APSCUF/SU Union Newsletter...Brother, ALEC, the Chamber of Commerce, etc., unions have become a major source of funding for “Paycheck protection” is anti-union, is Right- to- Work

APSCUF/SU Union Newsletter Page 1

APSCUF/SU Union Newsletter

APSCUF: Your Union representing SU faculty and coaches……

…..in solidarity!

APSCUF/SU FACULTY & COACHES President –Brendan Finucane, Vice President- Niel Brasher, Past President – Deborah Jacobs, Secretary- Cheryl Slattery,

Treasurer & Technology Chair – Azim Danesh, Grievance Chair – Sara Grove, Legislative Chair- Robert Shaffer, Meet & Discuss – Angela Bartoli,

Meet & Discuss – Cynthia Botteron, Meet & Discuss – Jennifer Clements, Meet & Discuss – Diane McNichols, Assembly Delegate - Curtis Berry, Assembly Delegate – Debra Cornelius, Assembly Delegate – Jerry Carbo, Assembly Delegate- Steve Haase, Assembly Delegate – Deborah Jacobs,

Assembly Delegate – Ying Yang, CAP Chair – Patricia Patrick, Enrollment Mgnt. – Ian Langella, Membership Co-Chairs – Ashley Seibert & Pablo Delis, Gender Issues & Social Justice Chair – Misty Knight, Health & Welfare Specialist – Shari Horner, Public Relations Chair – Kara Laskowski,

Student Affairs Co –Chair – Joseph Zume & Richard Zumkhawala-Cook (NCAA Faculty Representative), Coaches President APSCUF -SU –Rob Fulton

February, 2014 Volume 41, No.4

President’s Message –

Legislative Assembly Highlights: Assorted Threats

This past weekend the APSCUF’s state wide Legislative Assembly was held in Gettysburg and was attended by delegates from each of the fourteen campuses. While many rather routine reporting procedures were covered, time was also spent sharing critical information and discussing important policy concerns Let’s focus on some threats to APSCUF, PASSHE, and unions in general.

1. Retrenchment threatens not only the targeted individual faculty members, it

also undermines program integrity and reduces the array of academic

offerings. While there has been some mitigation of the scale of retrenchment

(from 140 to 22 positions lost), efforts to further reduce the impact are on-

going. APSCUF leadership on the campuses have worked heroically to fight for

their members, and are still fighting because we all believe that even one

faculty retrenchment is too many. In addition to the Boyer & Ritter audits and

the additional legal expertise (Stewart Davidson), there are 4 campus-wide

grievances, 19 individual grievances, and 3 unfair labor practices submissions

pending about retrenchment. The struggle continues.

2. Delegates heard of discussions at West Chester University about possibly

seceding from the PASSHE system and becoming independent or state-related.

While there is not yet any proposed legislation, concerns were raised upon the

prospects for union contracts if WCU pursued secession. The situation will

continue to warrant our attention.

(Continued on page 2)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

President’s message- p 1, 2

Meetings to be Held p 2

Spring Elections- p 3

APSCUF offices p 4-5

Shared Governance- p 6

Memos- p 7

Student Award Info- p 8

State Intern Program- p 8

Announcements – p 8

Winter Weather Policy p 9

CAP Rebate Campaign- p 10


(Message Continued from page 1)

3. As we all know, HB1507 and SB 1034, the so-called “Paycheck Protection” legislation pending in

Harrisburg would disallow public sector unions from have dues collected via automatic payroll

deduction. Clearly intended to hamper unions’ ability to collect dies, it amounts to a unilateral

financial disarmament in the political arena. Since the Supreme Court decision in Citizen’s United,

groups are free to contribute freely (as in free speech) to campaigns. In efforts to counter the Koch

Brother, ALEC, the Chamber of Commerce, etc., unions have become a major source of funding for

campaigns. Such countervailing powers have always been part of our democratic process.

“Paycheck protection” is anti-union, is Right- to- Work lite, and would be followed by more

aggressive anti- middle class legislation if the unions are under-minded.

