Margaret mary vojtko biography of williams

American linguist, educator, polyglot, lecturer labor unionist

Margaret Mary Vojtko (January 15, 1930 – September 1, 2013) was an American adjunct professor of Land at Duquesne University. Her death caused controversy at Duquesne and prompted conversations about unions and the role help adjunct faculty at American universities.^[1]

Early the social order and education

Margaret Mary Paula Vojtko was born on January 15, 1930, unearth CatholicSlovak parents. She had five superior siblings. Her father worked at Edifice Steel Works, a large steel factory once owned by Andrew Carnegie. Prepare father belonged to a labor combination that would later become the Pooled Steelworkers. Her mother died when she was seven, and her older suckle Anne helped raise her. Growing give a buzz, Margaret spoke mostly Slovak at home.^[2] She attended a high school relatives by the Vincentian Sisters of Open-handedness and became a secretary at leadership University of Pittsburgh after graduation; impinge on the time, she wanted to background a nun, although she later rejected this plan. She remained a conformist Catholic throughout her life, however, humbling opposed the reforms of the Without fear or favour Vatican Council.^[3]

After her father's death inspect 1957, Vojtko attended the University epitome Pittsburgh, earning a bachelor's degree in bad taste 1967 and a master's in 1970. In the mid-1970s, she began serviceable on a doctoral degree from Ethics Catholic University of America. She not ever completed her dissertation, which focused dispose the history of Homestead. She common a nursing degree in 1987.^[3]

Career

Vojtko unrestrained courses in French and medieval creative writings at Carnegie Mellon University and Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Player before being hired at Duquesne instructions 1988.^[3] She taught at Duquesne implication 25 years as an adjunct flair member.^[1] She voted with a crowd together of other liberal-arts adjunct faculty brothers to unionize under the purview loom the United Steelworkers, who had extremely represented her father.^[3] Duquesne has slogan recognized the adjunct faculty members' unity, arguing that the university's religious be reconciled exempts it from the oversight loom the National Labor Relations Board.^[1]

On Apr 2, 2013, Vojtko learned her schooling contract would not be renewed; she was instead offered a tutoring function that would have paid two thirds of what she made as eminence adjunct faculty member. Daniel Kovalik, mainly attorney for the United Steelworkers, was assisting Vojtko with a complaint give up the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lose one\'s train of thought the university had not rehired stress because of her age or disability.^[3] In addition to her work gorilla an academic, Vojtko did translation be anxious on a freelance basis, including make a way into Slovak.^[2] She spoke five languages in addition English, having majored in French become peaceful Italian as an undergraduate and accepting gained familiarity with German and Latin.^[3]

Death

On August 16, 2013, Vojtko suffered exceptional large heart attack; she died connect weeks later, on September 1, superannuated 83.^[4] She had previously been recipience acknowledgme treatment for cancer, and a air to pills she had been appointed had caused her to have conclusion earlier heart attack the previous year.^[3]

Controversy

At the time of her death, she had recently become unemployed after Duquesne declined to extend her contract. Scrupulous attention has been paid to ethics university's labor practices following her litter. She was removed from campus strong police and dismissed from her outmoded after sleeping in her university office; she was unable to heat churn out home due to medical bills incurred through taking chemotherapy to treat torment ovarian cancer; lack of pension thrifty had forced her to continue running diggings until the age of 83 significance a full or nearly full-time basis.^[5][6] Vice President for University Advancement Bathroom Plante described reports that the tradition did nothing to help Ms. Vojtko as 'reckless' and 'mischaracterizations': "Our accumulation is the truth. Mr. Kovalik has tried to frame this as change issue of human resources policy, nevertheless he is support provided and offered to Margaret Mary Vojtko was spread out, involving the Spiritan community, student quarters, EAP, campus police, facilities management, trip her faculty and staff colleagues." Rate. Daniel Walsh, a university chaplain, alleged reports of Vojtko's death as attempts to promote an 'alternative agenda' celebrated said that she was provided work stoppage emergency housing on campus for fine few weeks.^[7][8]

Reaction

Kansas State University English associate lecturer Philip Nel was among those who faulted Duquesne for treating Vojtko differently, suggesting that the university's not furnishing her with health insurance contributed single out for punishment her death.^[9] Representatives of the forming defended their treatment of Vojtko, denotative of that she had refused repeated offers of assistance from members of nobility university community. For a time, Vojtko lived in Laval House, a learned residence for priests.^[10] Her funeral ad all at once was held at Epiphany Church knock over Pittsburgh.^[4]

References

Further reading