Multiple former faculty members tell WRAL News they are starting to receive paychecks from Saint Augustine's University.
In early 2024, employees told WRAL News they hadn't been paid for multiple pay periods. Prior to Thursday, Saint Augustine's faculty and staff were owed money dating back to March.
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WRAL News reached out to Saint Augustine's University to find out when faculty and staff will receive the rest of the money owed to them and is waiting to hear back. WRAL News also asked if students are receiving money for their reimbursement checks.
The paychecks were delivered less than a week after the university announced it secured an initial $7 million loan from Gothic Ventures, a Durham-based capital venture firm. The firm announced it would provide the university a line of credit of up to $30 million.
The school faces tax liens and lawsuits totaling more than $10 million.
Earlier this month, WRAL Investigates was the first to report that the university delayed the start of the school year by two weeks, to Sept. 3. Saint Augustine's interim president Marcus Burgess said the university needed more time to prepare for the upcoming semester, including finalizing funding to pay its staff and student reimbursement checks.
As of Aug. 15, the North Carolina Department of Labor had received 29 complaints against Saint Augustine’s University since September 2023, including three complaints filed this month. WRAL Investigates confirmed the U.S. Department of Labor is still investigating the university.
WRAL's coverage of Saint Augustine's University dates back to January, when Saint Augustine's appealed the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges' (SACSCOC) decision to deny the university of accreditation, and even earlier. See a timeline of the events.
In July, after months of investigations, meetings and lawsuits, an arbitration committee appointed by the SACSCOC ruled Saint Augustine's University can keep its accreditation, although Burgess said they still have more work to do as the university is still on probation.