Woman sues Springfield college for discrimination

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A woman from Kenya has filed a federal lawsuit claiming she was denied admission to a community college because she is black and has four children.

Alice Gatimu, who left her native Kenya because of alleged discrimination, had completed the prerequisites but was told she would not be allowed to enter the practical nursing program at Ozarks Technical Community College in Springfield, because she would be too busy caring for her children to achieve a degree, her attorney Les Boyle said.

Gatimu, 37, wants to know whether other women may have been denied admission because of their children.

"I just don't want it to happen to somebody else like me," said Gatimu, who now lives in Springfield. "I ran away from my country to come for justice, and I'm going through this ... injustice."

Nick Nagrich, one of the attorneys representing Ozarks Technical Community College, said a general denial has been entered to all the claims in the suit filed in July in U.S. District Court in Springfield. He declined to comment further until the lawsuit's discovery process is complete.

Gatimu said she was first denied admission in November 2002 to the program that is part of the college's Allied Health Department. She said she enrolled in the classes suggested to her by the man who was then dean of Allied Health.

A college report card shows she passed the English, biology and psychology classes. Gatimu said her references provided positive assessments to the college.

In May 2003, she received an identical letter from Steven Bishop, the department's new dean, suggesting the same courses.

The rejection letter read, in part: "The decision was based on all the information made available to the [Admissions] Committee, such as your high school transcript, aptitude test scores, personal references and the interview."

The nursing program and the dental hygienist program are the most difficult to get admitted to, said Cindy Hinds, a college spokeswoman. Only 30 of 100 applicants for this fall were admitted, she said.

In the meantime, Gatimu has enrolled in the nursing program at Gibson Technical Center in Reeds Spring, an hour's drive from Springfield.

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On the Net:

Ozarks Technical Community College: http://www.otc.cc.mo.us/

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Information from: Springfield News-Leader, http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com