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Questions about University Resource Alignment at UW Oshkosh Open Forum University Resource Alignment (URA) for Academic Programs April 17 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. Clow Lecture 104 1. Has the committee reflected on the fact that cuts to the humanities and social sciences happened at Superior, that they are happening at Stevens Point, and that they are coming to Oshkosh? Have they considered how the committee charge is antithetical to the Wisconsin Idea, the idea of a university, and the Strategic Plan of Oshkosh? What do I mean by antithetical to the Wisconsin Idea? Well, a large part of the Wisconsin Idea was equal access to educational opportunities throughout the state. Paulette Feld, retired Local 579 President, said: "UW Oshkosh, the third largest UW System school, has traditionally offered a variety of programs, as compared to other UW campuses. All Colleges were equally important in offering education to students who are often 1st generation college students. Having Humanities available, because let's face it, that's what we are talking about, offers these students facets of the world that they may not have had exposure to. I know that was true in my case. Suddenly, that is no longer important. We talk about being civil and understanding all people, no matter what. By eliminating Humanities, by reducing those budgets, we stop offering the tools that make this world better, not just for those in the growth career fields. We are not a Technical College." 2. Regardless of what the original intention of URA and Program Prioritization was stated to be, I see a clear and troubling connection among these things:
- our campus submitting high needs proposals for the 19-21 biennium in these areas: Engineering Tech, College of Nursing, and IT degrees
- adding a Bachelor of Science in Software Technology
- when, apparently, we can't afford to support existing programs
- URA determining where it is "fair" to make cuts
- the COLS Dean calling for cuts to social sciences and humanities
- cuts to the social sciences and humanities at Superior and Stevens Point
Do you see how the playbook is reading? If we let them take Oshkosh, they will go 3 for 3 against public higher education in Wisconsin.
3. Has the committee established who is in favor of this ill-considered and poorly-timed plan? We know that Chancellor Leavitt has called for it. We know that Ray Cross and the Board of Regents have called for it. What do they stand to gain? Is it good for our students? Is it good for the future of our communities? No, of course it isn't! Since it isn't, why are we doing it? I can't imagine how doubled class sizes in USP English and social studies could ever be a good thing for recruitment and retention. We have lowered admissions standards to allow for growth. Since we have done that, we need to keep general ed class sizes small, or the students who need the most help will never make it. Helping all of our students succeed should be our number one priority. 4. Has the committee considered dissenting from completing the charge? Or is everyone just following orders and maybe not thinking? 5. Has the committee asked the question, why are we doing this right now, when we are in the process of restructuring the way we take in revenue, and it might not be necessary in a year or two to do this at all? 6. Would the committee consider stalling the process while the tuition and fee restructuring process is underway? 7. Has the committee consulted with each and every department and program to find out if the information provided to you all is correct and complete? How can you develop a measuring instrument? The data you measure doesn't tell the complete story. A fair measurement requires treating each person and each department as an individual, not as widgets in a machine. We are more than the sum of our numbers. If we are going to make cuts at Oshkosh, the clear area for cutting is the upper-level administration. The staff are overburdened. We are top-heavy, and that is what has thrown us out of balance. The administrative structure was created in a different budget climate. We can't justify as much highly-paid administration as we currently support. Frankly, If we are serious about being student-centered, there needs to be a study, not of our academic programs, but of our upper administrative spending, including the compensation we are giving newly-hired administrators to move here. Some numbers need to be posted, so the campus community can get some clarity. It's outrageous. Until we have numbers that we can see and judge for ourselves, and by we I mean everybody, then we don't have transparency and the URA shouldn't be making any recommendations. - Heidi Frey, President AFSCME Local 579 — Apr 17 -
Thoughts on a Tobacco Free Campus at UW Oshkosh Since 2012, UW Oshkosh has been exploring the idea of a tobacco free campus. Now is the time for community members to have their say on the matter. The university has a page, where people can follow a link to the "current policy draft", which isn't the latest draft I've seen at shared governance meetings, but nevertheless, people may leave comments and suggestions in the online form at the bottom. Our campus has bigger problems to address, and better things to spend money on than door signs and more enforcement. No doubt, if the policy passes, there will be issues with people smoking inside and outside of the buildings, anyway, and property damage, and community neighbors disgruntled. If we can't afford to enforce the policy, then let it be a resolution for the time being. Let people sign a pledge to join the initiative. We can measure our numbers over time, continue to educate, and watch the numbers grow as buy-in increases. This is a positive alternative, a compromise that works in the direction of the initiative, treats all of our community members with respect, and prioritizes maintaining program quality, facilities, and services during the budget crisis. - Heidi Frey, Local 579 President — Mar 28
