Pictured Above: Fai Howard, an assistant dean of upper-level initiatives, is suing the university after discovering she was being paid less than her male colleague.
Courtesy of USF
By Catherine Hicks
A lawsuit filed by assistant dean Fai Howard at USF on Feb. 24 is alleging pay discrimination based on gender.
Howard has worked in her position of assistant dean of upper-level initiatives since 2017, according to an article by the Tampa Bay Times.
According to the lawsuit, upon discovering in 2018 that she was paid significantly less than a male colleague, Howard brought the issue to the attention of the dean of undergraduate studies, but the issue was not resolved.
In 2020, Howard organized a meeting with the vice president of student success, during which she received a one-time performance bonus. However, the lawsuit says that pay inequity was not addressed during the meeting and no justification was provided to explain the difference in pay.
Howard’s attorney, Michael Pierro, told the Times that Howard values her position at USF and remains open to solving the issue amicably.
University spokesman Adam Freeman did not offer a comment to the Tampa Bay Times.
There is no parity at USF and it is nothing new. My department head and I both tried to fight pay and gender inequalities and we both ended up out of jobs. Even though we had incredible support from our students, their parents and the community (there was a public meeting that was not only SRO, people flowed out into the hallway) public support and ethics were no match for our dean or Judy Genshaft. Most surprising was that we were abandoned by the union and the rest of the faculty; even though we were supported in privet, no one was will to stick there neck out and others actually worked behind the scenes to advance their own careers facilitating departure. I loved my students, my department and my department head but the culture, bureaucracy and egos were soul crushing.
I wish you the best of luck with your lawsuit and hope that your efforts may actually bring a glimmer of change.