College at Brockport employee files EEOC discrimination complaint against college

Brockport, N.Y. (WHAM) - An employee with the College at Brockport has filed a federal EEOC complaint over racial discrimination allegations.

Victoria Elsenheimer serves as the executive assistant to the vice president - a role she has held since 2003.

In the complaint, which was filed October 30, 2019, Elsenheimer said she was the only African-American staff member out of the president's leadership team floor and the only African-American administrative assistant out of four on staff who had not had her title changed to executive assistant. While inquiring about the rationale behind her not receiving the title change, Elsenheimer said one of the other executive assistants claimed that she "was creating a hostile environment", but has not been told why or what that meant.

Approximately two weeks after inquiring about the title change, Elsenheimer was given a title change but not a reason as to why it had not been changed to that point.

This is the second race-related issue related to the College at Brockport in the last month. Dr. Cephas Archie, the former chief diversity officer, was let go by the college in January. He had been employed there since 2017 after previously serving at a college in Houston. The firing resulted in a peaceful protest by students who support him.

Administrator Lorraine Acker has been named interim diversity officer in his stead. Mayor Lovely Warren has claimed that is the college’s way of saving face.

“First, you call the person’s character into question,” she said, “then you point to, ‘Oh, but I have this over here, I appointed another black person over here,’ and then you close ranks."

A subsequent amendment added onto the EEOC complaint by Elsenheimer claims that Dr. Heidi MacPherson, president of the College at Brockport, moved her office and all of the staff that reported directly to her to another building while the Allen Administration Building was being renovated between August 2018 and April 2019. The only exception to that move was Dr. Archie - who was also the only non-white person in the building.

According to the paperwork, Dr. Archie was moved to Morgan Hall, a "dirty, roach-infested building that lacked proper heating and lighting and had been designated for demolition." His administrative assistant, who was a white woman, was approved to be moved to a separate building. Dr. Archie remained in the other building to serve as a "role model" for others at the request of Dr. MacPherson.

When reached for comment, the College at Brockport said it does not comment on pending litigation.