Daily Lobo 07/09/18

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Monday, July 9, 2018 | Vo l u m e 1 2 2 | I s s u e 7 1

Three profs sue UNM over unequal pay By Megan Holmen @megan_holmen The University of New Mexico Board of Regents is being sued by three UNM professors as a result of an investigation done by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that revealed UNM female professors in four departments are paid less than their male counter parts. The professors involved in the suit are tenured professors. Melissa Axelrod, who has been teaching since 1995, and Julie Shigekuni, who has been teaching since 1995, are both in the Linguistics Department, and Gail Houston began teaching English at UNM in 1996. Axelrod, Shigekuni and Houston decided to file suit after receiving letters from the EEOC on June 27, 2017. Shigekuni said the three suing were not the only women who received a letter from the EEOC, there were roughly twelve others. The letters stated that UNM was violating the Equal Pay Act 1963 — which prohibits discrimination based on sex in regards to wages when men and women perform under similar conditions in the same workplace — and owed them money. The letters addressed to each of the professors were also sent to the University and detailed how

much money the University owed to them. The amounts are as listed: Axelrod — $89,137 in back pay and $17,640 in interest, $106,777 in total. Houston — $1,097 in back pay and $434 in interest, $1,531 in total. Shigekuni — $35,861 in back pay and $7,595 in interest, $43,456 total. According to David Plotsky, the lawyer representing the Plaintiffs, they have currently filed suit with the United States District Court of New Mexico. UNM received a determination letter stating that the EEOC initiated an EPA charge against UNM on Aug. 9, 2011. The data from this investigation revealed that UNM was paying female professors in the English, Linguistics, Marketing and Economics departments less than their male counter parts. The EEOC notified UNM about the violation of the EPA in October 2016. According to the EEOC determination letter, “the investigation revealed that UNM failed to provide persuasive evidence that factors other than sex accounted for the disparity in pay… respondent failed to articulate a nondiscriminatory explanation for the pay disparity that withstood scrutiny.” Axelrod said the three filed suit at the end of the Spring 2018 semester after trying to exhaust administrative solutions.

Mikhaela Smith / Daily Lobo / @MikhaelaSmith18

Bar chart showing amount of monet owned to each by University of New Mexico, according to an investigation by the EEOC.

Before beginning the litigation process, Shigekuni said the three filed a complaint with Mark Peceny, the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, the UNM administration and requested a meeting with President Garnett Stokes. Shigekuni said she also filed a report with the UNM Office of Equal Opportunity. Adding that none of the attempts resulted in any change. Stokes was not in office when the initial letter was sent, once she took office a meeting was requested and a letter with all of the professors names

was sent, including the ones who aren’t suing. The letters did not receive a reply. Axelrod said she plans on retiring from UNM at the end of the summer and if she wasn’t she would be worried about being fired because she spoke up about the discrimination and inequality at UNM. Houston said there are both subtle ways and unsubtle ways that UNM could retaliate the professors’ willingness to speak out. “I think that fact that only three of us signed on for the lawyer is because the other professors do not

Fishbein speaks out on sports cuts By Robert Maler @Robert_Maler The University of New Mexico Board of Regents announced it will hold a session in the next couple of weeks, which could result in the yield a decision on certain UNM sports and whether some might be eliminated.

Several sports have been rumored to be potential casualties in an effort to reduce spending and gain control of an athletic budget that has operated in a deficit for most of the past decade. Men's soccer is one of the programs that has been mentioned frequently as one that could get the axe, but Lobo men's soccer head

coach Jeremy Fishbein has been actively campaigning to give his program — and all UNM sports — a chance to continue. Fishbein said he is a supporter of all UNM sports and was adamant that all programs should be maintained and supported moving forward. He said eliminating a sport — especially one with the

File Photo/ @DailyLobo/ Daily Lobo

Head Lobo soccer coach Jeremy Fishbein congratulates one of his players after scoring a goal against LMU Oct. 4, 2017 at the UNM Soccer Complex.

scope and impact of something like soccer — would be devastating and something that should even be an option. "I'm really kind of embarrassed that it's even out there," the head coach said. "That's our mission as an educational institution is to make our state better and be impactful. And I know our program does that in so many ways." He said UNM soccer is the only NCAA Division I program for the sport in the state and serves as the lone ambassador for literally thousands of people. Fishbein said the program represents many things that can positively impact the children in the community — saying the team shows the importance of academics and health and gives them hope to pursue an educational through sports. The head coach also mentioned the concepts of multiculturalism and diversity, something he feels soccer is a leader in promoting globally as a sport. One need not look further than the ongoing 2018 FIFA World Cup as evidence for how popular the sport is worldwide, but Fishbein said he believed some may not be aware of just how much soccer means to New Mexicans. "Soccer is the number one participation sport in New Mexico," Fishbein said. "It's not just a game, it's a way of life to so many people."

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want to lose their jobs,” Axelrod said. According to Plotsky, a court date is not set because a judge has to first decide if the case is admissible. In a Defendant's memorandum brief filed on May 25, 2018, UNM argues the case is not admissible in court due to the statute of limitations, and the court lacks jurisdiction because the Plaintiffs have not exhausted all administrative remedies with the division (referring to the New Mexico Human Rights Commission, according to Plotsky) or the New Mexico

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UNM loses thousands in missing equipment By Anthony Jackson @TonyAnjackson The University of New Mexico is not home to only students, but to more than 46,000 catalogued items totaling more than $233 million. Over the course of two years, more than 700 items have been deleted from campus inventory after evaluated to be obsolete, damaged or repurposed, according to an inventory sheet provided by UNM’s Purchasing Office. Almost 100 items were removed due to being stolen or missing, according to the inventory sheet. Some materials are listed as more than 20 years old, but a combination of time and use, also known as depreciation, lowers the value the older and more used an item becomes. To remove an asset from the inventory list, University departments must complete an annual audit, submit a request for dele-

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On the Daily Lobo website Mabes: Movie Review — “Ocean’s 8” proves revolutionary

Newman: Music Review — Florence + The Machine find new emotional depth on “High As Hope”


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