Did anti-racism advocacy lead to Tacoma professor losing his job? His lawsuit says so
A former University of Washington Tacoma assistant professor who was denied tenure claims to have been wrongfully terminated because he advocated for Black co-workers and other protected-class members, according to a recently filed lawsuit.
Jarek Sierschynski sued the university in Pierce County Superior Court on June 13. He also alleged that the school ran afoul of faculty code in handling his tenure process, did not accommodate his mental health disability and violated state law by requiring him to continue working despite being on family medical leave.
“The University of Washington Tacoma does not comment on pending litigation,” a school spokesperson said in a statement. “As such, we are not offering a statement at this time in response to the complaint for damages that has been filed in Pierce County Superior Court.”
The suit described Sierschynski’s unsuccessful efforts to be granted tenure, an appointment that effectively guarantees indefinite job security. In denying his attempts, beginning in 2019, the university violated faculty code by not following requirements, time periods, guidance, policies and procedures, according to the filing.
The process, which extended for roughly two years, had caused him substantial stress, the suit said. In February 2021, he was diagnosed with anxiety and depression and spent nearly three months on medical leave.
Even while out on leave, the university required Sierschynski to keep working on his tenure application, the suit said. He filed a complaint with the University Complaint Investigation and Resolution Office (UCIRO) in April 2021, and UCIRO ultimately determined that his disability and medical leave rights had been violated, according to the filing.
Sierschynski was eventually notified that his position as an assistant professor would be terminated on June 15, 2022.
James McCanna, an attorney representing Sierschynski, told The News Tribune on Monday that he couldn’t immediately comment because he needed approval from his client to discuss the claims.
The suit didn’t specify the race of Sierschynski, who had worked in the university’s School of Education, but McCanna confirmed he is white. The filing noted instances when Sierschynski spoke out against what he believed were racist hiring practices.
In March 2017, he authored an open email to the university expressing concern about the hiring of a white job candidate over a Black candidate and accused the school’s system of under-representing and disenfranchising Black people, the suit said. The filing noted that the email’s recipients included seven faculty members who later voted on one or more of Sierschynski’s tenure applications.
Roughly two years after sending the email, Sierschynski supported a Black woman who had been dismissed from the Education program, believing that she had been subjected to racism. He also backed a Black Muslim female student’s open letter to a university dean complaining about institutional racism, the suit said.
The lawsuit is seeking front and back pay, unspecified damages to be determined at trial and legal fees, among other relief.
