Ruth M. Sprague
Wild Justice
"WILD JUSTICE" by Ruth M. Sprague is a fiction novel written in the early 1990s. The book centers on the plight of Professor Diana Trenchant, who faces an unjust termination hearing after being accused of falsifying student evaluations while the university administration appears to condone far worse offenses among its male faculty. Through a blend of humor and indignation, Sprague seeks to expose the systematic sexism ingrained in academic institutions and the often disingenuous practices that protect the status quo. At the start of the story, readers are introduced to Diana Trenchant, an experienced professor who is shocked to find herself at the center of a termination hearing instigated by the committee at Belmont University. The opening chapters set the stage for her defense, revealing the skewed dynamics between faculty and administration, as well as the petty motivations driving the accusations against her. Key administrators, such as Henry Tarbuck and Lyle Stone, are depicted as self-serving figures aiming to discredit Trenchant while maintaining their own questionable positions. Other characters, like Professor Jonathan Bambridge, serve as a reminder of the complicity often found in academia. As the hearing unfolds, it becomes increasingly clear that Diana's case is less about her actions and more about entrenched gender biases and institutional power struggles.