Bias and Discrimination at UCLA

Dr. Christian Head, a surgeon at UCLA's Medical Center, sued the university in April of last year, charging bias on the part of fellow faculty members. He complained that he was portrayed as a gorilla being sodomized during a graduation event. Last year he told KCRW, "I have never experienced a level of racism like this before in my life. It was meant to essentially strip me down…They wanted to dehumanize me, make me feel sub-human and the laughter... it was just unbelievable. I was the only African American present." At that time, UCLA denied the allegations and accused Dr. Head's supporters of "rushing to judgment." But Chancellor Gene Block set up an investigative panel headed by former State Supreme Court Justice Carlos Moreno. In July of this year, the University settled with Dr. Head for $4.5 million. Last week, the panel reported "a campus racial climate in near crisis." Chancellor Block has issued a statement saying he takes the report seriously and promises to implement some recommendations.