Professor's suit against former administrators, counselor moves forward

An SIUC professor, who first took her case against former administrators and a psychologist about defamation and "academic mobbing" to court almost four years ago, has won the right to have her case heard.

U.S. District Judge James L. Foreman denied the defendants, two former University administrators and a psychologist, their motion for summary judgment in late February, saying the "defendants have failed to show the absence of genuine issues of material fact."

Joan Friedenberg, an SIUC linguistics professor, claims former department chairman Glenn Gilbert, former Provost Margaret Winters and licensed psychologist Debra Robinson retaliated against her for being outspoken. She is also suing Robinson and Winters for "conspiring and scheming to violate her First Amendment rights."

Friedenberg said Monday that the judge is encouraging both sides to attempt court-supervised mediation, but she said this has been suggested before, but to no avail because the other side does not present its case.

She said if mediation would work, she is asking for an apology and "all it cost for me to get it." But if the courts must settle it, she said she would also sue for punitive damages and anything other expenses that occurred during the time in question and the time to settle it.

In May 2000, the University hired Robinson for conflict resolution and counseling services for the department, and Friedenberg met with Robinson in August 2000. According to court documents, "under an expectation that plaintiff's comments would be kept confidential, plaintiff spoke candidly about the Department of Linguistics and its personnel." The documents state that Robinson shared the conversation with Winters, Gilbert and the department. She also forwarded an e-mail from Friedenberg to the others. The documents also state that rumors of Friedenberg's early retirement were circulated.

In recent months, Friedenberg has made rounds in public forums, like the Board of Trustees April meeting, saying these actions are a part of "academic mobbing." In sociology Professor Mark Schneider's speech to the board at the meeting, he said such actions are forms of mobbing and are similar to schoolyard bullying, but take place in a university.