Under “new business”, there was a discussion of a resolution submitted which would direct the state-wide mobilization committee to “develop a plan for direct action up to but not limited to a potential strike action in response to retrenchment.” There was spirited, open discussion of this resolution until a motion to table it received strong support. Meanwhile, here at SHIP our disjointed semester staggers forward despite the weather-related disruption. Departments continue to have more limited resources and are attempting to prepare for next Fall while, for many departments, FTEF is being cut. The question which hangs over our campus is whether retrenchment will come to SHIP next year. For the sake of all faculty, our programs, our students, as well as, campus morale and relationships, let us hope that SHIP’s hard-earned reputation will not be jeopardized by such unnecessary drama. In Solidarity

Brendan

Open Faculty Meeting

Friday, February 21, 2014 - 2:00pm Shippen Hall 224

General Faculty/Coaches Meeting With STEVE HICKS- State APSCUF President

Thursday, April 3rd, 2014 at 3:30pm - Shippen Hall 224


SPRING ELECTIONS

Spring always brings election time to campus.

Please mark your calendars and be sure to VOTE on

March 25 and 26, 2014 from 9:00am-4:00pm In the Lehman Library.

All faculty elections are run by APSCUF, but there are really two different processes that are part of

the same election period. There is the election of APSCUF Executive Committee members which is

described in greater detail below. There is the also election of faculty to Shared Governance

positions as authorized by our university Governance Document and detailed in local policies. These

positions are listed further along in this newsletter.

The APSCUF/SU Representative Council met on Thursday, January 30, 2014 and elected the following

faculty to serve on the Nominations & Elections Committee for APSCUF positions:

Billy Henson (Education & Human Services) [email protected]

Steven Lichtman Chair of N&E Committee (Arts & Sciences) [email protected]

Deborah Jacobs (Education & Human Services, ex-officio to committee) [email protected]

Patricia Patrick (Business) [email protected]

The committee seeks nominees for the following 2014-15 APSCUF/SU offices to be decided during

the spring elections on March 25 & 26, 2014. The slate of nominees for APSCUF offices closes on

March 6, 2014 at 3:30pm during the Rep Council Meeting.

Please email one of the committee members if you would like to run for any of these offices or if you

have questions about any of the available positions. You may also nominate someone else. That

person will then be contacted by a member of the committee to see if they are willing to run. You must

be available for meetings the third Thursday of each month (including summer except July except

under unusual circumstances) at 3:30. Depending on the issues to be addressed, these meetings may

run 2-3 hours.

All positions are two-year terms and are voting members of the local APSCUF Executive Committee. Newly

elected members take their seats on May 15th.

President, - To be a candidate for the office of APSCUF/SU President, an individual must have been a member in good standing of

APSCUF for a minimum of five years and have been a member of the Executive Committee for at least two years in the previous six-year

period.

Vice President

Secretary

Treasurer

Budget Chair

three Legislative Assembly delegates

two Meet & Discuss representatives.

All nominees for officers and their statements will appear in an APSCUF newsletter after the slate

closes on March 6th at the Rep Council meeting.

Please check your email for more information on voting.

** Nominees please submit statement to the APSCUF office by March 6th, 2014 for newsletter**

mailto:[email protected]





President

Presides at and sets agenda for all meetings of the Executive Committee, Representative Council, all-campus

faculty and coaches meetings

Appoints members to 45 campus-wide committees (approx. 150 appointments/year)

Appoints non-elected members to the Executive Committee (e.g., Student Affairs, Membership, Health &

Welfare Specialist, Public Relations)

Sits as ex-officio member of all APSCUF/SU committees

Administers the APSCUF/SU budget

Represents APSCUF/SU faculty and coaches before the public

Serves as member of University Forum and its Executive Committee

Convenes and advises university-wide Professional Affairs Committee (tenure, sabbatical & promotion)

Serves as a voting delegate at all state APSCUF Legislative Assembly meetings and chairs APSCUF/SU

delegation

Serves as APSCUF/SU Negotiations Chair

Serves as member of the state APSCUF Negotiations Committee

Appoints APSCUF representative to SU Foundation Board

Supervises APSCUF/SU office personnel, including conduct of annual evaluations

Sits as ex-officio member of APSCUF/SU Nominations & Elections Committee if there is no Immediate Past

