From the FWC Executive Committee
Hello everyone,
We had a great conversation after the last GF about faculty safety, with much brainstorming about next steps. Thanks to FWC Gwen Alphonso and EC member Michelle Farrell who then worked extensively on a document for Academic Council, which we hope will lead to a committee to investigate this issue. We also have a workplace safety working group, and you can sign up here if you'd like to meet to talk about that topic. And we hope there is more to come!
We are working on compiling the results of our FWC survey, but we wanted to first thank you as faculty for the amazing response rate: with one email and in-person collection at the GF, we got responses from almost 50% of the faculty! Actions like that show our strength and the cohesion of our organization.
We congratulate our campus hospitality workers with UNITE-HERE Local 217, who have signed a new contract with Aramark! A steward writes that the union has won an "awesome contract, but most of all we here the Aramark / cafe workers would like to thank you for reaching out to support us, and we extend the same hand to your organization. We are happy to assist in your future endeavors." The FWC has had an active committee called Fairfield University Workers United where we have planned solidarity actions with organized labor groups on campus, and if you are interested in this, please let me know, as we need someone who can be a primary point person for this work.
On April 17, our chapter will run elections at an FWC meeting after the GF. Nominations come from the floor, and elections are decided based on a simple majority of those present (see our constitution for more info.) If you'd like to run and have any questions, please let me know.
I'm headed to the AAUP National meeting in Chicago on June 10-13 for the AAUP Biennial Summit and Annual Meeting, and I will report back to the chapter. Would you like to attend this national gathering, or one in the future? Please let me know!
Every year, we give three awards in the spring: The George Lang Award to a newer faculty member, the Colleague of the Year Award to any active faculty member, and a Lifetime Achievement Award. All three recognize contributions to activism and community on campus and to the FWC. Please email me if you would like to nominate someone!
All the best,
Sonya for the FWC Executive Committee (indigomission@gmail.com)
Trainings, Meetings, & Events
- April 17 @ 5 pm: FWC meeting after the GF with elections for two-year terms for officers and at-large EC members.
- Friday, April 25 @ 4:30 pm: Hands Off CT Rapid Response Training in Hartford.
- Saturday, April 26 @ 10 am: Hands Off CT Rapid Response Training in Danbury.
- Thurs. April 30 at 1 pm: AAUP Webinar on Shared Governance Outside Faculty's Primary Responsibilities "Under AAUP-supported principles of shared governance, an institution's faculty must be meaningfully involved in institutional decision outside of its primary areas of responsibility for academic matters...with a focus on budgets and salary policies and on the hiring, evaluation, and retention of administrators."
- Saturday, May 9 @ 10 am: Hands Off CT Rapid Response Training in Bridgeport.
- May 1: AAUP National Day of Action: Hands Off Higher Ed
We promote faculty welfare, broadly defined, through chapter programs and activities designed to advance academic freedom, advance the economic and professional status of the faculty, encourage faculty participation in governance, and inform the community about AAUP standards and policy statements to ensure higher education's contribution to the common good.
