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Welcome to The 1909, the podcast that takes an in-depth look at The State News’ biggest stories of the week, while bringing in new perspectives from the reporters who wrote them.
It's Thursday, March 28th, and this is the 19 09, the state news weekly podcast featuring our reporters talking about the news. I'm your host, Alex Walters. This week, an MSU researcher says when he raised concerns about falsified data in a lab, his colleagues retaliated the campaign of racial discrimination ending in an unfair termination. Then, MSU's graduate employees are asking the university for health care coverage that goes beyond the campus clinic. And finally, MSU has finalized plans for renovating and eventually reopening the places where a campus shooting took place last year.
Alex:Here to tell us about all these stories is the incredible state news reporter, Emilio Perez Barguin. Emilio, thank you for coming on the show with us today.
Emilio:Goodness. Thank you for having me.
Alex:You've had a very busy week. You've had 3 great big stories. I was putting together the show this week, and I said the story, the story, the story. And then I noticed they're all by Emilio. So you're here to take us through all
Emilio:the news. Glad to. Alright.
Alex:So let's start with this this research lawsuit. And so, yeah, to be clear, this account of this embassy researcher comes from a lawsuit that was just filed in federal court. But before we get into, you know, this story of what went on inside this lab, this is a person that has sort of a unique position within MMSU. I think people think about students, faculty. They don't think about all of these unique research roles that exist within the university.
Alex:Tell us a little bit about this job and kind of how it works.
Emilio:Yeah. Of course. So just to provide some background. So this lawsuit focuses on someone named Zhang Xiaow Michael Chen. And so he was a former researcher working at the university.
Emilio:Part of this university program called the IR 4 project. And so just to summarize, it's a program more or less run through the EPA that's helping with pest management, and his role within that was a sort of quality assurance role, making sure that the research being done was applying to EPA standards.
Alex:I sort of a a watchdog within the lab trying to make sure everything is is up to code. And that's it kinda where all this trouble starts. Tell us about, you know, his discovery that he thinks spurred this whole saga.
Emilio:Yeah. So in a you know, the lawsuit says around January of 2021, Chen notices that 2 lab reports that he was auditing had some of these inconsistencies that, you know, within the restrictions of his job, it's it's his responsibility to report. And, you know, he does that. He reports that These
Alex:inconsistencies, they they kinda signal to him that there might be some sort of, I guess, kind of falsification or inaccuracy in the data?
Emilio:Exactly. You know, usually, it it's it's very possible that these inaccuracies are simply someone trying to correct for equipment malfunctions. But at the same time, you know, it's within their due due diligence to make sure that nothing has been added there maliciously.
Alex:I see. So he's reporting this saying, like, you know, we should take a look. This looks weird. Something fishy. Mhmm.
Alex:And so then what what's sort of the response from his colleagues? What happens in the aftermath?
Emilio:So again, he puts in you know, he says that something is wrong here. And, you know, he after a while, he gets a bit curious, so he puts in 2 Freedom of Information Act requests. And through them, he discovers that his superior started holding, quote, secret meetings and trying to find out ways that they could essentially get rid of him.
Alex:Really? Behind his back for having these meetings?
Emilio:Exactly. So they discussed 3 possible avenues. They said, you know, they could either say that he was found guilty of some sort of professional misconduct, if his professional reviews were no longer up to par, and frankly his position was no longer funded.
Alex:I see. And so after, you know, these secret meetings, what what does he experience in the lab?
Emilio:So what Chen begins to experience is essentially a bit of a manhunt. You know? It begins with an investigation into the quality of his work. Right? They're saying that he's simply, you know, doing professional misconduct, and then it says that he was doing substandard work.
Emilio:And eventually, this all culminates in him receiving the first does not meet expectations on his report in almost 20 years. And then a couple months later, they say that his position is no longer being funded and they fire him.
Alex:Really? And and also in this time, he he led to sort of more kind of interpersonal issues with the content of his colleagues. Right? That he feels discrimination based on his race?
Emilio:Yeah. The lawsuit mentions that while this is all going on, this is, essentially during the beginning of the COVID 19 pandemic. Mhmm. A part a time when a lot of Asian Americans in this country were facing, open and quiet discrimination.
Alex:Yeah.