President

Responds to state APSCUF requests for data & information

Appoints ad-hoc committees as needed

Maintains relationships with other campus bargaining units (e.g. AFSCME & SCUPA) and student government

association leaders through regular meetings

Prepares and disseminates faculty newsletter monthly

“Other Duties As Assigned”

Responds to requests for information and data from S.U. Administrators

Approximate workload = 30 hours/week (15-20 during summer)

Vice President

Prepares agenda for and co-chairs Meet & Discuss meetings

Represents APSCUF/SU at meetings of SU Council of Trustees if there is no Immediate Past President

Serves as a voting delegate at all state APSCUF Legislative Assembly meetings

Assumes duties of the President in case of absence; serves as President’s designee at the request of the President

Approximate workload = 10-20 hours/week

Secretary

Responsibilities including keeping a record of the minutes of all Executive Committee (monthly), Representative Council

(quarterly), membership and all-campus Faculty meetings (bi-annual). During the absence of the Secretary, another

member of the Executive Committee is appointed by the Chapter President to keep the record.

Treasurer Responsibilities include all financial matters of APSCUF/SU, subject to policy established by the Executive Committee or

State APSCUF. These duties shall include: paying bills promptly and depositing income to the APSCUF/SU account;

keeping accurate records of financial matters and presenting regular reports to the Executive Committee; cooperating with

the annual Audit Committee; assisting the President in preparing an annual projected budget.


Planning & Budget Chair

Responsible for monitoring the annual University budget, represents the Faculty on certain joint committees

involving University planning, enrollment, and budget concerns. Serves on the University Planning & Budget

Council [Meeting dates determined by the Provost].

What is The Executive Committee?

Voting members of this body are “The Faculty.” They have been elected by their colleagues to be their voice

to the Administration and to the public. The APSCUF leadership takes this trust very seriously and at all times

endeavors to protect the letter and spirit of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that guides our rights

and responsibilities as a faculty. Ninety-nine percent of our permanent faculty are members of APSCUF, and

even those few who are not members work under the contract and are represented by APSCUF leadership. The

Executive Committee meets at least once each month to review and to make policy, to discuss matters of

concern to the local and statewide faculty, to approve hiring of temporary faculty and appointments to

committees, and to officially set the agenda for Meet & Discuss.

What is Meet & Discuss?

Perhaps the most important committee in shared governance is the “Faculty-Management Committee,” also

called “Meet & Discuss.” This committee is mandated by our contract in Article 9.A & B. This committee

must meet monthly for the purpose of discussing matters related to implementing the Contract. While the

Contract sets out rules for many working conditions, many of those rules need to be interpreted, and most need

to be turned into practical policies that may be unique to each university in the state system. That’s why

sometimes there are differences among campuses on things like rules for turning in promotion packets or

maximum number of hours adjunct faculty can teach.

At the local level, there are 5 Meet & Discuss representatives who are elected by the faculty and 1

representative elected by the coaches. The faculty co-chair of Meet & Discuss is the Vice President of local

APSCUF. On the Management side, the Provost is co-chair, and other members are the V.P. for Student

Affairs, the Associate Provost, the Director of Human Resources, the V. P. for Administration & Finance, and

the V.P for Information Technology & Services. Each month both faculty & management have agenda items.

The faculty items are derived from issues brought forward by members of the APSCUF Executive Committee

and Representative Council. You’ve heard of unions working things out “at the table.” This is exactly what

happens at a Meet & Discuss meeting. Faculty sit down across the table from Management and we try to work

out problems and share information. This often results in developing “local policy.” Policies agreed to at Meet

& Discuss carry the same weight as the CBA. Meet & Discuss representatives are elected each April and serve

a two-year term. They are also voting members of the APSCUF Executive Committee.

What is Legislative Assembly?

The Legislative Assembly meets three or four times per year (September, November, February &

April) at various sites in Pa. Elected delegates from all 14 PASSHE local APSCUF chapters meet to

conduct business and share information. Assemblies begin on Thursday night and adjourn Saturday

mornings. It is important that you are able to be present for that entire time!

All delegate hotel, meal, and mileage expenses are paid by APSCUF. Meetings for AY 2014-15 will

be in Harrisburg (Sept. 18-20, 2014), Gettysburg (Feb. 5-7, 2015), and State College (April 23-25,

2015).


