History of Feminism
Related: About this forumAlabama State University to Female President: No Romantic Sleepovers in Home
Boyd signed the contract and has no issue with the clause. However, Washington DC based attorney, Raymond Cotton, who has worked on over three hundred college President contracts, believes the wording to be unconstitutional. Cotton argues that the contract violates the Presidents right to privacy. He argues:
I dont know of any state that has the right to invade someones residence even if the state owns that residence. To convey that residence and dictate what kind of romantic relationship you can have in that facility I mean, shes not in prison.
It is not clear whether the University has ever required a male President to abide by a similar clause or whether this is an example of Alabama State University officials trying to impose a different standard for single women than it would for men. Regardless of the motive behind the clause it is an unusual level of interference in the personal life of any individual, much less a university President hired to improve the schools image.
The attempt to control the private lives of women needs to stop. This applies whether it involves lawmakers requiring women to undergo trans-vaginal ultrasounds to obtain an abortion, media personalities and police officers subjecting women to victim blaming when they are raped, or a public university dictating who a single woman can share her bed with at her own residence. Alabama State University officials should reevaluate the no sleeping with anybody in your home clause and recognize that it has no place in their employment contract.
http://www.politicususa.com/2014/01/11/al-state-university-female-president-romantic-sleepovers-home.html
This is a black women. I think we have a combo of racism and sexism here
Sheldon Cooper
(3,724 posts)If not, then they've got a big problem. If so, it's still a problem because Alabama State U is a state-supported, non-religious college and I can't see how they could hope to enforce such a clause.
ETA that it is also an historically black university, although I don't know what that would have to do with the issue at hand.
mike_c
(36,399 posts)...I'd be even more shocked if anyone had ever enforced it. The double standard on display here is incredible. But I am pretty confident that if there were any single male university president's in the institution's history, the state of Alabama was probably happy to provide them with a bed in the official residence for "romantic relations."
Sheldon Cooper
(3,724 posts)would be a private religious school. Other than that, it's pretty messed up. And I hope they've made male presidents sign it too, but I agree with you - not likely. Double standard, indeed.
yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)She says she has not issue with it. Why are they making a big deal about it. Is it weird? Yes. But she agreed to it.
CTyankee
(65,307 posts)If it is a state taxpayer supported institution there can be no unequal treatment between the sexes. You can't have discriminatory policies. It is public, not private. Somebody has to call "foul" on this kind of stuff.
yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)I unfortunately didn't use my brain and remember we are talking a public university here so my post was pretty ignorant.
CTyankee
(65,307 posts)shenmue
(38,538 posts)cinnabonbon
(860 posts)or does the law only apply when it's white and/or men?