{"id":2415,"date":"2014-02-18T13:52:19","date_gmt":"2014-02-18T13:52:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/?p=2415"},"modified":"2015-03-09T15:18:54","modified_gmt":"2015-03-09T15:18:54","slug":"liz-ramos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/2014\/02\/liz-ramos\/","title":{"rendered":"Where is Liz Ramos?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo<\/a>
Photo by David Fishman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On January 7, 2014, Jerry Musillo, Flik’s Regional Director, issued a statement to the Fieldston faculty and community at large. This message was never forwarded to the students, but the Fieldston News is able to reproduce it here:<\/p>\n

\u201cTo the Fieldston School Community:<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

As you may have noticed, Liz Ramos, our Food Service Associate at Fieldston Upper\/Middle School has been absent from her regular duties at the school. Flik Independent School Dining, Ms. Ramos and Local 670 are currently involved in some policy concerns.<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ms. Ramos has been a long term employee of Flik Independent School Dining. As with all our associates we respect employee privacy in confidential personnel matters.<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0Thank you for respecting Ms. Ramos\u2019s privacy during this time.\u201d<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

Liz Ramos was a staple at Fieldston, \u201ca fixture in the community,\u201d according to English teacher Mr. Morse. In the last weeks of December, Ms. Ramos was suspended indefinitely from work, according to sources close to her. Details at this time are fuzzy, but the Fieldston News has managed to gather much of the story. It is important to note in an investigation like this that the majority of the \u201cstory\u201d here was told to us by people sympathetic to Ms. Ramos. Flik (allegedly responsible for Ms. Ramos\u2019s dismissal) and the ECFS administration declined to describe or comment on the incident in any detail.<\/p>\n

During the last major snow storm in December, just before break, Ms. Ramos reportedly arrived at school early, looking to park in her pre-assigned spot next to Dr. Fernandez on the hill leading up to the administration building. Ms. Ramos had been assigned this spot after an incident the year before made her feel uncomfortable parking in the school\u2019s upper lot. The spot Ms. Ramos normally occupied was taken by a different vehicle. So, instead of parking in her usual spot, Ms. Ramos pulled into the spot next to her own. A guard, allegedly seeing Ms. Ramos struggling with the snow, came and helped her up the hill. According to one source, later on in the day Ms. Ramos was asked to come to the office of Fieldston\u2019s Head of Security, Bob Sena. Flik Manager Angelo Spilios and the car owner who had taken Ms. Ramos\u2019s spot were also at the meeting. Mr. Sena denied his presence at this meeting; Mr. Spilios had no comment. The car owner, a BMS employee, ostensibly accused Ms. Ramos of scratching her car, claiming that Ms. Ramos did so out of frustration. Ms. Ramos, according to one source, is quoted saying \u201cI could kill that woman for the lie she said.\u201d At this moment in the meeting, an administrator informed me, Ms. Ramos was \u201cfired.\u201d It is unclear if she was \u201cfired\u201d for threatening an employee in front of her supervisors or for allegedly vandalizing a colleague\u2019s vehicle. Others say that her official status is: \u201csuspended pending an investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n

We reached out to Flik for comment and originally received no response. The BMS employee allegedly responsible for accusing Ms. Ramos of scratching her car told me there \u201cwas nothing for [her] to say.\u201d While the school administration has publicly stated it had no direct involvement in the affair, some say that Director of Related Programs and Campus Operations, Bill Guerrero, played a role in the termination. Mr. Guerrero himself denies this accusation, telling us he knows \u201cnothing more than [you] do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Liz<\/a>
Photo by Daivd Fishman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Damian Fernandez, Fieldston\u2019s Head of School, upon hearing that this article was being written, told The Fieldston News: \u201cLiz worked in the Fieldston cafeteria for many years with a generation of students. We are confident that the collective bargaining process that is in place for FLIK employees will result in a fair resolution of this issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Laura Danforth, Upper School Principal, also talked to us: \u201cThese are among the most difficult situations in a school or community, and no one can pretend to be objective about them. But we can put into place processes and guideposts that help us make the best decisions possible. I believe that everyone involved in such decisions (in this case, FLIK) has the best interests of the ECFS community in mind, and, even when it is hard, everyone needs to trust that.\u201d<\/p>\n

With a lack of hard facts about a loved employee\u2019s absence, people in the Fieldston community are coming up with their own narratives based on feelings and past experiences with Ms. Ramos.<\/p>\n

Mr. Morse, a member of the Faculty Council, says that the teachers would \u201clove to have [Liz] back if possible.\u201d The Faculty Council is responsible for hearing \u201cwhat people are concerned about in terms of quality of life at Fieldston,\u201d and recently, he noted, a lot of people have been \u201creally upset about what happened to Liz.\u201d According to another faculty member, there was \u201ca feeling protocols were not followed in her termination.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s a tricky situation,\u201d Mr. Morse acknowledges, \u201cFieldston has outsourced a lot of its work \u2014 the maintenance, the security, the food staff. It\u2019s not as though Liz and I share a boss, so one of the concerns that the faculty have about the situation overall is that sometimes when you outsource you don\u2019t feel like you know what\u2019s going on with a colleague.\u201d For his part, Mr. Morse and the Faculty Council have sent a letter to Dr. Fernandez, \u201ccalling on the administration to do what it can, to honor due process and achieve a swift and sensitive resolution for the recent crisis involving Liz Ramos and her subsequent suspension from work.\u201d<\/p>\n

“Without Liz I feel that the lunch room doesn\u2019t fully have the family like feel it used to.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

