CSUN Deaf Center’s Demoted Chief Wins a Temporary Reinstatement
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has temporarily reinstated the director of a nationally known center for the deaf at California State University, Northridge, who was removed from office by the university president.
Ray Jones was demoted from his job as director of CSUN’s National Center on Deafness by school President James W. Cleary on Oct. 16.
For the record:
12:00 a.m. Dec. 1, 1985 For the Record
Los Angeles Times Tuesday November 19, 1985 Valley Edition Metro Part 2 Page 7 Column 2 Zones Desk 1 inches; 34 words Type of Material: Correction
An article on Sunday incorrectly reported the age of Ray Jones, director of the National Center on Deafness at California State University, Northridge, who is seeking reinstatement to his job in a lawsuit against the university. Jones is 68.
For the Record
Los Angeles Times Sunday December 1, 1985 Valley Edition Metro Part 2 Page 21 Column 1 Zones Desk 2 inches; 53 words Type of Material: Correction
An article on Nov. 17 incorrectly reported that Ray Jones, former director of the National Center on Deafness at California State University, Northridge, had been reinstated to that post by court order. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Irving A. Shimer reinstated Jones’ salary as an administrator but left the issue of job reinstatement for a hearing scheduled in December.
Jones, 60, sued to retain his post. The judge issued a temporary restraining order Wednesday that allows the educator to continue drawing his $50,000 annual salary while he pursues a $12-million age discrimination lawsuit against CSUN, said his attorney, Louis J. Henry.
Under the court order, Jones will keep his job at least until Dec. 4, when a hearing will be held to determine whether a preliminary injunction will be granted.
Jones is seeking reinstatement as director and wants to prevent the university from proceeding with a nationwide search for his replacement, according to the lawsuit.
Henry said Jones had been pressured to resign since May by Cleary and university officials who brought “trumped-up charges” and wanted to demote Jones because of his age.
University officials, however, contend that Jones has not kept pace with new teaching trends and no longer works closely with the deaf community in Los Angeles. They are also unhappy because the center’s National Leadership Training Program in 1985 failed for the first time to get federal funding for the next school year.
Henry said Jones was not responsible for the cut in federal funding. He said he intends to show that the former director actually secured $40,000 in funding from other sources.
Henry said Jones was offered a tenured position in the department of educational administration, supervision and higher education, with a salary reduction of $8,000 a year.
The center, which was started with a federal grant in 1963 to improve the teaching of deaf children, has instructed some of the leading deaf educators in the country and helped hundreds of deaf students graduate from CSUN.
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