[Vision2020] State Faculty Union Responds to Financial Crisis

Joe Campbell philosopher.joe at gmail.com
Fri Apr 24 19:48:06 PDT 2009 

I am not guarenteed a job, Roger. As I understand it, cutting the  
department provides justification for firing me. That is how my chair  
explained it. I have some security, of course, and I'm thankful for  
that. But not of the sort you imagine.

Joe Campbell

On Apr 24, 2009, at 9:34 AM, lfalen <lfalen at turbonet.com> wrote:

> You are still guarenteed a job.In bad times that should be enough.  
> Why should not everyone share in the cuts? Why should you be placed  
> on an elevated pedestal at the expense of peasants(staff)?
> Roger
> -----Original message-----
> From: Joe Campbell philosopher.joe at gmail.com
> Date: Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:30:51 -0700
> To: lfalen lfalen at turbonet.com
> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] State Faculty Union Responds to Financial  
> Crisis
>
>> Maybe I should have expressed my question more clearly, What is  
>> tenure
>> without the salary? What do you get with that?
>>
>> Joe Campbell
>>
>> On Apr 23, 2009, at 8:43 AM, lfalen <lfalen at turbonet.com> wrote:
>>
>>> All I am saying is that pay cuts should affect everyone, starting
>>> with administrators. It makes no sence to cut the pay of those on
>>> the lowest end of the pay scale while excluding those that make
>>> more. If the rules for tenure do not allow for this, then the rules
>>> need to be changed.
>>> Roger
>>> -----Original message-----
>>> From: nickgier at roadrunner.com
>>> Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:22:01 -0700
>>> To: vision2020 at moscow.com,  lfalen lfalen at turbonet.com, "Gier,
>>> Nicholas" NGIER at uidaho.edu
>>> Subject: RE: [Vision2020] State Faculty Union Responds to Financial
>>> Crisis
>>>
>>>> Hi Roger,
>>>>
>>>> If tenure protects base salary, as two legal cases indicate that it
>>>> does, then a contract that invalidated that aspect of tenure would
>>>> be illegal and no faculty member should agree to it.
>>>>
>>>> Nick
>>>> ---- lfalen <lfalen at turbonet.com> wrote:
>>>>> You are reading in things that arn't there. I said only that
>>>>> future tenure contract should not lock in salaries in the event
>>>>> that every one else takes  a pay cut. In this narrow regard, no
>>>>> one should be immuned.
>>>>> Roger
>>>>> -----Original message-----
>>>>> From: "Gier, Nicholas" NGIER at uidaho.edu
>>>>> Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:01:58 -0700
>>>>> To: "lfalen" lfalen at turbonet.com,  nickgier at roadrunner.com, vision2020 at moscow.com
>>>>> Subject: RE: [Vision2020] State Faculty Union Responds to
>>>>> Financial Crisis
>>>>>
>>>>>> Hi Roger,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Here are your exact words:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> "If this is prohibited by tenured rules, these should be changed
>>>>>> going forward. Contracts should be honored as the early retires
>>>>>> contracts should be honored. The thing is do not make these kinds
>>>>>> of contracts in the future."
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Perhaps you did not mean to say it, but you wrote this and it
>>>>>> clearly implies that future contracts for faculty would not
>>>>>> include tenure.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Nick
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>>> From: lfalen [mailto:lfalen at turbonet.com]
>>>>>> Sent: Wed 4/22/2009 1:53 PM
>>>>>> To: Gier, Nicholas; nickgier at roadrunner.com;  
>>>>>> vision2020 at moscow.com
>>>>>> Subject: RE: [Vision2020] State Faculty Union Responds to
>>>>>> Financial Crisis
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I did not say anything about eliminating tenure, only that they
>>>>>> should be subject to same rules as staff when it comes to pay  
>>>>>> cuts.
>>>>>> Roger
>>>>>> -----Original message-----
>>>>>> From: "Gier, Nicholas" NGIER at uidaho.edu
>>>>>> Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:42:01 -0700
>>>>>> To: "lfalen" lfalen at turbonet.com,  nickgier at roadrunner.com, vision2020 at moscow.com
>>>>>> Subject: RE: [Vision2020] State Faculty Union Responds to
>>>>>> Financial Crisis
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Hi Roger,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> If you are suggesting that Idaho eliminate tenure, then
>>>>>>> prospective faculty members will not apply for jobs on Idaho's
>>>>>>> campuses. That of course would be disastrous for Idaho higher
>>>>>>> education.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Tenure is necessary for academic freedom and that means, after a
>>>>>>> rigorous probationary period of 5-7 years, tenured professors
>>>>>>> have career-long protection from political interference in their
>>>>>>> teaching, research, and service.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Nick
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>>>> From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com on behalf of lfalen
>>>>>>> Sent: Wed 4/22/2009 10:39 AM
>>>>>>> To: nickgier at roadrunner.com; vision2020 at moscow.com
>>>>>>> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] State Faculty Union Responds to
>>>>>>> Financial Crisis
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Nick
>>>>>>> I agree with you on administrative position and athletics,
>>>>>>> though not necessarily on tenure. If cuts do get down to staff
>>>>>>> positions, it should also include tenured faculty. If this is
>>>>>>> prohibited by tenured rules, these should be changed going
>>>>>>> forward. Contracts should be honored as the early retires
>>>>>>> contracts should be honored. The thing is do not make these
