N e wsle t t er Se p t. 2020
President’s Message
A cienit id quatust ibustru m esequi dem velles pro te que nis niJust b e f ore t h e st a rt o f t he se m est er, A PSCUF-K U held a g e n eral m e m b ership m ee t in g o n maxim illaborae in et resectat et t he 3 R’s: Re tre nch m e n t, Re o p e nin g, an d Re d esig n. These are issu es t ha t A PSCUF-K U has es as end us que esti ut omnienb ee n w orkin g o n t hr o u g h o u t t h e su m m er. Fort u na t ely, w e h ave ha d success wit h t he first R: Presid e n t H a w kinso n h as wit h dra w n t h e re tre nch m e n t le t t er. M a ny collea g u es w ork e d FI N IS H RE A D I N G O N PG. 2 wit h m e t his su m m er t o achieve t his g o al. Jaso n Lan t er a n d t h e local m ee t a n d discuss t ea m, Sara M iller fro m St a t e A PSCUF, an d A lb ert Fu, w h o is o n t h e st a t e wid e m e e t a n d discuss t e a m, are a m o n g t he m an y w h o h elp e d wit h t his process. O ur w ork wit h Dr. H a w kinso n a n d Dr. Z ayai t z w as o n g oin g t hro u g h o u t t he su m m er an d in t o t he fall. Bo t h t he p resid e n t an d t he pro v ost ha ve said all alo n g t ha t t hey w an t e d t o av oid re tre nch m e n t, an d I’ m gla d w e w ere a ble t o w ork t o g e t h er t o d o so.
The re o p e nin g o f K U d urin g t h e p an d e m ic has le d t o m any co ncerns a m o n g facult y m e m b ers a b o u t sa f e t y o n ca m p us. Early in t h e su m m er, D uan e Crid er, St eve Le m, an d I w ere a p p oin t e d t o t he Em erg e ncy M a na g e m e n t Tea m a n d w ere a ble t o a d dress t he facult y p ersp ective o n m any o f t he saf e t y issu es. D uan e Crid er p u t t o g e t her a si m ula tio n t ha t allo w e d t h e e n t ire t ea m, t he a d ministra tio n, a n d trust e es t o see h o w t he pro t ocols w o uld o p era t e. The si m ula t io n id e n tifie d so m e g o o d t hin gs as w ell as so m e areas t ha t still n ee d e d w ork. As I writ e t his, w e are n early a q uart er o f t he w ay t hro u g h t h e se m est er. The n u m b er o f cases is d e finit ely a co ncern. Fort u na t ely, w e did hav e success t his su m m er in g e t t in g p er m issi o n f or alm ost all fac ult y m e m b ers w h o w an t e d t o w ork fro m h o m e t o hav e t h a t chance. Just a w ee k b e f ore t he se m est er, t he pro v ost an d d eans shif t e d sch e d ules t o allo w t his. A t t his p oin t, a p pro xi m a t ely 60% o f classes are o nlin e, wit h o nly 5% face -t o-face. Re d esig n, t he t hird R, is so m e t hin g t h a t is n o t af f ectin g o ur ca m p us a t t his ti m e. A n d w e d e finit ely d o n o t w an t t o g e t t o t ha t p oin t. The fact t ha t o ur ca m p us is financially so u n d wit h a b alance d b u d g e t f or t h e last t hree years is o n e k ey reaso n f or t his. Rece n tly, P ASSHE a n n o u nce d t ha t t hree ca m p uses, Clario n, Calif ornia, an d Edin b or o, w o uld b e gin t he p rocess o f t urnin g t hree distinct sch o ols in t o o n e sch o ol wit h t hree ca m p uses. Re tre nch m e n t is b uilt in t o t his process. The w ork t ha t all o f y o u did t his su m m er t o pre p are f or t his se m est er, inclu din g m a kin g m a ny last- min u t e a djust m e n ts, has help e d t o e nsure t h a t K U is n o t p art o f t h e re d esig n process rig h t n o w, an d w e h o p e t o k ee p it t ha t w ay. Tha n ks t o all o f y o u f or y o ur hard w ork an d co m mit m e n t.
President, APSCUF-KU