Former NYU Student Worker Claims She Was Fired for Being Paid Too
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4 CULTURE 9 OPINION Students Share Their Spookiest NYU’s Artificial Affordability Issue NYU Ghost Stories 10 SPORTS 7 ARTS Fencing Team Holds Its Own Powerhouse 105.1 Exhausts and Re- Against Ivy League Opponents wards Fans in 5-Hour Marathon VOLUME LIII | ISSUE 10 MONDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2019 Former NYU Student Worker Claims She Was Fired for Being Paid Too Much Gallatin student A’Nisa Megginson claims she was terminated from the Global Center for Academic and Spiritual Life department due to mismanagement of payroll. By ALEXANDRIA JOHNSON Deputy News Editor Stay Woke and Meditate was an ini- tiative Gallatin senior A’Nisa Meggin- son developed during her sophomore year. The program offers a weekly meditation session for students of color to seek healing while studying at a predominantly white institution. Megginson hopes students who make their way to the Global Center for Academic and Spiritual Life, located next to Kimmel Center for University Life, will find peace of mind during the sessions. There is one thing they won’t find, though: her. Despite creating the program, Meg- ginson has not attended any of the meetings since last spring, when she was fired — something she attributes to an administrative oversight. ALEXANDRA CHAN | WSN CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 The NYU Global Center for Academic and Spiritual Life terminated Gallatin senior A’Nisa Megginson’s employment, claiming she was being overcompensated for her work. NYU’s Federal Work-Study program relies on students taking part-time work on campus as need-based financial aid. Liberal Studies Professors Feel Exploited, Some Want to Unionize By EMILY DAI year program emphasizes an interdisciplinary and teaching development funding,” the Staff Writer curriculum and small, seminar-style classes. anonymous professor said. “They have access At the end of their sophomore year, LS stu- to paid sabbaticals, so they can develop their Some Liberal Studies professors are look- dents transfer into the school of their chosen research in particular [...] so there’s a lot of ing to unionize, citing lower pay and a lack of major. Since its inception, LS has grown opportunities in the university that Liberal resources and job security. into the second-largest undergraduate pro- Studies faculty don’t have.” “Liberal Studies faculty are regarded as sec- gram and no longer has any specific admis- Multiple professors who spoke to WSN ond class faculty,” said one LS professor, who sions criteria. said unionization efforts are in progress spoke to WSN on the condition of anonym- However, some LS faculty believe that within LS due to some of these complaints. JORENE HE | WSN ity due to fear of retaliation by the university. NYU has failed to keep up with the pro- Job stability is another area the anonymous You Worry About Your Costume — Founded in 1972, LS was initially a pro- gram’s transformation and does not allocate professor pointed to — no LS professors gram created for students who may have it sufficient resources. are tenured, and some are employed semes- We Handled Your To-Do List difficulty keeping up with the academic “Professors in CAS have much more ac- ter-by-semester. demands of another NYU school. The two- cess to resources in terms of research, funding CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 AND MORE SPOOKY STORIES ON PAGE 4 AND 5 2 Washington Square News MONDAY, OCTOBER 28. 2019 [email protected] NEWS Edited by VICTOR PORCELLI Former NYU Student Worker Claims She Was Fired for Being Paid Too Much CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 these resources. Due to Prasad’s instruc- meeting to inform her about the discrep- Shy declined to comment, instead refer- currently is not in a financial position to Megginson claims the former director tions, Megginson logged additional hours ancies on her student worker timesheet ring WSN to university spokesperson Shon- do, and write a 4-5 page essay documenting of GCASL, Reka Prasad, compensated her spent doing these things — something that last March. Megginson was then removed na Keogan, who disputed Megginson’s and apologizing for her role in the situa- more than other student workers due to the she says was approved by the office manager. from her position as a student worker, after claim about her termination. tion. She was also put on University Disci- vital role she played in creating programs In addition to Stay Woke and Meditate, having worked at the department for more “Because of federal privacy laws, there plinary Probation. like Stay Woke and Meditate. However, she created Mosaic, a safe space for students than two years. are limitations on what we can say in this Megginson claims that when she was when GCASL’s administration changed, of color to express their religious identities. “This