One day last fall, University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB) Professor Yolanda Broyles-Gonzalez woke up and decided she was not going to take it anymore.

She had long known that women professors with equal experience at the university were not being paid the same as their male colleagues. So, after many sleepless nights, she decided to challenge that practice.

"I was paid less at every step of the way," said Broyles-Gonzales of her twelve years at UCSB.

Now eight months later, Broyles-Gonzalez, who is of Chicana-Yaqui heritage, has altered history. UCSB, several studies concluded, paid male full professors an average of $12,900 more than it paid female full professors. As a result of those studies, Broyles-Gonzalez is the first woman in the UC system to emerge victorious in a gender pay equity lawsuit.

"It took a woman of color to challenge the inequities," said Broyles-Gonzalez, who credits WAGE (We Advocate Gender Equity) as the principal organization which supported her throughout her struggle. "I hope my case serves as a prelude to other discrimination cases."

Both she and the university agreed to settle the lawsuit out of court, with precedent-setting terms calling for a permanent court injunction mandating that the university cease its gender and race discrimination against Broyles-Gonzalez. It also calls on the university not to retaliate against her because of her political views.

A press statement released by UCSB, on behalf of Chancellor Henry T. Yang said, "I'm glad that we have reached a resolution to this dispute."

According to the statement, the agreement spells out three points:

* The University agreed to pay Broyles-Gonzalez $40,000 plus legal fees.

* Broyles-Gonzalez will ask the court to dismiss all charges against UC and others, and not file a lawsuit against any of the defendants using the same claims.

* The agreement expressly states it is "not an admission of any wrongdoing or liability" by UCSB.