Alice Madeleine Laborde papers, 1973-1984, bulk 1977-1982

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Summary

Creators:

Abstract:

Alice Madeleine Laborde was a founding faculty member of the French and Italian studies department at UC Irvine. Laborde acted as Associate Professor and specialized in the study of 18th century French literature. In 1977 she filed a lawsuit against the University of California alleging that the University's repeated decisions not to promote her to full professor were due to unlawful discrimination against her sex. The district court found that Laborde had established a case of prima facie discrimination, but that the University's decision not to promote her was due to her "inadequate" scholarship, and not her sex. In 1982, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed this judgment. This collection contains Laborde's complete file of materials relating to her legal cases against UCI. It includes transcripts of legal proceedings for all cases; detailed court decisions rendered in favor of UCI; correspondence between Laborde and her lawyers, her colleagues, graduate students, and several departments and committees; reviews of Laborde's scholarly works; analyses of faculty demographics and promotions at UCI; details of Therese Ballet Lynn's similar lawsuits against the University; article clippings and publications; and Laborde's professional files.

Extent:

2 Linear Feet (2 records cartons)

Language:

Collection materials are in English and French.

Preferred citation:

Alice Madeleine Laborde papers. MS-F038. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California. Date accessed.

For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information about sources consulted in this collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder descriptions, and box/folder locations.

Background

Scope and content:

Alice Madeleine Laborde was a founding faculty member of the French and Italian studies department at UC Irvine. Laborde acted as Associate Professor and specialized in the study of 18th century French literature. After publishing numerous books and articles and teaching for several years, she applied for the position of full Professor at UCI. Each year she applied, she was denied promotion by the University. In 1977 she filed a lawsuit against the University of California alleging that the University's repeated decisions not to promote her to full professor were due to unlawful discrimination against her sex. The district court found that Laborde had established a case of prima facie discrimination, but that the University's decision not to promote her was due to her "inadequate" scholarship, and not her sex. In 1982, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed this judgment.

This collection contains Laborde's complete file of materials relating to her legal cases against UCI. It includes transcripts of legal proceedings for all cases; detailed court decisions rendered in favor of UCI; correspondence between Laborde and her lawyers, her colleagues, graduate students, and several departments and committees; reviews of Laborde's scholarly works; analyses of faculty demographics and promotions at UCI; details of Therese Ballet Lynn's similar lawsuits against the University; article clippings and publications; and Laborde's professional files.

Acquisition information:

Gift of Marie-Christine Berens, daughter of Alice M. Laborde, 2012.

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Indexed terms

Subjects:: French -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- California -- Irvine

Access and use

Restrictions:: This collection is only minimally processed but is open for research, except for the following restrictions: material in box 2, "Personnel Action" folder contains personnel files and is restricted for 50 years from the latest date of the materials.
Terms of access:: Property rights reside with the University of California. Copyrights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permission to reproduce or to publish, please contact the University Archivist.