By Ericka M. Smith
Daily Staff Reporter
The third day of testimony in the civil suit of three former Dental School workers continued yesterday as the last two plaintiffs took the stand.
Before Washtenaw County District Court Judge Donald Shelton, the three black employees - Dawn Mitchell, Theresa Atkins and Delano Isabelle - contended that the University and Dental School supervisor Linda Vachon, who now goes by the married name of DeMarco, discriminated against them in a 1995 firing.
While the Dental School employees continued to say they were wrongfully fired from their jobs, University counsel contended that the employees had been neglectful and deserved to be temporarily relieved from their positions.
Isabelle, who took the stand early yesterday morning, said he attempted suicide as a result of a racist environment at the Dental School.
"I had begun to start cutting myself," Isabelle said. "I wanted to kill myself."
Isabelle then said that when he returned to custodial work after leaving, he felt shunned by other employees and supervisors.
"(The appointment) went kind of rough," Isabelle said. "I felt that I had been blacklisted."
University attorney Tim Howlett then questioned Isabelle about circumstances surrounding his employment at the University.
"You have been disciplined in the past for absences?" Howlett asked Isabelle.
After leaving the Dental School, Isabelle said he had to seek professional help with Donna Chompine, a University psychiatrist.
Because Chompine was unable to attend yesterday's court proceedings, plaintiff attorney George Washington's assistant read Chompine's deposition.
"We look at depression as having multiple causes," Chompine's statement said. "Environment can contribute."
Chompine wrote that losing the job at the Dental School was a blow to Isabelle's self esteem, the assistant read.
In other testimony, Ruth Williman, a former member of the Dental School management team, said she "may have" called Isabelle "boy" twice during his employment at the Dental School - a term sometimes seen as racist.
"I'm not quite sure in what context I used the word," Williman said. "I meant no offense in saying it. It was not a derogatory term."
Isabelle said he has worked at the University for 13 years as a custodian with building services and as a residence hall cook. He said he was taking classes at Washtenaw County Community College while working at the Dental School, but had to stop attending after he was fired.
Atkins, who also testified yesterday afternoon, described the atmosphere surrounding the day she was fired for allegedly forging time cards. She said she hurt her back while lifting "heavy" baskets of dental instruments, causing her to leave work early Nov. 29, 1994 - an incident that eventually led to her firing.
"I was just in so much pain,"Atkins said. "I didn't want want to leave Dawn and Delano with all that work. I did as much as I could."
Atkins said Isabelle walked her to her car and she went home without changing her time card, an action that led to her initial suspension.
The case will resume for its fourth day of testimony at 8 a.m. today.
-Daily Staff Reporter Jenni Yachnin contributed to this report.
JONATHAN SUMMER/Daily
Ruth Williman, a former University employee, took the stand yesterday.