li'l thang"
*
Try to avoid the term "ladies" - most people nowadays consider it either fawningly patronizing or even disrespectful, depending upon the context, and especially when uttered by a male employee
*
Don't pronounce job titles with "-person" in them sarcastically or comically on a regular basis; better solution: find and use generic, gender-neutral job titles, such as director, manager, board chair, driver, operator, designer, and so on
*
If there are people in the office who are unusually attractive, do not call attention to their appearance or to what their appearance can supposedly do for the company
*
Avoid jokes or speculation about marital status, marital relations, body parts, and mechanical or drug-related body part enhancers
*
"She's pregnant? Well, great – now she'll be off for who knows how long!"
*
To someone who has just experienced possible sexual harassment: "Don't worry about him – that's just the way he is!"
EEOC guidance on gender-based discrimination: http://www.eeoc.gov/types/sex.html
The foregoing are just some examples of what the EEOC, judges, and juries sometimes consider in order to find that a hostile work environment exists in a company that has been accused of illegal discrimination. Sometimes good manners and common sense help avoid remarks like that, while training or fear of lawsuits might wield more influence at times. Whatever it takes, though, employers should be very careful to keep from ever uttering such things, because even though others might seem to smile or nod in agreement, or at least remain quiet, such words hang on the air like the scent of a skunk, and if a discrimination claim or lawsuit is ever filed, it is almost inevitable that the one who said them, as well as the company that employs him or her, will have to eat those words.
Return to Businesses & Employers
Return to TWC Home
Table of Contents Index Previous Page Next Page
THINGS EMPLOYERS WISH THEY HAD NEVER SAID
"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." Whoever came up with that old saying probably never talked with employment law attorneys and the employees who file lawsuits against their employers based in part on hurtful language at the workplace. The days when people can say whatever they want to without fear of recrimination are gone forever, if they ever really existed at all. Here is another old saying that one never seems to hear in court: "To err is human; to forgive is divine." Employers sometimes err, but should not count on employees being divine. Court cases and newspaper articles dealing with employment discrimination are often replete with words that employers end up wishing they had never spoken. This article outlines some of the many things that, once uttered, cannot be unsaid and usually end up being thrown back in an employer's face in court. The various epithets and sayings are organized into the categories of discrimination they implicate, and all are examples of epithets, offhand remarks, or conversational snippets that have appeared in real court cases. One way to think of them is as "never-says", for they are things that an employer that wishes to stay out of court should never say either to or in the presence of an employee.
Racial Discrimination Never-Says
*
Racially-oriented jokes - laughter is cheap; lawsuits are expensive
*
Singling out racial minorities for obscene gestures or words
*
Criticizing only racial minorities
*
Telling minority employees that the only reason they're not fired is because the law won't let them be fired
*
Well-known racial slurs
*
Antiquated terms relating to race or color
*
Terms based on assumptions about a person's ethnic background
*
"You people"; "your people"
*
"wrong side of the tracks"
*
Do not say: "Do you prefer being called 'black', 'African-American', or what?"; "… 'brown', 'Hispanic', 'Latino', 'Mexican-American'…?" - this shows far too much preoccupation with ethnicity; the employer should stick to worrying about whether someone can do the job; just call employees "employees" and refer to them by name
EEOC guidance on racial discrimination: http://www.eeoc.gov/types/race.html
National Origin Never-Says
*
National origin-related jokes
*
Referring to people in terms of their assumed nationalities
*
Making fun of accents
*
Constantly bringing up shortcomings of people's supposed countries of ancestry
*
EEOC is focusing on discrimination against people who are assumed to be of Middle Eastern descent
EEOC guidance on national origin discrimination: http://www.eeoc.gov/origin/index.html
Age Discrimination Never-Says
*
Jokes that depend upon making fun of older people
*
"You can't teach an old dog new tricks."
*
"over the hill", "past his prime", "she's seen better days", "golden-ager", and cruder slurs typically associated with age-related put-downs
*
Referring to older employees as "Prunella" or "Methusaleh" or other names associated with old age
*
"Over-qualified"
*
"We need new blood around here."
*
"We need fresh faces around here."
*
Frequently asking when someone is finally going to retire
*
Subtler - even this can be misconstrued: asking someone if they're going to be comfortable working under someone younger than they are (too much focus on age – find another way to get an idea on that)
EEOC guidance on age discrimination: http://www.eeoc.gov/types/age.html
Links to good articles on the value of recruiting older workers:
http://www.aarp.org/research/work/employment/workers_fifty_plus.html
http://www.hrms-netassets.net/templates/template.asp?articleid=1536&zoneid=16
Disability Discrimination Never-Says
*
Disability-related jokes
*
Making fun of various disabilities
*
Disability-related slurs
*
Frequently calling attention to someone's limitations
*
"Now he'll probably go and file a workers' comp claim!"
