THE GLENNON LAWFIRM oc PROFESSIONAL REPRESENTATION Statement from Peter J. Glennon Re: St. John Fisher and Dr. Merouane Lakehal-Ayat “While the St. John Fisher College faculty statutes restrict me from commenting on the on- going tenure-termination proceeding, | can confirm that my firm has filed a defamation complaint against St. John Fisher College with the New York State Supreme Court and a charge of discrimination and retaliation with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of our client, Dr. Merouane Lakehal-Ayat. “A tenured finance professor at St. John Fisher College, Dr. Lakehal-Ayat has been routinely discriminated against because of his Muslim religion, his national origin and his age — and he has been retaliated against for bringing this discrimination to the attention of the college's administration. “There have been counter-accusations made that my client abandoned his faculty duties by using undergraduate teaching assistants (TAs). This is simply not the case. Like numerous other Fisher faculty members, he has utilized work-study students as TAs with ‘the college’s awareness and approval, but he has never abandoned his faculty duties. We believe that the actions taken against our client by the college have been motivated by discrimination and retaliation. It also evidences incredibly poor leadership by a Fisher administration that is relatively new and inexperienced. “Dr. Lakehal-Ayat has taught students at the college he loves for 32 years. His skill as an ‘educator is evidenced by being a five-time Fulbright Fellow and a four-time recipient of the college’s highest faculty-teaching honor. It is extremely unfortunate ~ and unfathomable — that the Fisher administration, particularly President Gerard Rooney and the trustees’ executive committee, would allow this blatant discrimination and retaliation to continue.” - Peter J. Glennon, president, The Glennon Law Firm PC