Disheartened

[Pierow 2]

To all the fans we have come to know and love over the years, I want you all to know that we may not be coming to any more games...ever. Some things have occurred over the last two weeks that make me very disappointed with my alma mater. As some of you know, Cheri was employed with the university early this year. By all accounts, she was doing a great job and was told this several times. However, two weeks before her probationary period was to be done, Cheri was diagnosed with cancer. Three days later, she was terminated. No warning, no explanation, nothing. I notified Dr. Batille, but only received a response from her aide. Here is what I wrote:

I am a graduate of UNT, and I like to think that I am proud of my university. We give money to the athletic department every year, and are avid Mean Green fans. However, something happened today that absolutely stunned me. After a round of layoffs at Overhead door last December, my wife was hired at the university, beginning work for the college of Psychology shortly thereafter. We both were delighted that she got the position, and were very thankful that she could work close to home for once. By all accounts, she was lead to believe that she was doing well and everyone benefitted from the work she was doing. She was told personally by several of the faculty there that they were glad they finally had someone who did the job well. She received a very favorable review just a month or so ago, and was looking forward to a long stay. She is a very hard working dependable employee. She always has been. However, after receiving staggering news last week that she was diagnosed with cancer, she was told this afternoon that she was no longer needed. The reason given was that she was not getting along with "some people" there, and she had the option of signing a letter of resignation, or at the risk of never being employed by the state again, forcing them to fire her. Needless to say, she is devastated.

There was no warning. This was completely out of the blue, and very unprofessional. I don't know for certain if it was a coincidence, but this is no way to treat someone. I hope to hear back from you soon. Any help in the matter would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Jon Clark

Since they have dodged the issue, I am seeking redress from outside the system. We just got our season tickets in the mail, and have no idea what we are going to do with them. Neither one of us feels like rooting for the home team.

I just wanted to vent.

[untcampbell]

Prayers for Cheri and you, Jon. Hoping things go your way.

[Pierow 2]

Prayers for Cheri and you, Jon. Hoping things go your way.

Thank you sir. Prayers are very appreciated right now. Cheri had surgery yesterday, and hopefully they got it. It runs in her family, and there may be more.

[KRAM1]

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your wife at this very challenging time. Sorry also to hear about your wife's situation at work.

[gangrene]

Although I don't personally know you, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your wife too. My mother was diagnosed with cancer about 1 1/2 years ago. She had surgery and radiation treatments and has had several good/all clear check-ups since. I know a bit about what you must going through right now and I know it's not easy. To have the additional burden of a seemingly unexplained or unprovoked job loss is outrageous. One of the main things that helped my mother get through her trying times was the overwhelming support she received from her coworkers and supervisors. It does sound like her employee rights were violated and I would recommend that you either contact the EEOC directly or consult an attorney regarding this matter.

[Pierow 2]

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your wife at this very challenging time. Sorry also to hear about your wife's situation at work.

Thanks for your support. We love you guys, and are going to miss seeing you all. Some of our fondest memories are hanging out at the games.

[Harry]

John so sorry to hear this. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help. We will keep Cheri and your family in our prayers. I hope you will still come to games, you both would be greatly missed by all of us.

[Pierow 2]

Although I don't personally know you, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your wife too. My mother was diagnosed with cancer about 1 1/2 years ago. She had surgery and radiation treatments and has had several good/all clear check-ups since. I know a bit about what you must going through right now and I know it's not easy. To have the additional burden of a seemingly unexplained or unprovoked job loss is outrageous. One of the main things that helped my mother get through her trying times was the overwhelming support she received from her coworkers and supervisors. It does sound like her employee rights were violated and I would recommend that you either contact the EEOC directly or consult an attorney regarding this matter.

Thank you for your prayers, and I hope your mom is doing okay. We are seeing an attorney tomorrow, and the EEOC will be notified shortly thereafter. As much as I hate to think about it, we are considering of contacting the local media also.

[Pierow 2]

John so sorry to hear this. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help. We will keep Cheri and your family in our prayers. I hope you will still come to games, you both would be greatly missed by all of us.

Harry, you have always been very kind to us, and you know we think the world of you. But the timing was really bad on this, and our hearts would not be in it. We have the tickets, and maybe something could happen to change our feelings. Our hope was that this program would one day rival any in the country.

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

To all the fans we have come to know and love over the years, I want you all to know that we may not be coming to any more games...ever. Some things have occurred over the last two weeks that make me very disappointed with my alma mater. As some of you know, Cheri was employed with the university early this year. By all accounts, she was doing a great job and was told this several times. However, two weeks before her probationary period was to be done, Cheri was diagnosed with cancer. Three days later, she was terminated. No warning, no explanation, nothing. I notified Dr. Batille, but only received a response from her aide. Here is what I wrote:

I am a graduate of UNT, and I like to think that I am proud of my university. We give money to the athletic department every year, and are avid Mean Green fans. However, something happened today that absolutely stunned me. After a round of layoffs at Overhead door last December, my wife was hired at the university, beginning work for the college of Psychology shortly thereafter. We both were delighted that she got the position, and were very thankful that she could work close to home for once. By all accounts, she was lead to believe that she was doing well and everyone benefitted from the work she was doing. She was told personally by several of the faculty there that they were glad they finally had someone who did the job well. She received a very favorable review just a month or so ago, and was looking forward to a long stay. She is a very hard working dependable employee. She always has been. However, after receiving staggering news last week that she was diagnosed with cancer, she was told this afternoon that she was no longer needed. The reason given was that she was not getting along with "some people" there, and she had the option of signing a letter of resignation, or at the risk of never being employed by the state again, forcing them to fire her. Needless to say, she is devastated.

