By Courtney Elisech
Chey Davis was a Delta College English professor for 15 years before she left her position after being denied promotion to Full Professor based on unlawful discrimination. According to Davis, the reasons she was not promoted were because she was black and a lesbian. As well as a form of retaliation over public positions she held relating to faculty unionization and justice in Division grievances.
Delta College’s Director of Marketing, Leanne Govitz, confirmed that Davis filed a lawsuit against Delta College and former President Dr. Jean Goodnow. She stated that Davis resigned to begin a new career in an unrelated profession.
“Beyond that, it is the college’s policy not to comment regarding either personnel issues or pending litigation,” said Govitz.
The Delta Collegiate got the story and an update from Davis herself in the form of a Q & A over email.
Starting as an instructor in 2007 and earning tenure in 2012, Davis applied for promotion to Full Professor in 2019. She was supported by her department fully but denied by Delta’s then-President Jean Goodnow despite meeting all qualifications for the promotion, according to her suit.
After being denied the promotion and unsuccessful in challenging the college’s decision with her union’s help, Davis filed a lawsuit against Delta College in August in Saginaw Circuit Court.
President Goodnow left her position in 2021, and Delta College offered Davis a retroactive promotion under President Michael Gavin in February 2022. She left Delta College in June 2022. She felt they had continued to discredit her throughout everything, and the trust was broken.
The decision to leave education was already final for Davis, and she had no further advancement. She went back to school to become a clinical therapist and was close to finishing when the retroactive promotion was offered. The practice she works with focuses on marginalized groups in our society who experience various types of trauma.
Q: In your own words, what led to this point? What happened?
A: In some ways, it is simple; I was denied a promotion that I had earned. I worked hard and enjoyed my job for many years. President Goodnow still refused my promotion for reasons which were illegal. In many other ways, though, this is a much more complex situation of structural racism and other intersectional motivations.
Q: Do you miss teaching?
A: Of course. I applied to be a Full Professor because I enjoyed being an educator and wanted to continue working with young adults and returning learners. I was completely invested in the education of my students. Working in a classroom atmosphere and contributing to scholarship is a rewarding calling.
Q: What can you tell us about the status of the case?
A: We are just about to start discovery or the process of collecting evidence with the compulsory power of the court process.
Q: What is your hope for the case? What would you want to see the outcome be?
I think most people who find themselves in the unfortunate situation of having to sue their employers for discrimination want similar things. First, I want this practice to stop. I want to shine a light on the discrimination and make sure my voice is heard for all the people who came before me and for those who come after me. There are people so comfortable with this kind of systemic racism and intersectional and economic discrimination that they do not even see what is wrong with it. I also want an apology; I want to know that they understand that their behavior turned my life upside down. I suffered emotional and financial turmoil because of the actions of President Goodnow and the complacency of Delta. I am not the only person at this college who has experienced this kind of treatment. I want to be made whole financially, being turned down for a promotion that I had earned, hiring an attorney, going back to school, and opening a new business to try to stem my losses.
Q: Have you considered that you may go through all this hardship, hassle, and trauma and nothing may come of it?
A: Do I understand that I could lose the civil case I filed against Ms. Goodnow and Delta? Yes, I understand that, but that would not be the same thing as “nothing” coming from this. They mistreated me, and I spoke up; using my voice is not “nothing.” There is a public record for anyone who feels they have experienced intersectional discrimination by Delta leadership, which is not “nothing.” It is my belief that this kind of treatment is not only specifically directed at faculty members and extends to other marginalized groups on campus as well. I am exhausted and traumatized, and this has been an excruciating process. I understand what I am facing.
View the entire Executed Summons and Complaint of Chey Davis v Delta College and Jean Goodrow online below.