EEOC guidance on disability discrimination: http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/accommodation.html
DOL Guide to hiring people with disabilities: http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/disability/hiring.htm
Job Accommodation Network: http://janweb.icdi.wvu.edu/
Religious Discrimination Never-Says
*
Religion-based jokes
*
"You're not going to Heaven."
*
"There's only one way to get into Heaven."
*
"Atheists are going to hell."
*
"That's a Jew/Muslim/Buddhist/atheist for you!"
EEOC guidance on religion-based discrimination: http://www.eeoc.gov/types/religion.html
Gender Discrimination Never-Says
*
Jokes that depend upon making fun of one gender or another
*
Always calling attention to male/female worker ratios, or differences between genders (isn't there something related to the actual work that people can talk about?)
*
Unsolicited remarks about a person's appearance, even if they seem like compliments
*
Words relating to female stereotypes: the "b" word, "honey", "darling", "cute li'l thang"
*
Try to avoid the term "ladies" - most people nowadays consider it either fawningly patronizing or even disrespectful, depending upon the context, and especially when uttered by a male employee
*
Don't pronounce job titles with "-person" in them sarcastically or comically on a regular basis; better solution: find and use generic, gender-neutral job titles, such as director, manager, board chair, driver, operator, designer, and so on
*
If there are people in the office who are unusually attractive, do not call attention to their appearance or to what their appearance can supposedly do for the company
*
Avoid jokes or speculation about marital status, marital relations, body parts, and mechanical or drug-related body part enhancers
*
"She's pregnant? Well, great – now she'll be off for who knows how long!"
*
To someone who has just experienced possible sexual harassment: "Don't worry about him – that's just the way he is!"
EEOC guidance on gender-based discrimination: http://www.eeoc.gov/types/sex.html
The foregoing are just some examples of what the EEOC, judges, and juries sometimes consider in order to find that a hostile work environment exists in a company that has been accused of illegal discrimination. Sometimes good manners and common sense help avoid remarks like that, while training or fear of lawsuits might wield more influence at times. Whatever it takes, though, employers should be very careful to keep from ever uttering such things, because even though others might seem to smile or nod in agreement, or at least remain quiet, such words hang on the air like the scent of a skunk, and if a discrimination claim or lawsuit is ever filed, it is almost inevitable that the one who said them, as well as the company that employs him or her, will have to eat those words.
Return to Businesses & Employers
Return to TWC Home
Thursday, February 08, 2007
"We had a significant increase in our out-of-district fees," he said. "We expected a decline.".....why?
"I don't think students realize how powerful they are, and I want them to realize that," Linda Garcia(Delmar's Regent)said.
S STORY | E-MAIL THIS STORY
Enrollment issues fuel Del Mar, A&M-CC expansion efforts
Officials predict steady growth at both institutions
By Israel Saenz Caller-Times
February 8, 2007
Enrollment numbers don't lie. Growth projections, however, can be a little tricky.
With spring 2006 enrollment numbers at area universities and colleges showing universities up and community colleges down in student numbers, both Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and Del Mar College are looking at expansion plans.
<A TARGET="_blank" HREF="http://adsremote.scripps.com/event.ng/Type=click&FlightID=2033826&AdID=2041322&TargetID=2016958&Targets=2009209,2001053,2003385,2017031,2004033,2016958,2009540,2008590,2006392,2024418,2025492&RawValues=&Redirect=http:%2f%2fwww.advertisersite.com"><IMG SRC="http://images.scripps.com/1x1.gif" WIDTH=120 HEIGHT=600 BORDER=0></A>
Backing up university officials' recent plans to build facilities off the island campus, preliminary figures put Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi's spring enrollment at 8,173. The number is a 217-student increase from the spring 2006 semester.
Del Mar College's spring enrollment dropped by 283 students to 11,042 - news that did not hinder an administration member's report on possible expansion Tuesday.
Del Mar College President Carlos Garcia said officials are confident enrollment will increase in coming years, while A&M-Corpus Christi continued to see an increase in students that has gone on since 1989.
Last month, university officials unveiled plans for a University Village on the current Oso Beach Municipal Golf Course. Officials have said the expansion would allow the school to accommodate 16,000 students.
Garcia blamed the community college's drop on a hike in fees for out-of-district students.
"We had a significant increase in our out-of-district fees," he said. "We expected a decline."
