Newsletter October 2020
President’s Message
Acienit id quatust ibustrum esequi dem velles pro te que nis niWe’re halfway through the fall semester, but what will happen in the spring? Right now, maxim illaborae in et resectat et APSCUF-KU is focused on working with management to get details on plans for the spring es as endus que esti ut omnien-
semester. There is no evidence right now that the pandemic will be over in the spring, or even FINISH that things will be better. READING ON With PG. 2that in mind, we are pressing management to clarify how the campus will operate. One of the biggest questions is about faculty members who received FWAs for the fall. Will those be carried over, or will faculty be required to reapply? APSCUF-KU as well as KU’s management and HR would like to roll the FWAs over. At this time, however, the decision is held up with PASSHE in Harrisburg. I am pressing to get an answer quickly so faculty can plan appropriately and so students will know what kind of class they are registering for when they create their schedules. Early registration starts at the end of this month. All of us want to make the transition to the spring semester as smooth as possible. As you know, KU’s management withdrew the retrenchment letter last month. We are in a very, very fortunate position. Originally, 10 of the 14 PASSHE campuses issued the letters, and 7 are still on the table. This week, IUP’s chapter president, Erika Franzel, was informed that as many as 35 departments and 132 faculty members have been identified as potential targets for retrenchment. Those are stomach-churning numbers, and there are real people, our colleagues, associated with each number. All of this is part of the effort to reach the chancellor’s target of a student-faculty ratio that reflects the numbers from 2010-11. These are very challenging times on many levels, and I feel for the faculty members in our union who are receiving retrenchment letters this fall. The immediate effects of the retrenchments at IUP and other schools in the system may be felt here at KU during hiring processes. Although we’ve been told that we will not have any new tenure-track slots for 2021-22, retrenched faculty members have contractual rights for openings for which they are “minimally-qualified” at other PASSHE institutions. As we get further along, I will provide more information on this process. My best wishes to all of you for continued health as we progress through this fall semester. I will keep you updated on all the information I receive regarding both hiring processes and planning for spring.
Tom Stewart President, APSCUF-KU
