23 October 2002
November 6th Board of Trustees Action
By now we hope many/most of you have signed petitions urging President Bulger to publicly support funding our contract. These petitions will be publicly presented at the Board of Trustees Meeting on November 6th. We want to form a LARGE welcoming committee outside the Mullins Center, where the Trustees are meeting that morning, at 8:30 a.m. Please attend, and stay for part of the meeting if you are able. MSP President Ron Story will address the Trustees on this issue, and would appreciate your support!
Mullins Center, Side Entrance
8:30 a.m., Wed. November 6th
Get Out and Vote!
The gubernatorial race is so close that there is no statistically significant difference between the candidates. It is vital that all Shannon O’Brien supporters get out and vote—and urge your friends and neighbors to do so too. MSP has endorsed O’Brien, and we urge you to participate actively in her campaign. If we want a decent budget for the University and if we want our contract funded, we must elect O’Brien! Call 5-2206 or write msp@external.umass.edu for information on how you can help.
Sexual Harassment Workshops
The University administration is again offering workshops about faculty’s responsibilities surrounding sexual harassment issues. The MSP Executive Board has endorsed this program, and we urge you to attend one of the sessions this fall if you have not already done so. Sexual harassment law is often counterintuitive, and places extensive legal obligations on faculty. Unfortunately, sexual harassment is considered a civil rights violation, so the NEA liability insurance policy might not cover MSP members on these matters. We urge you to protect yourself by attending one of these educational workshops; you may be unpleasantly surprised at how this area of law works!
Please remember that you may find yourself in a position where your main protection will come from the administration. They may well take your willingness to educate yourself in this confusing area into account in making the decision to provide legal protection.
Social Justice Questionnaire
The Academic Affairs Social Justice team has sent out a survey concerning working conditions in Academic Affairs, and we are urging all MSP members to cooperate by filling out and returning it. It is an interesting experience to complete this survey, which highlights class as well as more common diversity issues.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
3 P.M. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29TH
904-08 CAMPUS CENTER
MSP’s fall general assembly will deal with the following issues:
- The election of candidates for the MSP Nominations Commission
- Further actions to forward the contract
--The Board of Trustees
--President Bulger
--Governor’s race
--Legislature
- Current and future status of the University budget
We hope to see as many of you there as possible. The decisions we take as an organization may have an impact on our working conditions for many years to come. We must pursue our contractual rights, but we are also committed citizens of this University community, and we must find a course of action that fits both these needs. The more voices are heard, the better our decision making will be. Please attend!