Fees at Del Mar College rose in spring 2006, from $47 to $100 for out-of-district students, who now pay $1,960 a semester in tuition and fees for a 12-hour course load. In-district students pay $760 for the same number of hours.
The Del Mar College District includes the Corpus Christi, Flour Bluff, Tuloso-Midway, Calallen and West Oso school district boundaries.
The drop is more dramatic for out-of-district students. Out-of-district enrollment fell from 1,385 in spring 2006 to 1,147 this semester, while the number of in-district students fell by 35 students to 9,736.
Del Mar administration members presented various growth projection scenarios Tuesday to the Del Mar College's Board of Regents' Ad Hoc Committee. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board forecasts Del Mar's population will grow to 13,177 by 2015.
Higher education officials compare enrollment figures with the corresponding semester of the previous year. Typically more students enroll in the fall than in the spring or summer.
Coastal Bend College's spring enrollment fell by 24 students to 2,946 this spring.
At Texas A&M University-Kingsville, 6,341 students are attending this semester - a 117-student increase from last spring.
Manuel Lujan, A&M-Kingsville enrollment management associate vice president, said the rise in enrollment - a continued shift from a steep drop in enrollment in 2005 - is the result of both retention and recruitment efforts.
Enrollment at A&M-Kingsville dropped from 7,014 in fall 2004 to 6,662 in fall 2005.
Contact Israel Saenz at 886-3767 or HYPERLINK mailto:saenzi@caller.com saenzi@caller.com
S STORY | E-MAIL THIS STORY
Enrollment issues fuel Del Mar, A&M-CC expansion efforts
Officials predict steady growth at both institutions
By Israel Saenz Caller-Times
February 8, 2007
Enrollment numbers don't lie. Growth projections, however, can be a little tricky.
With spring 2006 enrollment numbers at area universities and colleges showing universities up and community colleges down in student numbers, both Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and Del Mar College are looking at expansion plans.
<A TARGET="_blank" HREF="http://adsremote.scripps.com/event.ng/Type=click&FlightID=2033826&AdID=2041322&TargetID=2016958&Targets=2009209,2001053,2003385,2017031,2004033,2016958,2009540,2008590,2006392,2024418,2025492&RawValues=&Redirect=http:%2f%2fwww.advertisersite.com"><IMG SRC="http://images.scripps.com/1x1.gif" WIDTH=120 HEIGHT=600 BORDER=0></A>
Backing up university officials' recent plans to build facilities off the island campus, preliminary figures put Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi's spring enrollment at 8,173. The number is a 217-student increase from the spring 2006 semester.
Del Mar College's spring enrollment dropped by 283 students to 11,042 - news that did not hinder an administration member's report on possible expansion Tuesday.
Del Mar College President Carlos Garcia said officials are confident enrollment will increase in coming years, while A&M-Corpus Christi continued to see an increase in students that has gone on since 1989.
Last month, university officials unveiled plans for a University Village on the current Oso Beach Municipal Golf Course. Officials have said the expansion would allow the school to accommodate 16,000 students.
Garcia blamed the community college's drop on a hike in fees for out-of-district students.
"We had a significant increase in our out-of-district fees," he said. "We expected a decline."
Fees at Del Mar College rose in spring 2006, from $47 to $100 for out-of-district students, who now pay $1,960 a semester in tuition and fees for a 12-hour course load. In-district students pay $760 for the same number of hours.
The Del Mar College District includes the Corpus Christi, Flour Bluff, Tuloso-Midway, Calallen and West Oso school district boundaries.
The drop is more dramatic for out-of-district students. Out-of-district enrollment fell from 1,385 in spring 2006 to 1,147 this semester, while the number of in-district students fell by 35 students to 9,736.
Del Mar administration members presented various growth projection scenarios Tuesday to the Del Mar College's Board of Regents' Ad Hoc Committee. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board forecasts Del Mar's population will grow to 13,177 by 2015.
Higher education officials compare enrollment figures with the corresponding semester of the previous year. Typically more students enroll in the fall than in the spring or summer.
Coastal Bend College's spring enrollment fell by 24 students to 2,946 this spring.
At Texas A&M University-Kingsville, 6,341 students are attending this semester - a 117-student increase from last spring.
Manuel Lujan, A&M-Kingsville enrollment management associate vice president, said the rise in enrollment - a continued shift from a steep drop in enrollment in 2005 - is the result of both retention and recruitment efforts.
Enrollment at A&M-Kingsville dropped from 7,014 in fall 2004 to 6,662 in fall 2005.
Contact Israel Saenz at 886-3767 or HYPERLINK mailto:saenzi@caller.com saenzi@caller.com
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