Conductor sues for discrimination, saying it’s because he’s white
NewsA Canadian conductor is suing McGill University for $300,000 in exemplary damages for employment discrimination.
Jonathan Dagenais, a lecturer at McGill’s Schulich School of Music, auditioned with two others for the post of Assistant Professor of Instrumental Conducting. The position was eventually awarded to Dr Danielle Gaudry.
After a protest from Dagenais, the University issued a statement to his lawyers: ‘The University and Professor Ferguson deny that the appointment of Prof. Gaudry relies solely on the basis of her belonging to an Aboriginal nation and/or for economic or financial considerations… The University believes, however, that the membership of Prof. Gaudry at an Indigenous Nation will be a great asset in carrying out the community engagement activities associated with this role.’
Full report here in Ludwig Van Montreal.
If the above comment from the University is correct, I think it shot itself in the foot by admitting race was a factor.
It’s as bad as Harvard rating black students as more agreeable than Asians when deciding admissions. Imagine the outcry if it was the opposite!
(Caveat: legal cases are not decided on the basis of brief news reports.)
No they didn’t. They only stated that she’s an asset as far as connecting with the community. They did not state that she was chosen because of such qualities.
https://www.mcgill.ca/music/danielle-gaudry
Is this the aboriginal professor that is being discussed? Rather pale complexion eh?
They stated that she was not chosen “solely” because of such qualities. That is an indisputable admission that such qualities did play a role.
According to the article on the Ludwig van Montréal website, the appointments committee recommended Dagenais for the job unanimously in February 2023, following an audition comprising both conducting an orchestra and teaching a conducting student. The committee was then instructed by management to reconsider their recommendation “in light of equity, diversity, and inclusion considerations”, and reconvened in March 2023, whereupon they maintained their unanimous recommendation for Dagenais. Despite this, management decided to go against the committee’s recommendation, and appoint another candidate. Apparently, several members of the committee are indignant at this development, deeming it a discriminatory miscarriage of justice driven solely by identity politics and at the expense of merit.
It sounds like the management have decided to ignore the unanimous expert opinion of a committee who observed an involved audition process (and presumably, the committee would have also reviewed any application materials deemed relevant, and would have arrived at its recommendation in light of all relevant factors, including “community engagement”), and that many members of that committee are convinced that the management have engaged in positive discrimination. Doubtless, many on the committee will be only too happy to provide any relevant evidence in support of Dagenais’s legal suit. I am not familiar with Canadian law, but it is my understanding that UK employment law prohibits positive discrimination, *except* as a tie-breaker or for so-called “apprenticeship” schemes. If Canadian law is similar in this regard, then it sounds like Dagenais probably has a very strong case.
Having said that, it should be remarked that Dagenais is an internal candidate who seems to be popular among students and staff alike. As I have said in my comments on a different story, internal candidates are not automatically entitled to shortlisting and selection. Management may well try and argue that the appointments committee was biased in favour of Dagenais owing to his being an internal candidate… but if such an argument were posed in the face of a unanimous recommendation that withstood a request to reconsider, that would suggest a severe lack of trust on the part of management in the integrity of the committee. If the appointments committee really did lack integrity, then the proper response should have been to re-run the audition process from scratch with a brand new committee.
Thank you for clarifying. I hope Dagenais wins his lawsuit!
Maybe she IDENTIFIES as aboriginal?
Yes, this is a game EVERYBODY can play.
Well said. Whoever inserted the word ‘solely’ may well live to regret it. On the other hand, perhaps this was a fifth columnist inserting a booby trap.
Sorry, I don’t get the problem because both don’t look Aryan.
The explanation would be quite acceptable if the institution and its orchestra in question are planning for a didgeridoo section. Let us see the facts objectively.
You are surely aware that the term ‘aboriginal’ is not unique to Australia?
Wrong aboriginals! Sarcasm fail.
“Learn to code”
– Joe Biden
How about this: They had to pick one person and reject two others. Any of the three may have been an asset in their own respective ways, but being aboriginal/indigenous shouldn’t be a disqualifier any more than it should be a qualifier.
This guy has a masters degree, the winning candidate has a doctorate. The winning candidate is more qualified, at least in the eyes of an institution who confers doctoral degrees and therefore has an interest in legitimizing then as a qualification. I hope he likes spending his disposable income on lawyers.
According to the article on the Ludwig van Montréal website, the appointments committee deemed Dagenais the most qualified candidate *unanimously*, following an involved application process that included an audition comprising both conducting an orchestra and teaching a conducting student. Management decided to go against the committee’s *unanimous* recommendation, and appoint another candidate. In those circumstances, such behaviour on the part of management suggests either a severe lack of trust in the committee or an ulterior agenda not based on merit.
Jim, I think you’re onto something. Based on my reading of the facts, the job should go to Dagenais. However, based what I know, universities these days prefer to hire those with doctoral degrees.
When I earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music education many years ago, I had a number of professors with only master’s degrees. Many were excellent, but I’m not sure most of them would be able to obtain the same positions if they were applying today.
This is absurd. He needs to grow up and recognize all the privileges and success he enjoys 24/7 are because he is a white man. Will the majority ever learn?
For real. When he goes to the general store they have bandages in his skin color.
Feel the hate.
That’s the right move. Race based decisions are bad, whatever races is concerned. Woke moves pretends to cancel racism with racism, that’s a lost cause. …
Last year, I was a finalist for an academic post. They didn’t pick me (queer, female, poc), but hired a white man.
It hadn’t occurred to me, but Mr. Dagenais, should I sue them?
Engaging with the community has so much to do with First Nations that it makes sense they would pick someone from that background.
What does “engaging with the community” have to do with performance majors playing in an ensemble as part of their degree requirements? This is a cover-up by McGill administration to deflect from a flawed decision. Reread SVM’s postings above for a clearer understanding of what really transpired. Or go to the McGill Wind Orchestra website to see that Mr. Dagenais’ 12 years as conductor are not mentioned. It’s as if he never existed. He is a highly respected figure in the Canadian ‘concert band’ community and his compositions are frequently performed in festivals (see MusicFest Canada) and competitions throughout North America.
Just look who’s running for president in the US!
White males.
There must be a genetic basis to this.
Perhaps the competition for resources after arriving from Europe followed by the colonial struggle and the fight for independence created a selective regime that favoured dominant white males (bold personalities), while assortative mating has conserved this trait over generations within the human population of North America, reinforced by social segregation.
Woman and ethnic minority. Sorry, that’s the PR dream and no white male can’t compete with that these days.
The same mindless Klan members who commented some weeks ago that if a black musician didn’t get tenure it was only because of meritocracy are now crying about this.
That covers about 80-90% of the readership of this blog, given the exchanges above.
Nothing new under the sun…