Woman Kneels Before Monaghan
Wed, Sep12, 2007 - Category: Foundation
| Miscellaneous
The following is, by far, the most commonly heard
"insider" story concerning Tom Monaghan. Ask a past
or present employee from any of the Ave Maria
entities about this story, and he or she will
probably be familiar with it. Multiple current and
former employees have offered AveWatch corroborating
accounts. Yet, to date, it remains unpublished.
Tom Monaghan is a staunch believer and enforcer of dress codes, particularly for women. In large and small meetings, Monaghan has been asked by female employees if they could wear slacks in lieu of the required skirts/dresses on winter days when bitter sub-zero wind-chills whip through Michigan. This was a significant safety concern for women who needed to do regular travel on the snow-covered roads of Michigan as part of their employment responsibilities. Monaghan's response was a consistent "no" to slacks; however, he would "allow" women to wear slacks into and out-of the building if they immediately changed into their dress in the bathroom upon entering the building.
But, requiring a dress or skirt was not enough for Mr. Monaghan. It had to be of a 'proper' length at/below the knees.
Shirley Daum was a married mother who worked at Domino Farms. According to co-workers and friends, she was a solid employee who "always acted professionally" and was "a cheerful and delightful person to be around". As the account goes, in Mr. Monaghan's outer office area, he noticed one day that Daum was wearing a skirt whose length might not have met the knee dress code. In the presence of other employees, Monaghan then proceeded to tell Daum to kneel in front of him so that he could determine whether the skirt touched the floor and was subsequently in compliance with the dress code.
Can you imagine the humiliation of a married woman being told by her boss to kneel in his presence, in front of co-workers? To be clear, AveWatch is not implying that the instruction to kneel was done with sexual intent. But, it doesn't need to be overtly sexual to be humiliating. It should also be remembered that a perpetrator's private "intent" is not necessarily transferable to a participant or observer who may have very different perceptions about the intent.
AveWatch asked Daum's former co-workers if she did anything to provoke such treatment, or if she dressed provocatively? "That depends upon whose definition of 'provocative' you're referring to," said a current employee who wished to remain anonymous. "It seems that anything straying from drab 'Catholic Amish' garb doesn't fit with Mr. Monaghan's taste for women and is thus 'provoking'. He appears to be intimidated by attractive women who dress smart, sharp, or snappy. I would not call her dress provocative by any normal person's definition of the word." Former employees corrobrate this account, telling AveWatch that Daum "always dressed very professionally".
There is a great contradiction between Monaghan's apparent need to exert control over his real-life local female employees and with his willingness to interview for a sexed-up fantasy-making magazine like GQ.. a magazine that he'd likely not tolerate a female employee posing for (or a male employee reading while at Ave Maria). A popular story, told with a chortle, at Ave Maria School of Law is Monaghan's yearly suggestion to students that they spend $10,000 to get their wardrobe started. His focus on clothes adds to the notion that Monaghan is perpetually more concerned with style and perception over substance.
AveWatch readers should ask which of the following begins to rise to the level of harassment and "intimidation" - a pat on the arm with a smile and 'Good morning', or telling a subordinate to kneel in the presence of co-workers?
Tom Monaghan is a staunch believer and enforcer of dress codes, particularly for women. In large and small meetings, Monaghan has been asked by female employees if they could wear slacks in lieu of the required skirts/dresses on winter days when bitter sub-zero wind-chills whip through Michigan. This was a significant safety concern for women who needed to do regular travel on the snow-covered roads of Michigan as part of their employment responsibilities. Monaghan's response was a consistent "no" to slacks; however, he would "allow" women to wear slacks into and out-of the building if they immediately changed into their dress in the bathroom upon entering the building.
But, requiring a dress or skirt was not enough for Mr. Monaghan. It had to be of a 'proper' length at/below the knees.
Shirley Daum was a married mother who worked at Domino Farms. According to co-workers and friends, she was a solid employee who "always acted professionally" and was "a cheerful and delightful person to be around". As the account goes, in Mr. Monaghan's outer office area, he noticed one day that Daum was wearing a skirt whose length might not have met the knee dress code. In the presence of other employees, Monaghan then proceeded to tell Daum to kneel in front of him so that he could determine whether the skirt touched the floor and was subsequently in compliance with the dress code.
Can you imagine the humiliation of a married woman being told by her boss to kneel in his presence, in front of co-workers? To be clear, AveWatch is not implying that the instruction to kneel was done with sexual intent. But, it doesn't need to be overtly sexual to be humiliating. It should also be remembered that a perpetrator's private "intent" is not necessarily transferable to a participant or observer who may have very different perceptions about the intent.
AveWatch asked Daum's former co-workers if she did anything to provoke such treatment, or if she dressed provocatively? "That depends upon whose definition of 'provocative' you're referring to," said a current employee who wished to remain anonymous. "It seems that anything straying from drab 'Catholic Amish' garb doesn't fit with Mr. Monaghan's taste for women and is thus 'provoking'. He appears to be intimidated by attractive women who dress smart, sharp, or snappy. I would not call her dress provocative by any normal person's definition of the word." Former employees corrobrate this account, telling AveWatch that Daum "always dressed very professionally".
There is a great contradiction between Monaghan's apparent need to exert control over his real-life local female employees and with his willingness to interview for a sexed-up fantasy-making magazine like GQ.. a magazine that he'd likely not tolerate a female employee posing for (or a male employee reading while at Ave Maria). A popular story, told with a chortle, at Ave Maria School of Law is Monaghan's yearly suggestion to students that they spend $10,000 to get their wardrobe started. His focus on clothes adds to the notion that Monaghan is perpetually more concerned with style and perception over substance.
AveWatch readers should ask which of the following begins to rise to the level of harassment and "intimidation" - a pat on the arm with a smile and 'Good morning', or telling a subordinate to kneel in the presence of co-workers?