Emilio:And Chen being, from China says he felt that discrimination at the MSU lab.
Alex:And so so what is, you know, the legal case here? What is he arguing, MSU did in this civil complaint?
Emilio:Yeah. So they're touching on 2 laws here. 1 is the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as well as the Age Discrimination Act. So to start with race. Right?
Emilio:Chen is a US citizen naturalized from China. And And, essentially, what he's saying is that because of his Asian descent, he was essentially, targeted for discrimination. And so the reason why he was terminated, you know, touches with his race. And as well, you know, at the time of his firing, Chen was only 2 years away from retirement, and that would have meant that he would have been able to get the university benefits that come with retirement and having reached 25 years of service.
Alex:Yeah. And so it's almost, you know, the the kind of story that he tells is very much centers around this, kind of retaliatory behavior that he thinks happens where because he raises these red flags, his colleagues take action against him. But the legal argument centers, I guess, kind of more narrowly around the, you know, demographic discrimination that he faced.
Emilio:Exactly. Is that
Alex:a fair kinda reading the suit?
Emilio:Yeah. And the or and the lawsuit it states, you know, he was doing his job, and this is simply something he should not have been punished for. Yeah. So why was he?
Alex:And so what what is he asking for from the university in this lawsuit?
Emilio:Well, there's a couple of things that he's asking for. One is just simply back pay for the period that he was without a job Mhmm. As well as relocation fees to a new job, And it also includes some aspects of from the trauma that Jim might have experienced during this time. It mentions that he suffered from depression, stress, and insomnia. And so on top of those, there's also just, you know, additional punitive charges or damages that they're looking for.
Alex:Yeah. Alright. Well, okay. Let's move on to your next, you know, great story from this last week, which is health care for for graduate employees. But before before we can get in there, kind of once again like this, we're really focusing on some of the the less seen roles within the university this week.
Alex:These are not grad students, grad employees, which I think is a distinction I I mix up people mix up all the time. Explain, you know, what's the difference between when think about someone getting a master's and someone who's like a grad employee? What is this group of people that are protesting?
Emilio:Right. So, you know, graduate employees are essentially a smaller subset of graduate students. Right? People who are pursuing that, you know, education past and undergraduate education. A lot of these times, they're employed in classrooms as teaching assistants or within labs as research assistants.
Emilio:And so these are, you know, people who are pursuing an education but also, you know, frankly trying to earn some money on the side.
Alex:I see. So they're both studying at MSU and employed by the MSU, whether they're doing research or, you know, teaching undergrads as TAs.
Emilio:Exactly.
Alex:I see. And so you went last, last week to a protest that they held talking about, you know, some of their health care benefits. And before we get to kind of the demands and the issues, right now you're a grad employee at MSU. What what is the current health care coverage?
Emilio:If you're a current grad employee at MSU, you're getting coverage through Olin Health Center, which is probably what a lot of undergraduates are familiar with. But what they're saying is that health care provided through Olin is simply not sufficient to meet their needs.
Alex:Yeah. And so Olin, you know, for those who aren't undergrads at MSU, it's like a kind of it's on campus. It's a clinic, and you can go and through the university kinda get health care, but it's pretty limited, the services that they offer. And that's that's exclusively where grad employees are covered. Is that Olin?
Emilio:Yeah. And so I spoke with the president of the union. Mhmm. And she essentially told me, you know, like, Olin is great if you're not under registered and you've got a cold, you've got the flu.
Alex:Yeah. But if
Emilio:you're, you know, a graduate employee, you might be within, you know, 20 years old or 50 years old. You've got a lot more complicated health issues. And Olin is simply not prepared to deal with those issues.
Alex:And so what are they what are they asking for instead from the university?
Emilio:They're asking for a couple of things. One is simply for an alternative health care provider. One that isn't Olin that allows them to get that care that they need.
Alex:So they can go to, you know, just a regular doctor's office or a hospital or something that's not necessarily like this campus student clinic.
Emilio:Exactly. Yeah. And as well, they're also just asking for dental and vision care. I spoke to 1, graduate employee who said that because of the cost because at the time, MSU's health care policy did not cover, dental.
Alex:Yeah.
Emilio:And when he found out that he had an issue with his teeth, he had to wait much longer than he would have been able to, and he ended up losing his one of his teeth because of it. And so that, you know, this health care policy really does have impacts on people's lives.
