FACULTY COMMENT PERIOD
board of governors
rule changes
As many of you are no doubt aware, the current university administration is seeking a number of changes to the Board of Governors (BOG) rules to facilitate their planned “Academic Transformation”. The proposed changes– excluding faculty from the Reduction In Force process and only involving them in the academic reviews; all but eliminating severance pay for folks who lose their positions; removing the right to return to eliminated positions if reintroduced, and the obligation to rehouse and retrain folks who can be–amount to nothing less than an assault on faculty security.
We, your fellow faculty organizing as members of West Virginia Campus Workers, have prepared the below talking points and script, and are asking that all faculty members use them to leave a public comment in opposition to these changes before the June 21st deadline.
SUBMIT A
COMMENT
Below are comment templates about the proposed changes to the severance and reduction in force policies that can be copied and submitted with the included links. We strongly encourage you to personalize these comments by adding your specific concerns with these changes, or how they might impact you, your colleagues, your work, and your students.
Comments with authors will have a greater impact, but if you wish to provide your comment anonymously, please simply write “anonymous” in both the first and last name fields, and then provide a fake address in the email field.
SEVERANCE COMMENT TEMPLATE
The BoG rules are intended to be clear, publicly available, and binding procedures for facing extreme events, and to change them so quickly in the face of this budget crisis further strains the trust faculty have in administration. The lack of dialogue, the absence of any space for faculty participation in responding to this crisis, and the speed with which it is being implemented all point to an intentional attempt to silence faculty voices. I hope the BOG and this administration will take this opportunity to listen to that faculty voice, and take immediate steps to allow faculty and staff to have real input in responding to this crisis.
Section 5.2, Severance:
This change is simply unacceptable. No faculty member would willingly accept a reduction in severance that is so drastic, going from one year of annual base pay to a possible 2-8 weeks, depending on seniority. Such a reduction represents a huge financial hardship to any faculty member subject to a RIF. When all faculty employed to date signed their contracts, they did so with the expectation that the University would abide by its existing rules. This proposed change amounts to one side changing the rules of the game to the other side’s detriment while play is underway. Basic rules of fairness require the University to maintain the commitment it began with us when we signed our contract
REDUCTION IN FORCE COMMENT TEMPLATE
The BoG rules are intended to be clear, publicly available, and binding procedures for facing extreme events, and to change them so quickly in the face of this budget crisis further strains the trust faculty have in administration. The lack of dialogue, the absence of any space for faculty participation in responding to this crisis, and the speed with which it is being implemented all point to an intentional attempt to silence faculty voices. I hope the BOG and this administration will take this opportunity to listen to that faculty voice, and take immediate steps to allow faculty and staff to have real input in responding to this crisis.
Section 3.1, Rehire/RIght of First Refusal:
3.1.2. This Rule change would eliminate aid for faculty undergoing the RIF process. Faculty in these circumstances should be assisted in acquiring the necessary skills to continue their careers.
3.1.3. This Rule change takes a Rule that specifies an “offer of first refusal” and reduces that obligation to what amounts to an encouragement to apply. This change weakens the possibility of future employment for current WVU employees who were terminated as part of the RIF.
Section 2.2, Limiting Participation:
Ensuring faculty input early in the RIF planning process is necessary, however, faculty must be involved in both “the academic review process which could lead to a RIF plan,” and in the “formulation of a specific RIF plan” for programs.