April 2020

Meeting of the Truman State University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP)

April 20, 2020, 4:30-5:15 PM, ZOOM

Present: Marc Rice (president), Mark Hatala (vice-president), Marc Becker (secretary), Marck Anton Daughters (treasurer), Bill Alexander, Carlo Annelli, Jay Belanger, Laura Bigger, Heidi Cook, Emily Costello, Lindsey Dunnagan, Jennifer Jesse, Bob Mielke, Matthew Tornatore

 

  1. Letter to administration that important discussions are going to be made and that we should be part of those discussions. Issue of transparency. If they play a legal card do we have a rejoiner? What is the most likely thing to happen? Probably major cuts. Not fired, but contracts not renewed. Plan for the worst. What do we do if people fired or programs canceled. First year enrollment down 25 percent, but that could break various ways. How many people will take retirement? Maybe 15% of small colleges will go under, and Truman can take advantage of that. Bad semester or year, but then things might pick up. With high unemployment rates, what will people do? Might go to college instead. But 1 of 6 people will no longer be able to do so. Truman already effected by demographic drops. We can go whole year online—admin thinks we can go 5 yrs. We should be fighting for temp people cuz those who are on chopping block. What can we do other than to let them know that there will be blowback if they fire people. Would be nice if faculty found out things before students—being informed of things at same time as students. TSU probably won’t go under, but significant changes. Possibility of financial exigency? Reorganize departments, and departments with less than 10 graduates a year on chopping block. Temps are probably biggest issue. Trying to guess what admin is going to do.

 

  1. Marc Rice will write up a letter asking for a place at the table in discussions. Email Marc Rice mrice@truman.edu. Includes something on transparency with faculty issues. Faculty governance should have significant input in what we will do in the fall. Will we go online? This letter might be an appropriate place to add that in. How are we going to meet in the fall? Not even a curricular issue. Won’t be viable. But how are we going to do that? Students probably can’t take 4-5 classes online and be successful. There are curricular decisions to be made, and we need to be involved in those conversations.

 

  1. Online courses this summer. Syllabi need to be approved by Kevin Minch, but turns out that it didn’t need to be approved because it was taught before. Maybe a piece of good news.

 

Do we need another meeting? We will decide later if we need one.