A Chinese-American assistant professor, Dr Sean Wang, has filed a lawsuit against Texas' Southern Methodist University (SMU), alleging discrimination and a pattern of favoritism toward Indian faculty members. The lawsuit, filed last year, recently came to light after being reported by independent journalist Chris Brunet.
Allegations of Systemic Discrimination
In the lawsuit, Wang claims that the university has a systemic problem with discrimination, which resulted in him being denied tenure in 2024 while three Indian professors in the Accounting Department were granted tenure. According to the legal filing, university officials told Wang that he was not a good fit and needed more citations and visibility. The lawsuit states that Wang was called a 'bad fit' at least 13 times.
Meanwhile, an Indian colleague, Sorabh Thomar, received a positive mid-career evaluation from the department chair, who is also of Indian origin. The lawsuit names Dr Hemang Desai, the department chair, as a key figure in the alleged bias.
Negative Departmental Vote
Wang was informed on November 19, 2024, by Desai that there was a negative departmental vote of 3-1. All three Indian faculty members voted against his tenure, citing a failure to achieve outstanding performance, while the sole non-Indian faculty member voted in favor. Wang asserts that from the beginning, Desai treated him differently and held him to higher expectations than his Indian colleagues.
Historical Pattern of Bias
The lawsuit highlights a historical pattern of discrimination in the Accounting Department since at least 2006, when Hemang Desai became a full professor. Among candidates of Indian descent meeting SMU's productivity standard of at least four top-tier publications, 100% (2 of 2) were tenured: Neil Bhattacharya in 2008 and Gauri Bhat in 2020. In contrast, among non-Indian candidates (Caucasian and Chinese) meeting the same standard, the university has not supported any for tenure. This includes Mina Pizzini, Chris Hogan, Jing Pan, Jeff Yu, and Dr Wang himself. The lawsuit argues that this pattern demonstrates an ancestry-based preference for Indian-origin candidates and disfavor toward non-Indian candidates.
Office Assignment Controversy
Further allegations include claims that when offices were reassigned in the department's new building in Spring 2024, Indian faculty were given prime offices with nice views, while East Asian faculty members were assigned to a 'Chinese ghetto' down the hall.
The university has denied all allegations in its response filing, stating that Dr Wang is not entitled to any relief.