>>>>>>> kinds of contracts in the future.
>>>>>>> Roger
>>>>>>> -----Original message-----
>>>>>>> From: nickgier at roadrunner.com
>>>>>>> Date: Thu, 16 Apr 2009 14:54:37 -0700
>>>>>>> To: vision2020 at moscow.com
>>>>>>> Subject: [Vision2020] State Faculty Union Responds to Financial
>>>>>>> Crisis
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> IFT HIGHER EDUCATION COUNCIL RESPONDS TO FINANCIAL CRISIS
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> On April 15, 2009 the Higher Education Council of the Idaho
>>>>>>>> Federation of Teachers, AFT/AFL-CIO met in a phone conference
>>>>>>>> to discuss the financial crisis.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Those present were Valia Tatarova, Idaho State University
>>>>>>>> (physics); Lynn Lubamersky, Boise State University (history);
>>>>>>>> Chris Riggs, Lewis-Clark State College (history); Lynne
>>>>>>>> Haagensen, University of Idaho (art); Joyce Lider, North Idaho
>>>>>>>> College (English); Susan Andrews, IFT Vice-President for Higher
>>>>>>>> Education; and Nick Gier, IFT President.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I. Salary Reduction Proposal. According to a legal opinion from
>>>>>>>> the AFT national office, academic tenure protects base salary.
>>>>>>>> Tenure is a property right and at least two court cases have
>>>>>>>> recognized that base salary is part of that property. The IFT
>>>>>>>> Higher Education Council voted to oppose any salary reductions
>>>>>>>> for tenured faculty.  We join the BSU Faculty Senate President
>>>>>>>> in vowing to file a case action suit if tenured faculty are
>>>>>>>> forced to take a pay cut.  In a related decision the IFT Higher
>>>>>>>> Education Council voted that classified staff, lecturers, and
>>>>>>>> non-tenured faculty be exempt from salary reductions and
>>>>>>>> proposed that salary savings be taken from those making more
>>>>>>>> than $100,000.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> II. Teaching positions should have priority over administrative
>>>>>>>> positions.  Nation-wide administrative positions have generally
>>>>>>>> grown at a greater rate than teaching positions.  The example
>>>>>>>> of BSU is especially egregious: from 2005-2007 BSU had over 100
>>>>>>>> more administrators than its peers but 191 fewer faculty
>>>>>>>> members instructing students than peer institutions.
>>>>>>>> Administrative salaries have also outpaced faculty pay.  Since
>>>>>>>> 1982 the salaries of 11 top UI administrative positions have
>>>>>>>> increased 260 percent while full professor salaries increased
>>>>>>>> 198 percent.  (CPI for the period was 215.) (For more see <www.home.roadrunner.com/~nickgier/salaries.htm
>>>>>>>>> .) The IFT Higher Education Council voted to recommend that
>>>>>>>> administrative positions be cut before teaching positions.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> III. Appropriated funds are for academics not athletics.  Since
>>>>>>>> 1987 state subsidies for athletics at the UI has grown 338
>>>>>>>> percent while appropriations for Idaho higher education has
>>>>>>>> grown 159 percent.  Currently the state subsidies for UI and
>>>>>>>> ISU athletics are over $3 million.  Since 1999 private
>>>>>>>> contributions to UI athletics rose 246 percent, indicating the
>>>>>>>> potential for it to wean itself, as any non-academic program
>>>>>>>> should, from its state subsidy. (For more see <www.home.roadrunner.com/~nickgier/athletics.htm
>>>>>>>>> .) The IFT Higher Education Council voted to request that
>>>>>>>> state monies for athletics on all Idaho campuses be phased out
>>>>>>>> over 4-6 years.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> IV. Program reduction procedures must be revised.  In 2002 the
>>>>>>>> Idaho State Board of Education (SBOE) instituted new procedures
>>>>>>>> for program reduction.  At that time the IFT objected to a lack
>>>>>>>> of protection for tenured faculty and requested that the
>>>>>>>> procedures be revised.  As no revisions have been made, IFT
>>>>>>>> president asked  in December 2008 for a legal opinion from the
>>>>>>>> national office.  The response was that these procedures
>>>>>>>> undermine tenure and do not comply with Idaho law. (For more
>>>>>>>> see <www.home.roadrunner.com/~nickgier/ProgramReduction.htm>.)
>>>>>>>> The IFT Higher Education Council voted to urge the SBOE to
>>>>>>>> revise these procedures such that tenured faculty have the same
>>>>>>>> protection as under the procedures for financial exigency.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> =======================================================
>>>>>>>> List services made available by First Step Internet,
>>>>>>>> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>>>>>>>>              http://www.fsr.net
>>>>>>>>         mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
>>>>>>>> =======================================================
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> =======================================================
>>>>>>> List services made available by First Step Internet,
>>>>>>> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>>>>>>>              http://www.fsr.net
>>>>>>>         mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
>>>>>>> =======================================================
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> =======================================================
>>> List services made available by First Step Internet,
>>> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>>>              http://www.fsr.net
>>>         mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
>>> =======================================================

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