Shared Governance

The Shared Governance positions include such committees as the University wide Promotions

committee, the University Forum, and the University Curriculum Committee. Each department chair

has been sent a memo from APSCUF specifying the positions available for faculty members of their

particular department. This info is usually presented at departmental meetings in February and each

department selects candidates to run for the positions and notifies the APSCUF office. Diana prepares

the ballots based on information provided by the departments.

All full-time faculty are eligible to run for Shared Governance positions, regardless of APSCUF

membership. If you are interested in running for a position, please be sure you will not have a teaching

assignment or be on sabbatical during the known scheduled meeting times of any of the committees.

► University Curriculum Committee:

[All 2-year terms; Meets @ 3:30pm 1st Tues. of each month of the academic year]

Div. of Arts Humanities- 1 position

Div. of Behavioral & Social Sciences - 1 position

Div. of Math & Natural Sciences - 1 position

College of Business - 1 position

College of Ed. & Human Services – 1 position

Non-Teaching Faculty – 1 position

► University-Wide Promotion Committee:

[All 2-year terms; Must be tenured to run.]

Div. of Arts & Humanities - 1 position

Div. of Behavioral & Social Sciences – 2 positions

Div. of Math & Natural Sciences – 1 position

College of Business - 1 position

College of Education & Human Services – 2 positions

[Those departmental nominees to the UWPC who are not elected will go into a pool that will make up

the Sabbatical Leave Committee and the Tenure Committee. These selections will be held at the

Professional Affairs Committee (PAC) organizational meeting following the April election.].

► University Forum:

[All are 2-year terms; Meets @ 3:30pm 3rd Tuesday of each month of the academic year]

Five (5) at-large positions available. Faculty may be from any department


**Congratulations** The following faculty members have been awarded Tenure effective January 2014.

Dr. Wendy Becker – Department of Mgnt/ Mktg Wes Mallicone – Director of Sports Medicine

Carrie Michaels – Associate Athletics Director

Blake Hargrove and Pablo Delis attended the Rally in Harrisburg on January 28th.

Vote “NO” on HB 1507/SB 1034

Member Publications

APSCUF invites its members to share complimentary copies of published works for inclusion in the

APSCUF member library at the state office. If you have books, articles and/or recordings

(performed or directed by APSCUF members), please submit them to:

APSCUF

319 N. Front Street

Harrisburg, PA 17101

You will receive a letter of appreciation to acknowledge your gift. We hope to continue to grow this

library of faculty works to acknowledge the academic excellence of APSCUF faculty.

Thanks for braving the -5 degree weather


2013-14 APSCUF Student Awards

APSCUF, the faculty/coaches union at Ship, wants to recognize students who have excelled while attending

the University. Toward this end, APSCUF has dedicated funds for three annual student awards, one for each

College of the University.

The awards are named for three former APSCUF-SU Executive Committee officers who made major

contributions to the leadership of the faculty union during their time at Shippensburg:

The Dr. Robert Winter APSCUF-SU College of Arts and Sciences Student Award ($500)

The Dr. William Knerr APSCUF-SU John L. Grove College of Business Student Award ($500)

The Dr. Sally McGrath APSCUF-SU College of Education and Human Services Student Award ($500)

Deadline for Application is 2/21/14

APSCUF/SU Student Awards 2013-14

To demonstrate ongoing support for academic programs and our students, we are proud to continue funding awards to

enable academic departments to recognize the achievements of their students. Every year each of the 26 academic

departments will be given $200 which can be awarded to undergraduate or graduate students for their talents,

academic accomplishments, and service.

Deadline for Departments to submit names to APSCUF office is 2/21/14

Faculty and Coaches Internship Program

You may now begin applying for the 2014 APSCUF Faculty and Coaches Orientation Internship Program. This

program is designed specifically for APSCUF members who currently have local APSCUF responsibilities and are

interested in expanding his or her working knowledge of the union. It provides opportunities to observe the full

spectrum of union administration and to interact with state office staff serving in various capacities.

Interested members should submit a completed application to Steve Hicks, APSCUF President, for review and

consideration. You may download the application with complete details here.

