Pizza & Potluck at the Pavilion: Meet the Lecturer Equity Caucus!

5/10/2022

Dear Lecturer Colleagues,

We write to you amidst this crazy last week of classes to introduce the new Lecturer Equity Caucus of the FSU (LEC for short), and to invite you to our very first social gathering THIS WEDNESDAY, MAY 11 outdoors at the Fox Point Pavilion (located between Wheatley and the HarborWalk).  Join us from 5-7:30pm, overlooking Dorchester Bay. There will be free food—pizza, pakoras, and potluck!—as well as a chance to connect with colleagues.  It will also provide a chance to learn more about the new Caucus.  Come to process the end of the semester together and to share goals for the future!

Did you know?

*That NTT Lecturers make up the majority of the faculty at UMB?

*That Lecturers teach around 2/3 of UMB's undergraduate classes?

*That almost all new NTT hires at UMB are now hired as “Associate Lecturers” who are paid substantially less than Lecturers and lack many FSU contract protections?

*That many Lecturers are still denied a meaningful vote on departmental decisions?

Our Lecturer Equity Caucus is committed to building fellowship and solidarity among NTT faculty on our campus, and to highlighting and organizing around issues that are flagrantly unfair, focusing especially on ‘Raising the Floor’ for our least supported members.  We are also mindful of the strategic need to work in alliance and unity with our tenure-track colleagues, and so welcome TT faculty friends who share our goals of lecturer equity to join us in this effort.  We believe that improving the equitable treatment of NTT faculty on campus can strengthen our Faculty Staff Union as a whole, improve our campus culture, help lighten the burden on TT faculty as well as NTT, and help us all to better support our students and our public urban mission. Our Caucus is committed to addressing both ‘bread and butter’ issues as well as the deeper systemic issues of stigma, exclusion, and marginalization that so many of us face, despite the historic efforts of our strong and progressive Faculty Staff Union.

Did you also know?

*That many Lecturers want to be full-time, but must still scramble for their classes?

*That many Lecturers who qualify for Continuing Appointments find that they are being given ‘low ball’ contracts by Admin that under-count the .FTE work they’ve done?

*That the Summer and Winter courses many NTT depend on DO NOT COUNT AT ALL towards either promotion, accrued sick bank leave, or retirement, and are also paid much less than Fall and Spring courses?  

*That many Lecturers perform institutional service (and scholarly research) similar to our tenure-track colleagues, and yet are not given material support or recognition?

We recognize that Lecturers at UMB have a diverse range of interests but believe that we all have a shared interest in EQUITY, making sure that we are treated fairly for all the work we do for UMB, whatever it may be.

In the days ahead we hope to help Lecturers:

*Survey our fellow NTTs to learn more about what our main concerns are;

*Make sure Lecturer Equity concerns are at the forefront in the next round of FSU contract bargaining;

*Make the most of our new voices on the Faculty Council, which now (finally!) includes NTT representation;

*Get full credit and compensation for every credit hour we teach;

*Improve job security and pay equity for our most vulnerable members;

*Have our voices heard at all levels of university governance;

*And much more!

What would Lecturer Equity mean to YOU?  

Join us on Wednesday, May 11th, from 5-7:30pm at the Fox Point Pavilion and let’s share ideas (as well as food on the union)!  We’re here to listen and learn as well as to unveil our Proposed Caucus Priorities for some concrete ways we can forward the Lecturer Equity cause!

In solidarity and fellowship,

Founding Lecturer Equity Caucus members:

Anna Beckwith, Senior Lecturer II, Sociology

Daria Boeninger, Senior Lecturer, Psychology

Dana Commesso, Senior Lecturer II, Exercise and Health Science

Christopher Fung, Senior Lecturer, Anthropology

Linda Ai-Yun Liu, Lecturer, Sociology,

Jon Milman, Senior Lecturer II, Economics

Joseph G. Ramsey, Senior Lecturer, English and American Studies

Amy Todd, Senior Lecturer II, Anthropology