The Board of Trustees at University of Oregon and our Board of Trustees are wasting no time in stomping all over faculty, staff, and students. I realize you are all extremely busy finishing up the term...BUT
There are some big happenings that need our attention! PLEASE TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO READ BELOW!
GUNS ON OUR CAMPUS
Let us begin Part 1 of this story with PSU's Special Committee on Campus Public Safety. At their third meeting on December 3, Bob Liebman, Presiding Officer of the Senate spoke, as did the President and Vice President of ASPSU, Eric Noll and Rayleen McMillan. No public comment was permitted. In a nutshell, the resolution was passed that will allow some (not all) of our campus public safety officers to have guns. Please note on the resolution that approval for both this meeting and for the Full Board are all ready to fill in. The President, after a resounding no to guns from Faculty Senate just two days previous, spoke to the audience and said that he knew he was going against faculty wishes, yet deciders have to decide, and he'll "take the hit" for this decision. He did not want more time to do research on this as he believes enough has been done and it is time to act. He also added that PSU has always had controversy and this debate fits into that history. This Committee passed the resolution and it will go to the full Board for a vote on Thursday, December 11. This meeting is at University Place and begins at 1:00 p.m.
PLEASE NOTE: If you want to speak at the Board meeting on December 11, you need to sign up 24 hours in advance and only a limited number of people can speak. You can also send letters to the Board members. Here is the agenda, time, and location.
As I look back over the President's address to the Faculty Senate from April 7 of this year, the words seem hollow as he said, "I and other members of my leadership team will work with the Faculty Senate, the unions, and students to start a deep conversation about the future of PSU." I realize this was pitched to the potential strike at that time. However, the process that has happened with the Special Committee on Campus Public Safety and with the Board of Trustees is unsettling. And now, more trouble at U of O.
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON GTFF CONTINUES ON STRIKE AND NOW BOARD OF TRUSTEES IS POISED TO KICK FACULTY WHILE THEY'RE DOWN
GTFF is on strike and on the picket lines. U of O's administration is attempting to break the union by imposing itself into dealing with final grades. United Academics is heavily involved in the fight and here is their press release on grading. My understanding is that mediation will continue on Tuesday. One third of undergraduates are taught by graduate students at U of O and they deserve paid sick and parental leave. U of O says it cannot afford this...really? Sound familiar? Their football team is going to the Rose Bowl. That's probably pretty expensive.
The really BIG newsflash out of U of O is a move by their Board of Trustees to strip their Faculty Senate of established rights and governance and give tons of power to the Board and to the President. This agenda item comes at a time when the campus is already in crisis mode. Here is some information about the Board meeting and their agenda provided by the United Academics :
"The UO Board of Trustees will hear public comments on Thursday. Then, on Friday the board will discuss and vote upon the "Adoption of a Policy on the Development and Revision of University Policies." If approved, this motion will initiate a new way of developing policies that will radically change the role of the Senate and shared governance as we know it on this campus. Senate President Rob Kyr has called for a Senate Executive Committee meeting tomorrow at 5pm and is urging attendance at the Board meeting as well.
This is a pivotal decision that would seem to give the Board and a new centralized administrative body sole authority over all policies. Appointments to this new body would not involve an election by faculty or other constituencies, as is the current case with the Senate. Reading the proposal, the new policy could:
1. Remove the role of the Senate Executive Council in determining if a policy is academic and therefore must go to the full Senate.
2. Remove the requirement that the President respond within a certain time frame to policy statements from Senate and that the President make a public accounting to the Senate when s/he rejects a policy.
3. Remove the provision that in case of a veto the Faculty Assembly can be invoked.
4. Require the President to develop a new policy making process with some requirements, all of which the Board can choose to not follow.
5. Creates a policy process and a committee system that is selected by the President, not elected by the university community.
Please join the university community in asking members of the Board to delay consideration of this motion and advise the President to begin consultation with the University Senate on the following: a collaborative and transparent process that is consistent with University Constitution; an open discussion that identifies and explains what problems the Board is trying to solve by this repeal; and why the actual process called for by the University Constitution was bypassed in this motion."
Here is a page from UO Matters that describes some history of the Board and the resolution itself that will make sweeping policy changes and this will be voted on this Thursday. THIS IS HUGE. Some faculty offer responses at the end that say things like, "the senate is dead," and "the Union is our best hope," and lots of references to corporate higher education.
Robert Kyr is the Presiding Officer for the Senate at the U of O and Michael Dreiling is the President of United Academics. Bob Liebman and I have been in touch with both and we may learn more news later today or tomorrow, particularly what we can do to help. Stay tuned.
Phew! Thursday is a big day for both our campuses as our Board will most likely approve guns and U of O's Board may do a power play to their Senate. PSU-AAUP must remain strong and get really prepared for our contract action. You will be hearing more about this very soon. Talk to your colleagues and friends about what is shared in this message. Think about how you can be involved to push back on the Board and the President as 2015 gets underway.
In solidarity,
Pam Miller
PSU-AAUP President