In Brief—Nassau #adjuncts, Mary-Faith Cerasoli donation pages

…the PayPal donation link at Stefan Krompier's NCC Adjuncts United site, down yesterday, is now a go…so GO …now.

…the story—Mary-Faith, mass firing threats, her hunger strike,
starts here, September 2013, at the Nassau AFA strike

Then stop by Frank Freiser's  I Stand With Mary-Faith, that is linked to his GoFundMe campaign, Mary-Faith Is Fighting for Adjunct Rights. 

Are these campaigns connected? Why have two? Won't that just confuse people?

Nassau AFA Newsletter

Both are local campaigns, not affiliated with the Nassau adjunct union,  organized by Nassau County College adjuncts — setting an example of acting local for the rest of us. State and national attention did not make a dent. Time to act local. That still means all of us. Cut the palaver and toss a buck or so in their hats. Stefan and Frank are looking for volume not high rollers. There aren't any in our crowd.

Why not have two if two friends decide independently to help another friend? There may even be a gift tax advantage for Mary-Faith. Who cares? Deal with it. Piece of cake compared to teaching at multiple colleges. No doubt those looking for an excuse to turn their backs on Mary-Faith and the Nassau adjuncts yet again will seize on confusion as one but would find another if that were not at hand.

Piecing together the Nassau adjunct back story from Frank Reiser, Stefan Krompier, NCC Adjuncts United  and NassauAFA web pages: Nassau's was the first adjunct union in the country and is not affiliated with any national higher ed union. At one time the union was an AFT chapter but separated and went independent about 15 years ago.

Vigilant Campus Security protect NCC from dangerous
geriatric strikers; Chief of Security Rodino, suit on far right

So how does this relate to Mary-Faith Cerasoli? She was a Nassau adjunct who supported the strike and did not get rehired. For an adjunct managing a precarious balance living in her car, losing one employer can be a tipping point. Frank blogged about her situation to bring attention to it. Stacey Patton picked up the story for Chronicle Vitae. That got more attention but did not improve Mary-Faith's situation. 

Remember her plans for trip to Albany to take her case all the way to the top? All the coverage from that, publicity for the movement, but no results for her, and then her hunger strike in an NCC parking lot that got her a call from the Governor's office, left her holding the ball bill but still no closer any real solution? 

Now what? A room of her own, deposit, first month/last month rent, respect, back to work and fight another day. Live adjuncts fight better but talk back and are harder to use.