Suggestions Requested on FMLA The SU Gender Issues and Social Justice (GISJ) committee has been asked by the statewide GISJ to draft a list of recommendations regarding FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) concerns and issues by the end of the Spring 2014 semester. The intent behind this report is to develop a proactive list of requests prior to the next round of contract negotiation. If you have comments, suggestions, requests, or other input for consideration by GISJ, please contact GISJ chair, Misty L. Knight ([email protected]) or sub-committee chair, Gretchen Pierce ([email protected]).

http://apscuf.org/images/PDFs/Internship.pdf




Pennsylvania’s own Punxsutawney Phil has not been kind to us here

at SHIP. After the little critter predicted 6 more weeks of winter,

Shippensburg University cancelled classes for two more days this

semester. This is a total of 3!!!! And another storm is on the

horizon. Just a reminder that the SU Severe Winter Weather Policy

states:

"It will be the responsibility of faculty and students to ensure that coursework missed because of weather

related course cancellations will be adequately covered during the time remaining in the semester.

Possible make up methods include but are not limited to: online, face-to-face the following Tuesday or

Thursday at 3:30, Friday at 2:00, or another time that works for the faculty member and all of the

students."

The method for covering classes is up to the individual faculty member at his or her discretion.

When the campus is closed under this policy, all classes and class-related activities on campus are

cancelled. Faculty members may choose to have students cover course material online; again, this is at

the discretion of the individual faculty member.

Link to Weather Policy http://www.ship.edu/Weather/Weather_Policy

http://www.ship.edu/Weather/Weather_Policy


APSCUF/SU Office – Wright Hall 103

Chapter President: Brendan Finucane

APSCUF Hours: M-TH 10:30-11:30am

Phone: 717-477-1299 or 477-3229

Email: [email protected]

Office Manager: Diana Worden

Hours: 8:00 am to 3:30 pm M - F

Phone: 717-477-1791

Email: [email protected] or

[email protected]

Fax: 717-477-1278

PLANNING TO RETIRE If you are considering retirement please be

sure to see the people in Human Resources

to find out your options.

The earlier you begin planning the better.

If you are a TIAA-CREF member you may

also want to schedule a meeting with a

representative to discuss different distribution plans for your funds.

Event Calendar FEBRUARY 18th – Forum, 3:30pm

20th - EC Meeting, 3:30pm

21st – Open Faculty Meeting, 2:00pm

26th – M&D, 3:30pm MARCH 4th – UCC, 3:30pm

6th – Rep Council Meeting, 3:30pm Slate of Nominees for Elections will close

13th – EC Meeting, 3:30 pm

14th Spring Break starts at 4pm

25 &26th – Spring Elections, polls open both days 9am-4pm

26th- M&D, 3:30pm

27th – Forum, 3:30pm

The CAP CAMPAIGN

IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN! The CAP (Committee for Action through Politics) CAMPAIGN will run from February 1, 2014 through April 1, 2014. During the campaign, APSCUF is asking its members to complete dues rebate cards if they have yet to do so. The dues rebate card offers members three choices for the $25 rebate: Ø The $25 could be given to APSCUF/CAP, the organization’s political action committee

Ø The $25 could be left in the APSCUF treasury

Ø The $25 could be paid direct to the member The money collected by CAP is used to advance the causes of higher education, the faculty, and state system students by supporting candidates that are both pro-higher education and pro-labor. APSCUF cannot use membership dues for political action purposes. APSCUF must collect money for political purposes by asking members to designate their dues rebate to CAP and by encouraging members to give to CAP through payroll deductions. If you have already designated your rebate to CAP you need not sign another card. If you have not done so, please consider designating your rebate of $25 to CAP this time. Please also consider making a new payroll deduction or increasing the amount of your current payroll deduction. Payroll Deduction Forms and Dues Rebate Cards are available in the SU APSCUF office. Completed forms and cards should be returned to 103 Wright Hall by April 1, 2014. Please contact the APSCUF Office at ext. 1791 if you have any questions. Thank you! Patricia A. Patrick- CAP Chair



Documents

APSCUF/SU Union Newsletter...Brother, ALEC, the Chamber of Commerce, etc., unions have become a major source of funding for “Paycheck protection” is anti-union, is Right- to- Work