Month: September 2017

TAUP Stadium Survey Invitation

Recent comments by university officials indicate that the plan to build a 35000-seat on-campus football stadium continues to be considered, though reportedly no final decision has been made.  It is possible that this will be a topic of discussion at the Board of Trustees meeting on October 10th.

This decision would have significant economic effects, thereby affecting the issues that TAUP negotiates over, and it would have profound effects of many kinds on the university our members serve.   TAUP thus believes it is particularly important that faculty, librarians, and academic professionals make their views known now.  While there have been meetings between administrators and faculty at many schools and with representatives from the Faculty Senate, there has no been no attempt to gauge the opinions of our members as a whole.

So we would appreciate it if you would respond to the following survey, which is designed to gauge the attitudes of all members of our bargaining unit, give faculty more of a voice in this discussion, and provide guidance to TAUP about our members’ concerns as we look toward bargaining a new contract in 2019.  Responses will remain anonymous.  We will report the findings in a future e-Bulletin.

An FAQ from the administration on the stadium, which makes a case for the project, can be found here.  Some columns in The Faculty Herald raising questions about the wisdom of building a stadium can be found here. A recent story on The Stadium Stompers, a community group opposing the stadium, can be found here.

Responses will be collected by TAUP only and only aggregate responses and discursive responses with any identifying information stripped will be shared.  You do not have to be a TAUP member to participate.

The survey link is http://www.surveyshare.com/s/AYACH3A.
Use the full email address at which you received this message (e.g. firstname.lastname@temple.edu) as your unique login to access the survey. Please contact the TAUP office (taupaft@gmail.com) if you experience problems.

Sincerely,

Steve Newman, President
Jennie Shanker, Vice President
Norma Corrales-Martin, Treasurer

An Adjunct Couple Speaks for Contract Ratification

Our names are Canan and James. We’re partners and we both teach as adjunct faculty in the Department of Sociology. As adjunct faculty at Temple University, we deserve to be recognized as workers who contribute to the university’s mission to provide excellence in teaching to Temple’s diverse and engaged student population. That’s why we’re excited to be members of TAUP and ratify our first-ever union contract with an overwhelming YES  vote.

We all know too well that adjunct labor and the particular difficulties of adjunct life often remain hidden. In many cases, full-time faculty have never met the adjunct faculty in their own departments who teach a large portion of the classes and keep departments running.  Most students don’t really know if their instructor is an adjunct, and if they do, what that means for our day-to-day life. Many don’t  know what a low percentage of the tuition they pay actually goes toward paying their adjunct instructors.

Ratifying this contract will give adjuncts an immediate pay bump from $1300/credit to $1425, and another raise next year to $1500. It provides 50% and 25% health care subsidies to adjuncts.  It also lays the groundwork for adjuncts to build meaningful job security, seniority, and a promotion structure into future contracts. This contract shines light on our conditions as precarious adjunct labor, and recognizes adjuncts not simply as miscellaneous faces in the crowd, but as significant workers who put our time and energy into educating Temple’s diverse student population.

Uniting with full-time faculty in the bargaining process provides space for us to share our mutual concerns and use our strength in numbers to win. By working under a contract, adjunct faculty can begin to work towards obtaining the rights to a basic and decent livelihood that all university workers deserve. All members of TAUP will have the opportunity to ratify this contract between September 25 – 29 in an online vote. Add your name here if you plan on helping our first contract pass with an overwhelming YES vote.

In solidarity,
Canan Tanir

James Parisot

Adjunct Instructors, Sociology

Support the Student Basic Needs Survey

At the beginning of the term, we sent out a message from Sara Goldrick-Rab, a Professor of Higher Education Policy and Sociology at Temple,asking if faculty would consider adding a “basic needs security” paragraph to their syllabus.   Now, we want to follow up with a request to distribute a survey to your undergraduate students that will provide a better handle on the scope and severity of these challenges. 

TAUP’s Constitution reads:  “We are committed to the historic mission of Temple University, to our obligations to our students, and to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. We uphold the

ideals of Opportunity, Quality, and Accountability.”

We know that it is very hard for those ideals to be upheld if our students are hungry or lack stable housing or are faced with other severe challenges.  Please help provide insight into these important issues by reading the letter below and distributing the survey.

In solidarity,

Steve Newman, President

Jennie Shanker, Vice President

Norma Corrales-Martin, Treasurer

 

Dear Colleagues,

Temple University, in collaboration with the Wisconsin HOPE Lab (led by Temple professor Sara Goldrick-Rab), is administering the “Real College” survey to all undergraduate students from now through September 29, 2017.

The survey aims to help inform Temple University and the greater higher education community about the current challenges facing students and how we might find solutions to these challenges.

We ask for your help with the administration of this important survey by encouraging students in your courses to participate.

Students are already receiving emails about this survey opportunity and with your help, we hope to achieve a high participation rate.  We encourage you to post the survey link below on your course Blackboard or Canvas sites.

Please keep in mind, this survey is only being administered to undergraduates through September 29th. Student responses will be kept confidential and if they complete the survey, they will be entered into a drawing to receive one of ten $100 Diamond Dollar awards.

Here is the survey link: https://uwmadison.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4ZUHoKp1wHxc9Uh

Thank you for your support of this important initiative.

Professor of Higher Education Policy & Sociology
Temple University