It is time to take action. Advocacy groups that support the cause of America’s adjunct university professors are uniting to raise funds for one of our own. My website, Adjunct Justice, is joining this cause because the adjunct in question truly needs help. We are doing a fundraiser for her, and we wanted the public to be aware of it. In that article, Keith Hoeller, a friend and writer for Adjunct Justice, shares his letter written for Mary Faith. The actual fundraiser is from Mary Faith’s colleagues, NCC Adjuncts United, at Nassau Community College in New York.
There is a second fundraiser in her name, from Adjunctsaurus, who has stood by her and has given us her updates from day one. He is raising money for her through a crowdfunding website called “GoFundMe”. Also, I suggest looking at a post by adjunct advocate Vanessa Vaile who then does a different take on it. It is a bit of a different perspective, originating from NCC roots.If you can share, promote, and especially donate to any of this, that would be awesome; it would be much appreciated, as Mary Faith needs all the help we can give her. Thanks again in advance for all your help.
From the post by Keith Hoeller from the Washington Part-Time Faculty Association:
Stefan Krompier of Nassau Community College has set up a fundraising website for New York homeless adjunct Mary Faith Cerasoli: https://www.nccadjunctsunited.org/1.html
The site tells Mary Faith’s story and contains links to articles both by and about her. In order to preserve her health, she ended her fast a few weeks ago. I was able to get her in touch with a New York State Education official who works for Governor Cuomo. But neither he nor Gov. Cuomo have agreed to meet with her.
She has had trouble getting her teaching license. She wrote a personal appeal for help to Randi Weingarten, President of AFT. But she has not received a response.
She has been discouraged by the difficulty adjuncts have in collecting unemployment in New York state.
While she has temporary housing, it will run out in about 10 days and she will be back to living in her car again.
If you can donate to her, please do. Please also spread this URL far and wide. Cash or check contributions can be mailed or given directly to Stefan Krompier, 200 Northfield Rd., Hauppauge, NY 11788. Credit Card and Paypal donations can be made by clicking the donation link on the link.
Contact information for questions or problems.
On top of that, you will want to read from the actual fundraiser by the NCC Adjuncts United advocacy group:
PLEASE HELP MARY-FAITH
A PERSONAL APPEAL FROM PROF. STEFAN KROMPIER
Mary-Faith Cerasoli is a friend of mine and a homeless teacher.
In the fall of 2011 Mary-Faith possessed a Temporary Teaching License and was teaching full time. At this point in time the New York State Education Department informed her that that she needed to obtain a Permanent License in order to continue teaching in a NYS Public School . She followed the Departments written instructions and completed the two specific courses in adolescent pedagogy necessary to obtain her permanent teaching license. Because these courses were recommended in error and not the specific two courses she needed Mary-Faith no longer had a teaching license, a job, and the ability to get a teaching job in a NYS Public School.
Alchemy or the Useless Science by Remedios Varo – 1958
Her advanced Degree and extensive teaching experience enabled Mary-Faith to secure employment at four different colleges as an Adjunct Instructor. She worked six days a week and was able to support herself.Personal health issues, her mother’s worsening dementia, her lack of a fulltime teaching position and the on-again-off-again nature of Adjunct work has depleted her savings to the point where she is now homeless. Her night time hours are split sleeping in her car and when lucky on the couch in a friend’s house.
Please help Mary-Faith back on her feet with a donation .
Your donation will be used to pay Mary-Faith’s first and last month’s rent and a security deposit.
Stefan Krompier (NCC Marketing Dept.)
Cash and Check Contributions should be mailed or given to: Stefan Krompier, 200 Northfield Rd., Hauppauge, NY 11788. Credit Card and Paypal donations can be made by clicking below.If you are using a Credit Card when you reach the PayPal window click on the credit cards in lower Left area of the window. PLEASE PASS THIS MESSAGE FORWARD SO OTHERS MAY CONTRIBUTE.
MARY-FAITH PROTESTS FOR ADJUNCTS
Even though impoverished and homeless Mary-Faith continues fighting for fair treatment of Adjuncts across the country who find themselves in similar situations . Her efforts have brought nationwide awareness to the plight of Adjunct Teacher throughout the United States.The New York Times,U.S. News and World Report, PBS News Hour,Albany Times Union, and the Adjunctsarus.wordpress.com are just a few of the publications/electronic news mediums that have reported Mary-Faith’s efforts on behalf of all Adjunct Teachers.
Mary-Faith Cerasoli’s contributions to the adjunct faculty cause.
Ana Maria Fores Tamayo is ABD in Comparative Literature from New York University, though she presently lives in Texas. She never completed her Ph.D. because motherhood got in the way: tenure and parenting do not mix. Thus she switched fields and worked in academic publishing for many years. She missed academia, however, and decided to return, only to find the Ivory Tower inhospitable to most educators. It did not take her long to take up their cause, beginning a petition for adjunct faculty, now with over 10,000 signatures. This grew into a Facebook forum for like-minded individuals to connect and organize. The past few years, Fores Tamayo expanded her work to reach out to those rendered invisible. She is trying to raise awareness of these marginalized peoples in order to erase borders. Her labor naturally grew from her work with students: DREAMers, undocumented students, and eventually asylum seekers from Mexico and Central America. Although this is heart-wrenching work, it is at the same time quite satisfying, being able to help others one to one. Working with diverse populations too, she is trying to make sure the disenfranchised become strong and have their voices heard. Her work can be seen in the Dallas/Fort Worth Refugee Support Network.
Thank you Adrian. I’m hoping a fresh round will perk up interest. Timing may be less than optimum now too. The semester is over. Adjuncts are worrying over unemployment, surviving the summer and so on. Other groups not helping and supporting this campaign has not helped either. Some (most of it, to be honest) is petty and all unnecessary. I should not be surprised. This is emblematic this is of academic labor in general — and the precarious variety in particular. I just got an IWW email alert about supporting a member. When they sign off “in solidarity,” it’s not an empty cliche on the signature line. We could use more of that attitude.
VCVaile says
Thank you Adrian. I’m hoping a fresh round will perk up interest. Timing may be less than optimum now too. The semester is over. Adjuncts are worrying over unemployment, surviving the summer and so on. Other groups not helping and supporting this campaign has not helped either. Some (most of it, to be honest) is petty and all unnecessary. I should not be surprised. This is emblematic this is of academic labor in general — and the precarious variety in particular. I just got an IWW email alert about supporting a member. When they sign off “in solidarity,” it’s not an empty cliche on the signature line. We could use more of that attitude.