Newsletter Nov-Dec 2020
President’s Message
Acienit id quatust ibustrum esequi pro the te que nis ni- swept across the planet at the beginning of the year, For thedem first velles time since coronavirus maxim illaborae in et on resectat et The development of vaccines that appear to be 90there is a glimmer of hope the horizon. es as endus que esti ut omnien95% effective foretells that we may be back to a more normal state sometime in 2021. By this coming June, according to a report on CNN, the US should have enough vaccine doses for READING ON PG. every FINISH person who wants to receive the2 vaccine. The bad news is that things are going to get worse before they get better. The current trendlines in the US are tragic, and 100,000 or more people may die in just the US before things start to move in a better direction. What all of this means for faculty at KU is that we must remain cautious going into the spring semester. APSCUF-KU has continued to advocate for safe working conditions. We were able to work with management to get FWAs carried over from fall to spring without requiring faculty to reapply. For now, the breakdown of spring courses is very similar to what we have been offering in fall: 60% fully online, 35% hybrid, and 5% in person. The spring planning document released by management shows a similar plan with some changes. One of the biggest discussions on the Emergency Management Team, on which I serve with several other faculty representatives, is the possibility of having an outside vendor provide rapid testing for all students returning to campus residence halls in the spring. This would certainly be a major step in the right direction for ensuring a safe campus. I will provide more details on this as the information becomes available. While we have avoided the wave of retrenchments that has swept the state system, APSCUFKU is working with management to make sure that we avoid that possibility next year as well. One piece of good news on that front: applications for new students are now almost even with the numbers from last year. Just a month ago, KU (and many area institutions) were significantly down in applications; KU itself was down 40% year to year. The dramatic increase shows that students and families, while following a different timeline due to the disruptions of coronavirus, are now turning their attention to the college application process. Maintaining or increasing our enrollment will certainly help us to avoid retrenchments. Many thanks to all of you for the adjustments you have made as faculty members to get through this semester. Anecdotally, in my conversations with student advisees, the majority have found that the various types of instruction this fall have worked for them, particularly in comparison to the challenges faced last spring. My hope is that next fall we are back to a more normal campus experience for everyone. I wish that all of you have a good finish to the semester and a safe and enjoyable holiday season.
President, APSCUF-KU