But not everyone echoes the sentiments that Mr. Morse and some faculty members share. A couple of people in the community have reported that Ms. Ramos had a history of rude and disrespectful behavior. For example, when Fieldston\u2019s breakfast program was cancelled, Ms. Ramos lashed out at various teachers and students in the school. \u201cIf [Liz] didn\u2019t like something \u2014 whether it was a program or a person \u2014 you knew about it,\u201d a source who has asked to remain anonymous informed me. This person has heard that \u201csome students and faculty don\u2019t pay for their breakfast food, while others are granted a free breakfast. Something doesn\u2019t seem right to me there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another person, also asking that her identity remain confidential, spoke to me about an experience with Ms. Ramos and her breakfast program. \u201cA student informed me,\u201d this person says, that \u201calthough breakfast was supposed to close at 9:00 am, it had been closing a half-hour earlier. I went to investigate.\u201d At 8:45 am the next day this person asked Ms. Ramos if an omelet could be made. Ms. Ramos said no. Wondering why Ms. Ramos refused to make her breakfast, this person pushed harder for an answer. After three days of being repeatedly yelled at and put off, \u201cLiz went off on me,\u201d my source tells me. \u201cShe yelled at me and told me: \u2018I feel sorry for your husband.\u2019\u201d At this point, feeling \u201cinsulted,\u201d the person filed a complaint to Ms. Ramos\u2019s boss.<\/p>\n

Yet another person, familiar with Ms. Ramos\u2019s situation, informed me that \u201cLiz often gave preferential treatment to certain faculty for unknown reasons. If she liked you, you might get that special breakfast burrito but [if not], she actually refused to sell the burrito to certain people! Faculty overcompensated to either gain favor or to avoid her wrath.\u201d In another instance Ms. Ramos \u201criled up the faculty by telling us that we would no longer have choices of different teas and coffee in the Faculty Lounge. It seems petty, but faculty got angry at the administration for no reason. Liz tended to spread rumors and exaggerate.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the other hand, middle-school history teacher Ms. Pasquantonio remembers how \u201cLiz always greeted [her] with a warm wonderful smile which [she] misses very much.\u201d She thinks \u201cworkers like Liz who can make the school function in so many ways are priceless to an institution.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Baglio, a Middle School science teacher, was equally confused and upset by the departure. \u201cWhenever someone who has been here as long as Liz leaves,\u201d he tells me, \u201cit feels like this person was sort of torn from our history.\u201d He fondly remembers that when he first started working at Fieldston he would always tell people that \u201cwe got the best $1.50 breakfast sandwich in NYC, on a fresh roll with the bacon and the eggs and the cheese.\u201d For his part \u201c[he] just [wishes he] could say goodbye.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>
Photo by David Fishman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Justin Radin, Form V, says that although he didn\u2019t know Ms. Ramos well, \u201cher kind smile always made [his] day start off nicely.\u201d Farzana Islam, Form III, is Muslim and \u201ccan\u2019t eat certain foods. [Liz] always informs me of what I can and cannot eat. Liz truly makes my lunch experience at Fieldston enjoyable; without Liz I feel that the lunch room doesn\u2019t fully have the family like feel it used to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maura Furfey, a High School Spanish teacher who has worked closely with Ms. Ramos over the years, says that \u201cLiz’s relationship with [the] students is one of motherly love.\u201d Ms. Furfey frequently asked Ms. Ramos to come and speak to her students about Colombia. \u201cShe has shared many stories of food, family, music, and cultural assimilation to the United States. My students get so much out of these exchanges.\u201d As for Ms. Ramos\u2019s departure, Ms. Furfey tells me \u201cI suppose I’m in denial. I just don’t believe it. I am still very much hoping to see her again soon. It would be a terrible loss if that was not the case.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for Ms. Ramos herself? In a recent phone call interview, Ms. Ramos told me she was \u201cso sick to come back.\u201d \u201cI\u2019m so depressed,\u201d she said, \u201coh my God, I can\u2019t believe 30 years I never had a problem and one person who has been here for one year tells on me and they do this to me.\u201d \u201cFieldston is my family,\u201d Ms. Ramos tells me, \u201cFieldston is my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been almost two months now, and we\u2019re still left largely in the dark. Bits and pieces of a complex puzzle fly around like rumors in the hallways. But perhaps there\u2019s more to the story than a simple misunderstanding. While Ms. Ramos is not an official Fieldston employee (she is contracted by Flik), I spoke to Joan Walrond, Fieldston\u2019s HR representative, who told me that \u201cthe school has zero tolerance for violence or threats.\u201d Michael Hwang, Fieldston\u2019s CFO, told me that in a situation like this one, referring to Ms. Ramos\u2019s dismissal, \u201cthe school as a client has some influence, but ultimately the decision is Flik\u2019s to make.\u201d When I spoke to Angelo Spilios, Flik Manager, he was eager to tell me the full story, but due to \u201cunion policy and legal reasons,\u201d he could not.<\/p>\n

We may never learn the full story, but it is essential that students and faculty alike understand that the situation here is more complicated than what first meets the eye.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On January 7, 2014, Jerry Musillo, Flik’s Regional Director, issued a statement to the Fieldston faculty and community at large. This message was never forwarded to the students, but the Fieldston News is able to reproduce it here: \u201cTo the Fieldston School Community: As you may have noticed, Liz Ramos, our Food Service Associate at Fieldston Upper\/Middle School has been absent from her regular duties at the school. Flik Independent School Dining, Ms. Ramos and<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":2428,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[],"coauthors":[45],"class_list":["post-2415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-slider"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Liz-Cover.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/53"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2415"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2415\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3303,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2415\/revisions\/3303"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2415"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=2415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}