Uncommon Sense

The Newsletter of the United Faculty of Florida, USF Chapter

(an FTP/NEA Affiliate)

Volume 10, Number 4 Spring, 2002

The Voice of the University Professional

FACULTY DISCIPLINE:

You don't have to be a weatherman to know which way the wind is blowing

by Mark Klisch

The current political climate at USF is affecting how faculty are treated by the Administration.

This climate at USF with regard to the power and authority of the Board of Trustees is of great concern to all of us. Governor Jeb Bush and his powerful compatriots in the Legislature orchestrated the move to local governance by establishing a Board of Trustees at each Florida university. Ostensibly to streamline the educational system, the BOTs' actual mission appears to be to transform the university sytem into the Big Business way of doing things.

USF's trustees are primarily businesspeople. While they have announced a ``hands off'' approach, in fact their heavy-handed way of running the business end of things inevitably is having a profound impact on the academy. Unfortunately, they do not understand their impact, or perhaps they do not care.

How do some of these changes affect us directly? Let's put aside for a moment the current imbroglio of Dr. Al-Arian (which does seem like a BOT show); the glare of that spectacle clouds our vision of what is happening elsewhere at USF - and the weather isn't very sunny. Consider grievances.

The grievance process is fundamental: the contract is enforced by challenging violations. It is also a handy barometer for gauging the current political weather and predicting things to come.

In past years, grievances dealt primarily with issues like tenure & promotion, annual assignments and teaching loads and evaluations.

Lately, though, things seem to be changing - in an alarming way. Over the past year, at least three cases have come to the attention of the union and the grievance committee in which tenured faculty members have been disciplined severely for ``infractions'' that are either insignificant or completely unproven.

Here's a real life example: A professor was accused of acting in a threatening manner to a student. The student complained to administration. Administration convened a panel of faculty to review the facts and to offer an appraisal to the Provost. So far, so good. However, that panel is actually instructed by administration not to interview the faculty member in question (!), yet their report states that they have met with all parties and gleaned all the facts. They then advised the administration that the faculty member's behavior was in fact threatening and inappropriate. Based in part on their findings, the faculty member is suspended for several days without pay. Sound like due process to you?

The other cases have similar themes, and indicate that the university is beginning to run on the harshest of business principles. If you are outspoken or unpopular in the eyes of the administration, watch out! Discipline and even firing, at will, regardless of tenure or not, is the norm that the business people on the BOT are used to. Under their direction, it may become the norm at USF unless this trend is vigorously resisted. Otherwise, if they don't like you, they will find a way to get rid of you.

There is a new political climate at USF, thanks to the Legislature and the BOT. Our only protection is the contract. So, read it, know your rights and let the union know if those rights are being violated.

Mark Klisch is the USF/UFF Grievance chair, and can be reached at <mklisch@luna.cas.usf.edu>.

Election results

Each year, USF chapter holds elections for many of its offices. This year, there was only one nomination each for each of the four elective executive offices, so as those positions were uncontested, the USF Chapter officers for the coming year will be:

President: Roy Weatherford

Vice President: Mark Klisch

Treasurer: Fred Zerla

Secretary: Margaret Doherty

In the biannual UFF Senate Meetings, USF is represented by the Chapter President and seven other senators. Seven people were nominated, and so as those positions were also uncontested, the USF Senators will be: Nancy Anderson, Mark Klisch, Greg McColm, Arthur Shapiro, Surendra Singh, Nancy Tyson, and Rob Welker.

In the annual FEA Meetings, USF is represented by the Chapter President and three other delegates. Traditionally, the three are the top three senators. In the election, the three senators with the most votes were S. Singh, N. Tyson, and M. Klisch.

Third Freedom Forum

The Al-Arian controversy may remind some people of the early 1960s, when the Johns Committee came to USF, investigating civil rights activists, communists, and homosexuals.

UFF is sponsoring a forum on USF and the Johns Committee on Thursday, April 25, at 4 pm, in the Grace Allen Room (in the USF Tampa Library, off the 4th floor). Everyone is welcome to this journey into the past.

Bargaining Update

Readers may recall that after an initial inability to negotiate updates for the current 2001-2003 contract, the Board of Education decided to present a take-it-or-leave-it proposal that didn't even offer promotional raises. For that and other reasons, UFF declared an impasse, which meant that the issues were presented to an impartial arbitrator. The arbitrator proposed a compromise between the UFF and BOE positions, which niether side liked much. So now the matter is before the Legislature, which is finding it difficult to get things done. A special session on the budget will convene in May.

Membership & Stewards

In August, the USF Chapter of the UFF is going to launch a Twenty-first Century Campaign.

For a quarter century, UFF has represented all USF faculty, and thus protected all USF faculty, by negotiating and enforcing the contract.

Those of us who are members of the union have supported this organization that has protected us all. But now we face especially challenging times, and those of us who have (ahem!) relied on their fellows to carry the load must join in if we are to be effective in defending (and advancing!) our rights in salary and benefits, assignments and workloads, collegiality and working conditions, academic freedom and tenure.

Fellow UFF members, we will need your help! We need union members to explain to non-member faculty why they should join the union, and join the union now!

To volunteer, contact the Membership Chair, Susan Greenbaum, at 974-0777, or e-mail greenbau@chuma1.cas.usf.edu.

Chapter Meetings

The Chapter meets every Friday payday for lunch. Soda & sandwiches are free. Except for April 19 (when we meet in CIS 1023), we meet in EDU 219. Come and join the movement.