The story is the affirmative action policy. To me it's pretty simple. The case, still in preliminary stages, is in the hands of Mecosta Circuit Judge Lawrence Root, who first will decide if it goes forward. If it does, a major issue that could emerge is whether a practice relatively common in the private sector is legal in the public realm. Private sector executives often receive bonuses tied to annual goals, and those goals often include increasing the number of minorities in the workforce.
Bonuses are fine, if the objectives for which the bonuses are given are fine.
While Ferris State denies there was a bonus system, two employees have given sworn statements about the bonuses. Barbara Larie, a secretary for social sciences, said she had first-hand knowledge of the bonuses. Meg Hackett Carrier, assistant general counsel for Ferris, said the university hasn't paid any bonuses. Thorp countered with a sworn statement denying the statements. Carrier said Topping wasn't discriminated against because there never was a full-time job available in the anthropology department, where he taught.