There was no warning. This was completely out of the blue, and very unprofessional. I don't know for certain if it was a coincidence, but this is no way to treat someone. I hope to hear back from you soon. Any help in the matter would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Jon Clark

Since they have dodged the issue, I am seeking redress from outside the system. We just got our season tickets in the mail, and have no idea what we are going to do with them. Neither one of us feels like rooting for the home team.

I just wanted to vent.

Why would this surprise you, Jon? They did the same thing to Darrell Dickey during his period of health problems. With such examples, you could say tact isn't the strong point of our alma mater.

If she has good reviews, as you state, simply take copies of such to an employment/labor attorney and let them sort out whether or not a claim can be pursued for discrimination or wrongful termination. As you may or may not know, there are certain procedures that must be followed in the the firing of employees. Have an attorney who specializes in employment law sort through it with you.

[GabeGMG]

Sorry to hear about this happening, I hope your wife recovers quickly!

As for the job issue, it's horrible that it happened but I don't know if there is much you can do legally since she was still under probation. I was always told that they can let you go for any reason at all within the first six months at UNT. Appears to be true.

[JayDub]

Pierow,

You and Cheri have always been two of my favorite members of this little MeanGreen family we have. Always welcoming, hospitable, and 2 of the best people I know. Y'all offered me a place to stay when I wasn't sure where I would wind up during a hard time...and, while I never took you up on it, it was comforting to know the offer was on the table.

You guys are the best...and Cheri's smile is contagious. A buffoon like you snagging a chickadee like her has always given me hope.

My thoughts are with Cheri this morning...hoping they got it all. If there's anything I can do, just let me know.

Miss you both...

JayDub

[untcampbell]

Pierow,

Probably not easy for you to do, but may I recommend you attempt to separate the two issues regarding NT.

** Deal with the corporation as you should.

** Consider attending games (or at least the tailgates) if you guys truly enjoy them. I know when my family has dealt with similar health issues, we wanted to be in the places that gave us joy.

I am sure you gave this lots of thought before your post, so you likely have already done the pros/cons debate.

Again, prayers.

[JayDub]

Pierow,

You and Cheri have always been two of my favorite members of this little MeanGreen family we have. Always welcoming, hospitable, and 2 of the best people I know. Y'all offered me a place to stay when I wasn't sure where I would wind up during a hard time...and, while I never took you up on it, it was comforting to know the offer was on the table.

You guys are the best...and Cheri's smile is contagious. A buffoon like you snagging a chickadee like her has always given me hope.

My thoughts are with Cheri this morning...hoping they got it all. If there's anything I can do, just let me know.

Miss you both...

JayDub

[Rudy]

Man Im sorry to hear about all of this. I hope that Cheri overcomes her battle and I will keep your family in my prayers. Im not sure if you are aware of the employment situation and conflict I have with NT, contact me and Ill tell you about it. It is possible to seperate the two. I will miss you guys at the games. I hope that we are able to hang out in the parking lot during halftime again. The most imortant thing is her health. Keep us updated on it.

Love you guys,

Brian Hetzer

[EagleMBA]

God bless Cheri and my prayers for her recovery.

As to the job thing, all I can say is that is pretty chickenshit of the department and UNT. I am disgusted by it. I am glad that you are seeking counsel and I hope she has recourse.

[UNTLifer]

My prayers are with you, your wife and all involved in her treatment, that she will soon be a cancer survivor and never experience it again.

[FloMoGrad]

Prayers are with you both during this time...My wife was told she'd never have kids due to polyps and tumors on her uterus and 4 months after surgery, we found ourselves pregnant...

And by no means does this rectify the situation, but as a fellow devoted fan who'd hate to see a fellow devoted fan become disheartened, I would be willing to help offset the costs of your season ticket, thus removing your financial support of the institution, and hopefully allowing a window of opportunity for you and the wife to enjoy a scholarship year of fandom. I'll be at every home game with the bus, good brisket and good company, and we'd love to have you stop by, even if you don't actually attend the game....

Again, god bless you and the wife and I hope to get to meet you on September 12th...

Damon '03

[Pierow 2]

Wow, you guys are the best. I mean that. I just want you all to know that we hope to see you all very soon. I am going to try and get Cheri to come out just to see you all and say hello.

[UNT_playmaker]

Man I am really upset and sickened by the way she was treated by her employer, especially at a very diffucult time, even if it is UNT. UNT from what I have heard is a strange place to to be employed at and I guess you guys experienced that first hand.

Hopefully your wife has a speedy recover and can overcome this setback.

[SilverEagle]

The title of you post says it all for me, and how I feel about this situation.....disheartened. I'll be thinking very positive thoughts about Cheri. She's a very upbeat and positive person, and I believe that that will serve her well during her recovery time. I truely hope that you and Cheri will come see us this fall.....it wouldn't be the same without you.

[Danish42]

Please, maybe you guys can educate me being that so much is being reported about health care. Did the university find out that your wife has cancer. The reason I ask is that a couple of years ago we had a Life Insurance representative contact my mother about purchasing a life insurance policy because she had a sizeable nest egg. However my late mom was at that time was in one of those independent living communities. My wife told the agent to get lost and at that time she was showing signs of Alzshiemer and was later diagnosed. A different financial advisors told me that even though it would of been a good investment tax wise, the insurance company could now find out about her illness and disqualify her.

[FirefightnRick]

Disheartening indeed. Know that we are praying for you and Cheri both, Jon. Cheri has so much spirit and life in one little package, she is amazing. Here's to a quick and speedy recovery. I also hope you take untcampbell's advice. Gameday can never be the same without you two. Till you decide, let us know if there's anything we can do to help.

Hope to see you both soon,

Rick

[foutsrouts]

So sorry for the situation that you all are having to deal with, and I pray that things work out for you. God Bless!

[CMJ]

Good luck to Mr & Mrs Pierow and clan.