Alex:Yeah. And so, you know, they're they're they're on campus, they're protesting, but also they kind of put together a formal proposal, it sounds like. You know, tell us what what are they they put this proposal forward. Have they gotten a response? Where is that at?
Emilio:Yeah. So they gave this proposal to, again, MSU Human Resources. Mhmm. And as of right now, I don't think that they've heard anything from them. But, again, that's the the formal version.
Emilio:The demands are mostly the same.
Alex:I see. Yeah. Well, I'm sure he'll be sure to stick with it. I have to come back on the show if something develops.
Emilio:Absolutely.
Alex:Alright. And our our last story for the week is, you know, these two sites on campus, Berkey Hall and the Union, which, you know, a little more than a year ago now, where the buildings where the February 13th shooting occurred, where students were shot, where students were killed, and obviously they've carried a great weight in the minds of the campus. MSU has for a year now been kind of talking, in discussions, kind of saying different things, vague things about what's gonna happen to these spaces where this violence occurred. And finally now, they've announced a clear plan for like, this is what we're gonna do with these rooms where where where so much trauma happened that students have this strong negative association with, and you wrote about that. So first, tell us, you know, what is gonna happen to to the parts of Berkey Hall?
Alex:Got it. Well, Berkey
Emilio:these re renovations are focusing around the, first floor of Berkey where, again, more shots were fired in the building. And what the email states, this email was sent out on Thursday afternoon, says they're gonna turn the space into a a space that holds a couple of different purposes. 1 is a general meeting area where people can simply go to hang out with people or hold meetings. There's also small area, meeting rooms similar to what you find in the library per se. And there's also just, I believe, a single use bathroom that's planned for that area as well as a personal health room.
Alex:Mhmm. And so
Emilio:those are kinda the adjustments that are planned for Berkey.
Alex:And then what about, you know, the union? It's the this cafeteria or just kind of a food court where, you know, the shots were fired. What are they planning for that space? The union is currently
Emilio:the plan for that is to simply modernize it, modernize the dining area. There won't be the food court no longer exists.
Alex:Mhmm. But it
Emilio:will just be an extension essentially of the union as people know it right now with space for people to come and relax and study.
Alex:I see. So they won't be bringing back, you know, what was it? The the roost and which is like the chicken fingers or the taco place
Emilio:Exactly.
Alex:Sandwiches. Those won't come back. It'll just be sort of more study spaces like what's in the Union right
Emilio:now?
Alex:Yes. I see. And do you have, you know, dates for if you're a student, when you can expect to get back into that part of the Union? When you can be on the 1st floor at Berkey again, if they explain that?
Emilio:Yeah. Most of the they're really shooting right now for before fall of next year. When people come back to campus for the next year, these plans should be finished.
Alex:I see. And what are they doing, you know, kind of is there an approach that the university is taking to do these renovations, make these changes, and do these reopenings in a way that will make students kind of feel comfortable about it, navigate some of the, you know, emotions surrounding these spaces?
Emilio:Yeah. There's a couple. So first is just, you know, MSU made these plans, with the input from trauma informed experts. That's what they're calling them. And these are people from outside firms who are simply educated on how, students with into this experience would would respond to this.
Emilio:And so they've been informed by that. Additionally, however, they're also just making sure that the actual work of the renovation doesn't bother people too much on campus. In Berkey, for example, all construction and renovation of that areas will be outside of business hours only during the night.
Alex:Oh, really? Throughout the night? So people aren't
Emilio:If you're working there, you might not even notice it.
Alex:Oh, really? Yeah. Well, alright. Well, Emilio, look at that. It's like a 19 09 marathon.
Alex:You're here doing, 3 stories. Thank you so much for coming on the show and talking about all this great reporting, and thank you for just doing it and informing us about all these topics. Yeah.
Emilio:Of course. It's great to be here as always.
Alex:It's great to have you. That is all we have for now, but we'll be back next week with fresh reporting from the great minds here at the state news. Until then, the stories we discussed and plenty more are available at statenews.com. Thank you to my guest, Emilio, our podcast director Anthony Brinson, our video producer Brad Plant and most of all, thank you for listening. For the 9209, I'm Alex Walters.