Dr. Avaine Strong claimed he was discriminated against as a heterosexual man.
U.S. District Judge Donald Walter rejected all Title VII, Equal Pay Act and constitutional claims by Dr. Avaine Strong against Grambling, several administrators and the board of supervisors of the University of Louisiana System.
“The restructuring of Strong’s contract and salary was the result of a university-wide budget reduction plan. Strong cannot show that any actions were directed at him individually in retaliation for constitutionally protected activity, nor can he show that the administration favors women or homosexuals,” Walter wrote in his decision.
“Strong’s dissatisfaction with the Grambling administration and the university’s budgetary situation does not rise to the level of a constitutional claim,” he said.
According to the decision, Strong, who is African-American, joined the faculty as a visiting professor in 2001, was later hired as an assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, became head of the Physics Department in 2006 and earned tenure in 2007.
In 2011, he became interim head of the newly merged Mathematics and Physics Department but didn’t receive a raise or extra-service pay. After his internal grievance was unsuccessful, he gave up the interim position to protest “the amount of compensation relative to his workload” but retained his full-time tenured faculty position, Walter said.
He sued for compensatory and punitive damages and to have the university “restore his respect, good name and reputation throughout and within the Grambling community.”
