Jennifer Harris is a former player of the Pennsylvania State University

Pennsylvania State University

The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...

 Lady Lions basketball team.

High school

Harris played for Central Dauphin High School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where she was named a WBCA

Women's Basketball Coaches Association

The Women's Basketball Coaches Association is an association of coaches of women's basketball teams at all levels.The organization was formed in 1981, with the goal of addressing the needs of women's basketball coaches.The mission of the WBCA is:...

 All-American. She participated in the 2003 WBCA High School All-America Game where she scored two points.

College

In 2006, she accused Rene Portland

Rene Portland

Maureen Theresa "Rene" Muth Portland is an American former head women's college basketball coach known for her 27-year tenure with the Penn State Lady Lions basketball team. Her career resume includes 21 NCAA tournament appearances including a Final Four appearance in 2000, five Big Ten Conference...

 the coach of Lady Lions of removing her from the team because of her perceived sexual orientation

Sexual orientation

Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...

. Harris filed federal lawsuit against Portland, the University athletic director Timothy Curley

Timothy Curley

Timothy Curley is the athletic director for Penn State University, currently suspended from his position after being indicted for perjury related to the Penn State sex abuse scandal.-Career:...

, and the University. An internal University review found that Portland created a "hostile, intimidating, and offensive environment" based on Harris's perceived sexual orientation. Portland was fined $10,000, required to attend diversity training

Diversity training

Diversity training is training for the purpose of increasing participants' cultural awareness, knowledge, and skills, which is based on the assumption that the training will benefit an organization by protecting against civil rights violations, increasing the inclusion of different identity groups,...

 sessions, and placed on "zero tolerance

Zero tolerance

Zero tolerance imposes automatic punishment for infractions of a stated rule, with the intention of eliminating undesirable conduct. Zero-tolerance policies forbid persons in positions of authority from exercising discretion or changing punishments to fit the circumstances subjectively; they are...

" for future violations of the nondiscrimination

Discrimination

Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...

 policy. The lawsuit was settled under confidential terms, and described by a joint statement as "amicable."

Jennifer Harris graduated from James Madison University in 2008. Due to a career ending ankle injury, she is unable to pursue her dream to play in the WNBA.

External links