Thanks to your efforts and the fantastic turnout that we had for the Faculty Assembly meeting September 10, the University’s “Reporting Arrests” policy has been put on hold again and sent back to Senate. This is the first time in recent memory, if ever, that the Faculty Assembly has taken a meaningful action to protect the rights of faculty and all University employees.
Together we have demonstrated the efficacy of collective action by faculty. When we work together, we can make things happen. If this issue had followed the usual course of University governance, it would have slid through largely unnoticed, tucked in with other items in the deep recesses of the “consent calendar.” It was only through alert faculty members’ concerted actions that the usual flow of University decision-making was disrupted.
We sent a clear message to our leaders that shared governance needs to be part of the entire decision-making process from start to finish, not an intervention after the fact, requiring emergency measures.
But sending the policy back to Senate provides only a temporary reprieve. Its fate in the Senate is uncertain at best. By all means, get informed about the policy and talk to your Senators to let them know how you feel about this issue. Join us at our next meeting—Friday, September 27 at 4:30 in 162 Engineering—to help us decide on our next steps on this and other important issues.
See you then. If you are not already a member, join us now.
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