Nichols chained to Wilder

Intern chains herself to Wilder to protest work grievances

In protest of what she described as harassment by her superiors, Angela Nichols handcuffed herself to the Wilder porch on May 14.

Nichols' protest followed her discovery that she would not be rehired as the LGBT Community Coordinator at the Multicultural Resource Center. Her complaints were registered against Shilpa Davé, acting director of the MRC and the administrative response to her grievances. Davé declined to comment on these allegations.

According to Nichols, Davé consistently made hostile comments to her regarding Nichols' race and sexual identity. Nichols alleges that on numerous occasions Davé denigrated Nichols for being the only white intern in the MRC. Moreover, Nichols said that Davé expressed a total lack of sympathy for the LGBT community.

Nichols said that Davé once told her that it is easier to be gay than to be a person of color, because the LGBT community can hide in the closet. Nichols adamantly voiced her displeasure at the idea that the closet is a place of privilege. "The closet," said Nichols, "is a place of shame and fear, a place where people go to hide who they are."

The College policy about complaints of harassment by employees is unclear. Ruth Spencer, director of Human Resources, said that employees with complaints should take them up with Camille Mitchell, assistant to the president for equity concerns, and may file a formal grievance. Nichols said that when she spoke with Spencer she was not told of either option. She only found out about her option to file a formal grievance last week, when she spoke with a staff member who is unaffiliated with Human Resources.

A staff member and an administrator, neither of whom work in her department, advised Nichols to keep written documentation of her grievances against Davé. She approached Davé's supervisor, Associate Dean of Students Joe DiChristina, with her complaints. DiChristina facilitated several three-way meetings, and said that he addressed Nichols' complaints adequately. Nichols, however, did not feel that the meetings resolved her situation.

Nichols then presented her accumulated documentation, to the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Concerns Committee. Chaired by Professor of Politics Eve Sandberg, the LGBCC is not a structured grievance committee. As a standing faculty committee, it handles general concerns for the LGB community and includes both staff and student representatives.

Following its normal mode of action, the LGBCC sent a letter to College President Nancy Dye, in her capacity as ex-officio chair of the General Faculty Council, requesting that Nichols' matter be investigated. The LGBCC then informed Nichols of her right to a mediator, which Spencer had not done. According to Sandberg, the LGBCC has neither the resources nor the authorization to investigate a personnel matter like Nichols.'

Nichols also said that Deb McNish, interim dean of student life, chastised her for taking her complaints to LGBCC. Nichols feels that this happened because she took her concerns to the LGBCC, when Davé had advised her in August to "build good bridges" and talk to supportive faculty and staff outside of the MRC.

DiChristina disagrees, saying that there has been "no kind of retaliation" by anyone against Nichols. He maintains that her performance appraisal was the only reason that her contract was not renewed.

Davé agreed with DiChristina, stating that the issue at stake was a matter of performance, not personnel. She says that the two maintained a professional relationship and that the decision not to renew her contract was difficult. Davé said, "The position is extremely important, and the community is extremely important." A national search will be conducted this summer, with student input, to fill Nichols' position.

Reactions to Nichols' protest are varied. Sandberg complimented her on her work. "Angie did wonderful programming and had more experience than the average intern. The MRC has few resources, enormous burdens, and a lot to accomplish," she said.

Some students feel that the MRC has been working against Nichols and that she never received any support from the office. "Shilpa Davé has no experience to head a division of the College pertaining to either low-income or LGBT students," said first-year Travis Hodgdon. "She is incapable."

Others cited McNish's comments, made during the dean search interviews, referring to the MRC as a "support mechanism for people of color," which they believe ignores first generation, low income and LGBT students.

Not all students are so unconditionally supportive, however.

Junior Khary Polk said, "I personally know students that have been afraid to speak out against [Nichols] role as LGBT Community Coordinator. For a little over a semester I have heard students in LGBTU complain about her command of Queer Peers, which has somehow become defunct during her time here. And I've had more than one white student come and tell me they have issues with some statements she's made to them about race. I haven't noticed her presence at multicultural functions that didn't have the words 'gay' or 'queer' in the subtitles."

Regarding her work, Nichols said, "Queer Peers was a low priority for the MRC. I've spent the first semester and part of the second responding to threats of suicide, harassment and the backlash of Matthew Shepard. My priority was taking care of students' needs [on campus] rather than off-campus."

Currently, Nichols is working on a grant to start a local Alcoholics Anonymous chapter for the LGBT community. She plans to finish out her contract, which expires in June.