email is just to confirm that there case,” Keogan wrote in an email to WSN. fired, she was told not to discuss it and, as Megginson says a budget review occurred She also co-curated an exhibit celebrating will be a pause on your employment re- “It is untrue that the student was termi- a result, was not able to officially acknowl- and after the new administration found out black spiritualism titled “I, Too, Am Di- lationship with Global Spiritual Life un- nated because of a payroll issue outside edge it until the beginning of this semester. she was being paid more, she was fired. In vine” with students Hunter Major and til there is a resolution of this issue,” Shy of her control. The integrity of student In September, she informed the Stay Woke fact, the Office of Student Conduct and Harmony Hemmings-Pallay in February. wrote in an April email to Megginson, workers’ timesheets is a matter NYU takes and Meditate community about her depar- Community Standards launched an inves- According to an Office of Student Con- obtained by WSN. very seriously.” ture from the program. tigation into the pay discrepancy. duct and Community Standards letter Megginson noted how her profession- After being fired, Megginson was told by “I am no longer affiliated with the “The former director informed me that I Megginson received, obtained by WSN, al relationship with Shy had an impact the senior director that she would also be in- meditation program I created, and most would be a developer and facilitator for this NYU totaled the payment for Megginson’s on the language Shy used in regard to the vestigated by the Office of Student Conduct proud to have materialized, Stay Woke and program, and as a result, I should get paid additional hours worked at $5,340. end of her tenure. and Community Standards to see if she vi- Meditate,” Megginson wrote in an email. for every literal hour that I worked,” Meg- Since then, Prasad has been replaced by “Even when it came to the terminology olated any academic codes, something con- “Leaving the Global Spiritual Life commu- ginson told WSN. Senior Director of Global and Spiritual Life present, my director didn’t even want to say firmed by emails between Megginson and nity and MindfulNYU has been one of the Even though Megginson was a student Yael Shy. During the transition last semester, termination because she knew that I was the office which were obtained by WSN. hardest plights I’ve had to endure, especially worker, she went above and beyond in her the department conducted a review of their connected to this program,” Megginson According to the letter sent by the office, since I was encouraged to omit my complete role. She helped with the social outreach of budget in January, according to Megginson, said. “We had seven more sessions in the Megginson was not found guilty of theft expression during that process.” Stay Woke and Meditate and attended class- in which it was noted that she was being year. People know me. My name is on this, but was found to have violated NYU Stu- es to lead meditation sessions. She also in- paid more than her colleagues. and people are expecting me to be there and dent Conduct Policy and has since been Email Alexandria Johnson formed students on where they could find Megginson said Shy called her into a see me each Monday night.” required to return the funds, which she at [email protected]. Liberal Studies Professors From Langone Custodian to Feel Exploited, Some Want Nursing Graduate, the Story of to Unionize Frank Baez CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 living in [New York City].” By MATTHEW FISCHETTI through the Men In Nursing program, Fidelin- David Lamoureux, an adjunct instructor Another professor quoted in the report said Contributing Writer do Lim, described Baez as someone reserved, but teaching economics, is one of many hired semes- the lower pay made them feel that they were well-connected. ter to semester. Generally, he is happy with LS considered to be less successful. Many students at NYU find it difficult to balance “He’s a quiet person typically in class, but he always but did say the lack of job security is stressful. “My salary indicates that the university their lives between exams, internships and extracurric- asks really good questions when he doesn’t understand “I have been rehired every semester, but thinks of contract faculty as ‘failed academics,’ ulars. But Frank Baez, a 2019 graduate of Rory Meyers a topic,” Lim said. “As a person, he’s very proactive and there’s no guarantee that will happen, so that’s a phrase I have actually heard used by senior ad- College of Nursing, did something that most students helpful, very generous with his time, helping his peers unsettling,” Lamoureux said. “More secure em- ministration to describe contract faculty,” the couldn’t imagine: working through his degree as a cus- and getting them connected to all kinds of academic ployment is preferable.” professor said.