[Vision2020] Lawmakers Band With Faculty in Protest of Amendment

[Tom Hansen]

So . . .

Here we have college/university presidents, who are reimbursed for
business related spousal expenses, reducing faculty pay without a word of
input from those faculty members.

Welcome to Idaho.

"'When financial hard times hit, the entire university community must pull
together and find a solution,' said Ringo, who represents a district that
includes the University of Idaho. 'Faculty must feel they are part of the
process.'"

Courtesy of today's (February 19, 2010) Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

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Lawmakers band with faculty in protest of amendment
Policy change would give university presidents more power over budget cuts

Staff and wire reports

Posted on: Friday, February 19, 2010

BOISE - Lawmakers joined faculty from Idaho universities in protesting
changes to State Board of Education policies that give the institutions'
presidents broad power to make cuts in a financial crisis.

Reps. Tom Trail, R-Moscow; Liz Chavez, R-Lewiston; and Shirley Ringo,
D-Moscow, cautioned the board Thursday against adopting the policy
changes, which will allow university presidents in tough times to make
permanent salary reductions regardless of contracts with tenured and
non-tenured professors and some staff members.

The presidents also will be able to temporarily reduce wages through
furloughs, according to faculty, who have criticized their lack of
involvement in the plan.

Board members unanimously approved the policy change Thursday afternoon
despite the opposition.

Trail told board members that faculty rights to due process and tenure are
being lost in the adoption of the policy changes.

"The process raised serious concerns about potential violations of the
law," Trail said.

Board members contend the changes will give presidents more authority to
make cuts amid state shortfalls and will not allow them to target
individuals but rather make university- or department-wide cuts.

Public universities and colleges, which were forced to hold back spending
by another $15.2 million in September to help offset a much bigger
shortfall in state revenue, now face the very real possibility of more
cuts.

"When financial hard times hit, the entire university community must pull
together and find a solution," said Ringo, who represents a district that
includes the University of Idaho. "Faculty must feel they are part of the
process."

Joni Mina, an associate professor who chairs the Lewis-Clark State College
Faculty Senate, claimed the revamped policies are destined to foster
distrust and poor morale among higher education employees, making it
harder to retain and recruit.

The trustees who govern higher education in Idaho previously had to
declare a financial exigency - a severe financial crisis that board
officials likened to declaring bankruptcy - to give the presidents this
kind of authority.

But trustees have not declared a financial exigency since the 1980s, when
a UI faculty member successfully sued the board over her dismissal.

While the board tried to appease faculty concerns with slight revisions to
the policy changes, Mina said the result is still troubling and presidents
will be able to take drastic action without the declaration of financial
exigency.

"These revisions have not really altered anything," Mina said. "We're
still going to get meaningless contracts."

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Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to change
and the Realist adjusts his sails."

- Unknown