Penn State
University has concluded its investigation of discrimination
complaints filed by a former player against women's
basketball coach Rene Portland, but school officials
didn't release their findings. School president Graham
Spanier said Thursday that he had to review the report
and discuss the matter with Portland, adding that
he hoped "the matter will be concluded by the end
of the month."
Personnel
matters, including the investigation, are typically kept
confidential, "but we will discuss the possibility of some
level of public disclosure," Spanier said Thursday in
an e-mail.
The school began
its investigation in October after former player
Jennifer Harris accused Portland of discrimination based on
race and sexual orientation. Harris, who is black,
left Penn State last spring and transferred last fall
to James Madison University in Virginia.
Harris has also
filed a federal lawsuit against Portland and the
university, contending that Portland wanted Harris to look
"more feminine" and that Harris was treated
differently because she was perceived to be a lesbian.
Harris has said she is not gay.
Portland, who is
white, has firmly denied allegations of discrimination
and said that Harris's departure was purely related to
basketball. It is unclear how the university's probe
might affect the federal lawsuit. "It will help reveal
what the university knows," said Karen Doering, a
lawyer for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, who is
helping to represent Harris. (AP)
