Former Halal Shack Employee Suing for Sexual Harassment

By Lucienne Burns | September 15, 2025 

The Halal Shack located in the Campus Center.  

Photo Credit: Lucienne Burns | The ASP

A former employee of The Halal Shack in the Campus Center at the University at Albany has filed a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment and sex discrimination in the workplace, according to a Times Union report. 

According to the article, the female accuser alleges that she was sexually harassed through text messages and in person by the dining locations’ general manager from August to October 2022 during her employment. She had allegedly reported this behavior to the Director of Operations but then was suspended and fired.

The Times Union article was published on Sept. 3. UAlbany has not put out a public statement regarding the lawsuit.

The Halal Shack is independently owned and operated on UAlbany property by alumni Jamal Rasoully (2011). Rasoully additionally owns Baba’s Pizza and Jamal’s Chicken, both located in the Campus Center. 

New York State Law requires employers to provide a complaint form, guarantee a procedure for the confidential investigation of complaints and clearly state in police that retaliation against individuals who complain of sexual harassment is unlawful. 

The University at Albany Young Democratic Socialists of America, also known as UAlbany YDSA, released a statement regarding the lawsuit, which can be found on their Instagram page.

In the statement, UAlbany YDSA condemns the university and calls for the people responsible to be removed as well as a boycott of the Halal Shack and an independent investigation by UAlbany. 

“We as the UAlbany YDSA are disgusted and saddened by what has happened on our campus,” the organization said in a statement. “New York State law protects whistleblowers from retaliation, and the people responsible for allowing this to happen should be held responsible and removed.”

New York State Labor laws regarding retaliation and employee rights can be found here.