The Knucklehead of the Day award

Today's winners are Florida A&M University and its President, Castell Bryant. They get the award for the following.

Two-thirds of more than 400 Florida A&M University employees, waiting to be paid since the semester began Jan. 8, finally received paychecks on Friday.

"Right now, the main focus is to make sure everyone will get paid by the end of next week," said Pamela Bryant, special assistant to FAMU's president.

The pay didn't appear soon enough to satisfy some graduate students, who have stopped teaching at FAMU.

"It's financial. We have to eat. But it's also a matter of principle," said Darren Beneby, who was told he would be replaced if he didn't teach, though at that point he hadn't been paid.

Yata Caine along with Beneby received a bachelor's and master's degree at FAMU before embarking on Ph.D. work in criminology at Florida State University and teaching at FAMU. They said they felt ignored and deceived by FAMU, as the payroll problem lingered on for so long.

"No one was giving us answers. No communication. We just had to do something," Caine said. "No one seems to care."

While both were paid Friday, they resigned from their FAMU teaching posts to protest how they were treated.

Still at work is a group set up two weeks ago by Interim President Castell Bryant to figure out why so many graduate students, adjunct professors and part-time employees were not being paid.

No single problem has been identified. But it was not a computer glitch, Bryant said.

"It's a moving target. I really don't know," Bryant said on Wednesday of what caused and would solve the mystery of FAMU's missing paychecks. "We're trying to find out what's going on. I take this very, very seriously. When people work, they should be paid."

This story from Tallahassee is similar to one here in Palm Beach County. Both involved school or university employees.

There is no excusing what is happening at FAMU. It is a state university but some how can't pay employees. What is going on? Bryant is clueless and she is the University President. Then some how all this is run of the mill for the University, FAMU has a history of paying 'employees' who don't work there. Makes sense then they don't pay actual employees, right?(Cue the sarcastic laughter.

For failing its employees, Florida A&M University and its President Castell Bryant are today's Knuckleheads of the Day.

Linked to- Big Dog, Blue Star, Cao, Is it just me?, Jo, Pursuing Holiness,
Note- Thanks to Carl for pointing out my mistakes.