December 5, 2018
FSU Executive Committee Meeting Minutes
December 5, 2018
Members Present: Marlene Kim; Jeff Melnick; Steve Striffler; Monique Fuguet; John Hess; Jessica Holden; Emilio Sauri; Tim Sieber; Joe Ramsey; Joseph Brown; Jason Rodriquez; Ellen Frank;
Others Present: Lorenzo Nencioli, FSU Membership Coordinator; Mickey Gallagher, MTA Consultant; Caroline Coscia, FSU NTT Grievance Officer and FSU Parliamentarian; Heather LaPenn, MTA;
- Approval of the agenda: Motion to approve agenda as amended (switch FSU Statement and discussions in Ex Com Meetings). Motion seconded. Motion passes unanimously.
- Approval of 11/28/18 Ex Com minutes: Motion to approve. Motion seconded. Motion passes unanimously.
- Staffing FSU Committees: Motion to approve Peter Taylor as FSU rep to Academic Technology Committee. Motion seconded. Motion passes unanimously. Motion to approve Jessica Holden to Elections Committee if/when Caroline Coscia leaves committees. Motion seconded. Motion passes unanimously.
- Associate Lecturers: EXECUTIVE SESSION.
EXECUTIVE SESSION ENDS
5. Phenom Advocacy Day: Motion made by Joe Ramsey (see below). Discussion of motion. Suggestions made to redraft. Joe will redraft, send back to Ex Com.
6. FSU Ex Com Statement on parking tentative agreement: Discussion of Admin position on Ex Com statement.
MONIQUE FUGUET LEAVES
CAROLINE COSCIA ENTERS
STEVE S LEAVES
Motion made by Joe Ramsey to delay start of parking agreement ratification until Monday 12/8/18 (ratification to be conducted between Monday 12/10/18 and Friday 12/14/18).Motion seconded. Motion passes unanimously.
JOE R LEAVES
Motion made by Ellen Frank to retract Ex Com statement approved at 11/28/18 Ex Com meeting. Motion seconded. Discussion of motion. Motion passes (5 votes yes. 4 votes no).
Motion made by Ellen Frank to pass new draft motion (see below). Motion seconded. Discussion of motion. Motion passes (3 yes, 2 no, 3 abstentions).
MEETING ADJOURNED
Motion for FSU to Enable Faculty to Opt to Include PHENOM Advocacy Day on their Course Syllabi for Spring 2019 (drafted by Joe Ramsey)
Motion for Ex Com: That FSU should send a series of emails to all members, beginning in Dec 2018, and continuing into Jan 2019, encouraging them to consider including PHENOM's Public Higher Education Advocacy Day, (at the Massachusetts Statehouse, Thursday, March 21st, from 10am-1pm), on their course syllabi for Spring 2019. FSU should further send a series of reminder emails about PHENOM Advocacy Day in Feb and March, reminding faculty of this important day of action, and encouraging faculty to consider enabling students to participate.
Rationale: It seems like it is very much time for FSU members to become more involved in voicing our concerns about the treatment of UMB directly to our State Legislators. In previous years, UMB faculty attendance at PHENOM's Advocacy Day has a been rather confined to a small group of committed members. This year, with Legacy Debt--and calls for debt relief-- in the news, it would be important to substantial increase this faculty--and student--presence. It further seems well within the educational mission of many courses at UMass Boston, and within the realm of protected academic freedom, for faculty to consider including an experiential learning/field trip component that teaches students (in practice) about what goes on at the Statehouse, and how what goes on there relates to their learning conditions at UMB. It is well within the mission of our union to encourage faculty to exercise this timely pedagogical option, as a means of helping to teach their students about issues clearly relevant to their education.
Note: Below also find a blurb from Zac Bears at PHENOM, that could be included in or adapted for our FSU communication to members.
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Zac Bears
Date: Thu, Nov 29, 2018 at 5:29 PM
Subject: FSU syllabus blurb
To: Joseph Ramsey
Cc: Zac Bears <zac@phenomonline.org>
"PHENOM is hosting Public Higher Education Advocacy Day on March 21st, and it's a great chance to work civic engagement and advocacy for UMass Boston into a course syllabus for next semester. The event will be held Thursday, March 21st, with a speaking program at 10AM followed by visits to individual legislator's offices and lunch at 1PM.
"Advocacy Day allows students at UMB to speak directly to their lawmakers on Beacon Hill and to let them know the issues students face on campus. The event centers student voice and involves students in the decisions that affect everyone on campus and across the state. Advocacy Day is also an opportunity for faculty and staff to meet with legislators and show our coalition with students. The Advocacy Day legislative agenda also centers the importance of faculty and staff needs and how our working conditions are the students' learning conditions.
Advocacy Day is supported by a coalition of organizations, including the MTA and partner locals, as well as the UMass system, State University Presidents, and Massachusetts Community Colleges."
Motion for Alternative Ex Com Statement Regarding Parking TA
The Executive Committee of the FSU commends the bargaining team for its hard work – work that has been completed in a context of crushing austerity. In the absence of adequate funding from the state, particularly that dealing with the continuing legacy of the original shoddy construction in 1974, the realistic options facing the bargaining team were few. Despite the team’s best efforts, the daily cash rate remains as originally proposed by the administration, with semester rates of $504 at Bayside and $550 on campus. Many faculty, along with others in the university community, are understandably concerned that the significant increase in the cost of parking will have serious, and for some catastrophic, impacts on both their personal situation and on the urban mission of the university. In the absence of adequate funding from the state for our legacy debt, many faculty, staff, and students quite reasonably feel they are being required to pay for resolving a financial problem they did not create.
Given this situation, and the serious and diverse concerns many have expressed over the increase, the Executive Committee takes no position on whether members should vote to ratify the agreement or not. Whether the agreement is or is not ratified, we urge FSU members to continue to stand in solidarity with staff and students across our campus as they speak out against the parking fee increase and the effects it will have on our university.