The former director of Financial Aid at Tennessee State University (TSU) filed a lawsuit against the institution on Tuesday, claiming she was fired in August after she refused to request federal financial aid for students who had yet to provide proof they were eligible to enroll at the university.
According to the lawsuit, Tanaka Vercher had been a 21-year employee at TSU in 2024 when Tennessee auditors informed her the state was unable to provide evidence that up to 20 percent of first-year students enrolled at the university graduated high school or obtained an equivalent degree.
The U.S. Department of Education Federal Student Aid Office explains those seeking federal student aid must prove themselves “qualified to obtain a college” degree by obtaining “a high school diploma or a state-recognized equivalent such as a General Educational Development (GED) certificate.” The lawsuit explains Vercher was required to reconcile the cases by obtaining proof of students’ missing high school degrees before she could submit the data to the federal government.
While the reconciliation process advised by auditors from the State of Tennessee continued, Vercher (pictured above) claims in the lawsuit that she was urged to submit federal student aid applications without proof that students graduated high school or obtained a GED during two meetings held in August, which could subject her to perjury charges.
After explaining the situation to a consultant advising the university on its financial conditions, the lawsuit claims Vercher was advised the proposed October submission date was “too late” and pressured to submit the data. It notes that TSU stood to lose about $7 million in federal funding if it did not submit the data in a timely fashion.
Vercher claims she was first pressured to submit the erroneous data to the federal government in an August 22 meeting and again when the subject of “cash-flow” at the university was mentioned in an August 27 meeting.
The next day, according to the lawsuit, “TSU notified Ms. Vercher via email that her employment was over and she was ‘not to return to campus.'”
It further alleges the firing happened despite “highly favorable performance reviews” and the university raising her pay just one month earlier.
“The only explanation is that TSU was retaliating against her for her refusal to request government funds for TSU to which she knew TSU was not entitled,” the lawsuit claims.
She is requesting that TSU compensate her for back pay, front pay, lost benefits, additional compensation, and attorney fees. The lawsuit comes only weeks after TSU officials announced plans to lay off over 100 employees amid dire financial straits.
Vercher was previously a member of the Nashville Metro Council, where she sponsored a resolution recognizing an LGBTQ-themed “Nashville Pride Month” in 2022. Former Mayor John Cooper credited her with being instrumental in the effort to make Juneteenth a paid holiday for Nashville’s city workers the previous year.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Tanaka Vercher” by Tanaka Vercher. Background Photo “Tennessee State University Campus” by Tennessee State University.Â
Vercher should be required to name all those TSU employees( and anyone else) who urged her to submit falsified federal student aid applications – who did this ?
Then terminate their employment and benifits immediately & revoke TN state teaching liscenses,
Afterwards, it is a ” case study” for all of our educational facilities