Dear Colleagues:
The past week has been a disturbing and disruptive time on campus. The Faculty Council Executive Committee (FCEC) has appreciated hearing from faculty regarding recent events. All the communications we have received–from those who support what is happening on campus to those who do not–have three things in common: support for shared governance, academic freedom, and freedom of speech.
These core principles underlie all that we do as faculty. They keep us working together. They make us mindful of the need to maintain spaces for many viewpoints. Most importantly, they keep us focused on student welfare, regardless of our individual positions. As the FCEC emphasized in its letter last week, the bonds of community are incredibly important in the face of such difficult times. These bonds are not weakened by disagreement.
We have been working on behalf of faculty. We have shared your feedback in multiple phone calls and emails with administrative leadership. On Monday morning, we met with President Hartzell and Provost Wood to reiterate your concerns. We hope that there will be a way for FC to engage more directly with the executive leadership of the university before the regular meeting of the FC on Monday, 20 May at 2:15PM.
Among the correspondences we received was a request for a special meeting of the FC. This request meets the requirements of HOP 2-110, section F. There will be a separate notice shortly with the details of that meeting.
Addressing matters of importance to the FC and bringing issues currently confronting the University to the upper administration is our charge as the FCEC, especially in the most difficult of times.
With gratitude for your commitment to our shared community,
The Faculty Council Executive Committee
Charlotte Canning, Secretary of the General Faculty and Faculty Council; Professor, Theatre and Dance
Stella Flores, Chair-Elect, Faculty Council; Associate Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy
Megan Hildebrandt, Faculty Council Executive Committee Representative; Associate Professor of Practice, Art and Art History
Jen Moon, Chair, Faculty Council and Professor of Instruction, Biology Instructional Office
Domino R. Perez, Past Chair, Faculty Council; Professor, English
Sarah Sloan, Faculty Council Executive Committee Representative; Clinical Associate Professor, School of Social Work
Jessica Toste, Chair, Graduate Assembly; Associate Professor, Special Education
Steve Vladeck, Faculty Council Executive Committee Representative; Professor, School of Law