In August 2014, Tallman Trask III, the Executive Vice President of Duke and main manager of fiscal affairs, hit a Duke parking attendant, Shelvia Underwood, with his car. He left the scene without checking if she was okay. He initially lied and said this didn’t happen. He has since admitted to this.
Carl DePinto, the Parking and Transportation manager, joined in October 2014 and has fostered a culture of “racism, harassment, retaliation, and bullying.”
Last year, every POC reporting to DePinto was rated “S-“. All but one white person were rated “S” or “S+”. This rating directly impacts pay increases.
Vice President Kyle Cavanaugh installed DePinto and approved DePinto’s ratings. He oversees DUPD and the OIE, but he reports to Trask as well. There is a clear conflict of interest between his duties and his ties as an administrator.
The protesters are occupying the foyer and a hallway on the second floor of the Allen building. Administration say they won’t negotiate until classes can return to the Allen building, but it is administration who closed the building. The occupation does not disrupt classroom spaces.
Although Duke’s current minimum wage is $12/hour, this is only for full-time employees (of which there were 400 in January 2015). There is no standard for the larger group of part-time, seasonal, and contractual employees, many of which are POC. Many are paid below $12.
Institutional racism occurs under these men. There has been no satisfactory resolution to the Underwood incident in these past two years and at least five employees from the parking department have now filed cases with EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission). In the current Allen negotiations, Duke is not allowing Duke workers to be at the negotiation table.
The so-called “aggressive” tactics of the sit-in have been critical for applying leverage to an administration that refused to hold itself accountable. Media coverage has dramatically increased- news outlets that refused to report on the story are now involved.
Due process should not involve the defendant investigating themselves. The institutions meant to enforce accountability (DUPD and the OIE) are run by the men that need to be investigated. We believe in a thorough, transparent, and independent process given the huge power imbalance between EVP Trask and Ms. Underwood.
Duke Students & Workers in Solidarity 