Spring 2018 cuts, May 20 rally, and other important updates from the FSU
Dear Colleague,
We want to update you on a number of important issues:
►Course Cancellations for Spring 2018: We are hearing that there are possibly more course cancellations in departments for the spring of 2018. Let us know what is happening in your department, and how many fewer sections and/or faculty you may have, and the effects of these (higher course caps, more teaching CAPs or Navitas).
Fall 2017: We have yet to receive the information we requested about cuts to the fall 2017 schedule from the administration, so let us know how many sections have been eliminated and positions have been cut in your department. Unfortunately, the university does not need to give notice to most Associate Lecturers, so we recommend that all Associate Lecturers talk to their chair to find out if they will be teaching this fall, and let us know what you find out.
Sign the petition here protesting the lack of faculty input in the budget and budget-cutting process, the harm to students that will occur, and the lack of transparency in the budget.
►Rally for public education, Saturday, May 20 at 2 pm at the Boston Common (see flyer here): Please join thousands of educators who will attend this rally and call upon the Commonwealth to give strong support to its public education systems - from pre-school through higher education. We need a strong presence to call for full funding and debt-free higher education that lets us provide the education and research that fulfills the mission of public higher education without stressful workloads and inadequate infrastructure. Come to the rally to demand the public higher education system that our students deserve.
The Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA), our parent union, is a member of the Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance, which is sponsoring this rally. The FSU Executive Committee has endorsed the rally.
►Research Educational Support (RES) Fund Requests: are due this Monday, May 8. Submit your request with receipts and the necessary form to your Dean’s Office.
►Bargaining update: There is no word on salary increases yet, and we proposed to keep our existing language on academic freedom. For a full update, see here.
Marlene Kim
FSU President
Professor, Marlene Kim