Newspapers / Montreat College Student Newspaper / Dec. 10, 2004, edition 1 / Page 2
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school ^ state Abercrombie & Fitch to Pay $40 Miliion in Discrimination Suit ■ Press Release Civil riglits attorneys announced the settlement of a class action lawsuit, Gonzalez v. Abercrombie & Fitch, requiring the retail cloth ing giant to pay $40 miUion dollars to Latino, African American, Asian American and women applicants and employees who charged the company with discrimination. The settlement, approved by U.S. District Court Judge Susan Ulston, also requires the company to institute a range of policies and programs to promote diversity among its workforce and to prevent discrimina tion based on race or gender. The lawsuit was originally filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco in June 2003 on behalf of nine young adults of color, including students and graduates of the University of California and Stanford, who were refused sales jobs or terminated based on their race or ethnicity. The settlement requires the store to pursue “benchmarks” for the hiring and promotion of Latinos, African Americans, Asian Ameri cans and women; the company must report on its progress toward these goals at regular intervals to the plaintiffs’ attorneys and to a Th« Monlr»a| CoMeg* Studsnl Vote* WHETSTONE Montreal College Box 839 Montreal, NC 28757 828.669.8012 Ext. 3675 whetstone@montreat.edu Editor in Chief Asst. Managing Editor Graphic Design/ layout Featurcs/Coluinn Editor Busii\ess Manager Sponsor/Advisor Volunteer Advisor Staff Writers Photographers Web Kortney Blythe April He>Tvard Brittany Anderson April Heyward Luke Snyder Gina Snyder Bob Graham Tyler Greene Mandi Fields -Tony Moreau Mary Jane Shafer Cassie Pavonc Anne Garrett Christi Mahan Joel North | Tiffany Stoddart ; Steve Carter Lucas Fisher ‘ Christi Mahan I Dan Windmiiler ■ The Whetstone is published monthly while school is in session. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily the views of Montreat College or its staff. All submis sions become property of The Whetstone. Funding for this paper is provided by our advertisers, Student Activities Budget, and the Office of Alumni Affairs. Visit our Web site at www.montreat.edu/'whetstone. Please direct any questions or comments to the editor at \^etstone@montreat.'edu. y Page 2. Dec. 10,2004 Special Master named by tire court. In addition, the company must hire 25 recruiters who will seek out minority employees. The com pany is barred from targeting par ticular fraternities or sororities for recruitment purposes, a practice that previously helped to ensure a predominantly white sales staff. To ensure compliance with the provisions of the Consent Decree, the company will name a Vice President for Diversity, and provide diversity training for all employees witli hiring authority. A new internal com plaint procedure will provide employees with a mechanism to report any problems they face. Abercrombie has more than 700 stores and a workforce of 22,000. The retail chain uses visual media to promote the “A& F Look,” and image to employees, customers and potential appli cants. The settlement requires tliat marketing materials - including the posters, shopping bags and catalogue - include members of minority racial and ethnic groups. “Abercrombie now realizes diversity makes good business sense,” said Kimberly West- Faulcon, Director and Western Regional Counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. “We hope the rest of cor porate America gets the message.” Plaintiff Anthony Ocampo, a recent Stanford graduate, who was told he couldn’t be hired because “there’s already too many Filipinos,” agreed with Gonzalez. “It is important tliat Abercrom bie seek out employees of color and provide them training and opportunities for promotion.” Carla Gmbb, an African Ameri can student at California State Bakersfield, was constmetively discharged from the Abercrombie store in the Bakersfield Valley Plaza Mall. “I felt demoralized being the only African American employee and being specifically assigned to dust the store, wash the windows and clean the floors. With this settlement, I now know that Abercrombie cannot treat other employees of color in such a manner.” Attorney Martin J. D’Urso of Kohn, Swift & Graf, PC. explained that the monetary awards to the class members will be ba.sed on tlie number of claim ants who come forward and the kind of discrimination they faced. Notices wiO be placed on the Internet and in major magazines to alert class members from around the country. People who feel they are part of the class should call 1-866-854-4175 or go to www. Abercrombieclaims.com where they can submit information. Source: Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP. Black Mountain Tire'Connectlon With Student ID Card: One free rotation & balance per 6 mo. wmcgee2631@aol.com 828.664.1300 117 Sutton Ave. BIk. Mtn 28711 Black Mountain Apartment 2 Bed 1 Bath • Heat Pump w/ Central Air Washer/Dryer Connection ■poT Excellent Condition ^ $495 a month Phone: 828.684.9116 w w w . t r i pleAproperty.com r Dear- Cou After being home for just a long weekend on Thanksgiving break, I am not looking forward to the Christmas holidays and semester break at all. My parents still treat me like I am in high school, and don’t seem to understand that I have been living on my own for the past 3 months—^aiid doing a pretty good job of taking care of myself by the way. Why is it so hard for them to see how much I have changed? Why is i it so hard for them to treat me like an adult? -Frustrated Freshman Dear FF, What you are describing is a fairly common experience for students, especially if they are the first in their family to leave home. While you have been here at Montreat growing in your independence, self sufiBciency, and developing’ your maturity, your parents have most likely been at home carrying on with their standard routine. It is important to remember, while you have been experienc ing significant changes, your parents have not had the opportunity to observe your going through these changes. Keep in mind, too, holidays in general can be shessful times for families. TVIak’ing some time to reconnect with your parents when you get home may be very helpful in giving them an opportunity to see the responsibility that you have developed while you have been gone. Discuss ing each other’s expectations at the beginning of your time at home may reduce tire risk of conflict later on. Your initiating these times with your parents has the potential of helping them see your increased maturity level. I am willing to bet that with a little preparation and patience, your parents will be delighted with how things have changed for you and will appreciate and respect the adult that you have become. Best wishes for you and your family for a joyful and peaceful Christmas, -Cassie Note; Keri Boer ami J encourage you to send your questions and comments to us at The Coun seling Center. We welcome the opportunity to talk with you individually, in small groups, or answer your questions on line. Please contact one of us by coming by our offices located in the lower level of Bell Library^ send a message to campus mailbox 807y leave a voicemail message at ext. 353S, or e-mail us at cpavone(a]montreat.edu or khoer@montreat.edu. 4- £*4*1 r f***-lfUi* f***il 4*ii- \/dfe***th* 4*£4-i :y|c 4’1**i4*l***iU- >fc
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