Wang Ping, a professor of English at Macalester college, filed a discrimination lawsuit against her employer that has recently reached a settlement through mediation.  However, this claim turned out differently than many do, as Ping has retained her position at the college after the settlement has been reached.  In fact, this semester, she is teaching two classes:  Introduction to Creative Writing and “Crafts of Writing: Poetry.”

Peter Erlinder, a professor at William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota, served on Ping’s legal team and noted the way in which mediation allowed both parties to continue a working relationship.  “In a situation like this where there’s been a claim of discrimination,” he said, “it’s very unusual that an institution and a faculty member or an employee can come to a conclusion that maintains the relationship and allows both sides to go forward in a positive way. That almost never happens.”

The lawsuit was filed under the Minnesota Human Rights Act, and Ping alleged that the college failed to promote her and instead, filled higher positions with professors who had written fewer publications and had fewer credentials.  In such, she claimed that she was discriminated against on the basis of gender, national origin and race. 

Ping attempted to appeal the hiring process to the Faculty Personnel Committee at the school stating that the school was violated the college’s promotion policies.  After the appeal was unsuccessful, she then filed a lawsuit with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).  Although Ping was eventually promoted in 2012 to the position she sought, her lawsuit requested compensation for money and benefits she would have received had she been promoted at the right time, including damages for emotional distress and mental anguish.