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An Open Letter to Faculty and Staff in the College of Letters and Science What happened at UW Stevens Point (UWSP) is tragic, and we cannot allow it to happen at Oshkosh. At a shared governance meeting last fall, when I asked our Chancellor about his take on UWSP’s attack on the social sciences and humanities, he did not condemn it. I understood him to say that he thought their Chancellor was simply complying, doing what he was called upon to do. Education for the 21st century is enhanced by including, not excluding or undervaluing, the traditional and classical disciplines of the Liberal Arts and Sciences. They remain relevant. If we are to lead, and not just serve, in the economy of the future, our students need more than business degrees, service degrees, and vocational training. We need minds trained to think, adapt, and innovate, and that is what students who graduate with COLS degrees excel at doing. In my opinion, each person, every department and program in COLS, large and small, is an essential part of the College and the University as a whole. The University needs COLS to be strong, because what you, the faculty and staff, do is at the heart of the Wisconsin Idea. I still believe in it. I can see that what each of you does, and what you have to offer, is valuable, even if it is currently undervalued by some leaders in the UW System and our state government. This is something we can work on changing – but we will need to look beyond our differences, support each other, and work together. What we can and should do to address our financial situation at Oshkosh is restructure the way we take in revenue. Our Chancellor could take immediate steps that would proactively and humanely address our current financial issues. We need to let go of the plateau. In this letter, I am speaking only for myself, and not as a representative of the University or my program. With this letter, I pledge to use my personal resources and time to assist in strengthening and unifying the College of Letters and Science (COLS) at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. In my opinion, program prioritization is a nasty and unnecessary business, a way of charging a group of token representatives with the task of betraying and bullying the most vulnerable, giving an appearance of consent to ideas, actions, and goals that take our university in the wrong direction. We need to remember where we come from. We need to remember that unity and university share the same root. We need to think about what that means. We are one. An injury to one is an injury to all. If we turn against each other, the damage done may be irreparable. Our current losses will take decades to repair. We need to be patient, have faith, and commit to rebuilding our legacy, just as those who came before us have done. It will not serve to bide our time, hang on until retirement, and consider ourselves well out of it and glad to be so. That only works in a fair and ethical environment. We do not have that. When we stand together to save one person in COLS, one FTE, one major, we save the college as a whole. Each win becomes everyone’s win. We are stronger together. If our former Dean of COLS, a professor of mathematics, were reading this, I can imagine him saying something profound and encouraging to us about the root of unity, any complex number that gives 1 when raised to some positive integer power n. I feel the loss of his presence in the Dean’s office every day. I miss him. Although I am glad he is our Provost, that role serves a different purpose, and we can no longer rely solely on him to do our damage control. We need to step up. The people in COLS with the most courage and the most political clout need to rise to the occasion and advocate for those who are overlooked, out of favor, or afraid to speak. Those who self-promote by undermining others they see as competition for resources need to stop, and do so immediately. This is the risk, the cost, and the great challenge of solidarity. We will be called on to make some personal sacrifices, occasionally accepting, even celebrating, someone else’s gain as our win. This is also where a strong union and committed union leadership can make a difference. Our union does not have the right to bargain, but we continue to advocate and represent in the workplace. We are trained how to do it, and federal law and UW System policy protect us when we serve in these roles. If you are an outspoken advocate, you really should consider joining your union - you almost can’t afford not to.
In my opinion, there are frustrating limits to what can be accomplished by the shared governance system in the current climate. You may have felt this, too. A strong union is still relevant.
The faculty and instructional academic staff are organizing. The university staff are organizing. I am proud to say openly that I serve as president of our university staff union, WSEU AFSCME Local 579. I want to ask you to do something difficult. I want to ask you to find time to sit down and relax. Then, ask yourself how things are going for you and your colleagues at work. How does it feel when you read about transparency and accountability, and know at the same time that many of the recent administrative decisions were made over the course of years without meaningful consideration or sufficient response given to employee feedback and shared governance participation? Would you like to have more of a voice? Would you prefer to invest your time in work that mitigates destructive, divisive, and ill-considered decisions and policies? If you haven't already, I want to invite you to join the movement to save our UW. Talk with Jeff Pickron about joining the faculty and instructional academic staff union, AFT Local 6506. If you are university staff, or non-managerial, non-instructional academic staff, ask me about AFSCME. In solidarity, with appreciation, Heidi Frey, President WSEU AFSCME Local 579 #SaveOurMajors #SaveOurUW #FundTheFreeze — Mar 13 -
AFSCME Local 579 Leaders Pull Together for the Planet at the Oshkosh March for Science On the most beautiful Saturday Oshkosh, Wisconsin has seen this year, Rob Clancy and Laura Zirbel were up early, advocating for public health and the environment, representing AFSCME Local 579 at the March for Science. Rob Clancy, Local 579 Vice President and Treasurer at the Oshkosh March for Science, with organizer, Prof. Misty McPhee. Clancy works at UW Oshkosh in Classroom Technology. He is the person who maintains technology in the classrooms and comes on call to rescue the class when the projector won't turn on. Zirbel works at the Circulation Desk in Oshkosh's Polk Library, helping people find study spots, media, and answers. Both Clancy and Zirbel take care of essential tasks behind the scenes that most people never see. They are two of the people on staff who make UW Oshkosh happen. They also donate their time by serving as officers in AFSCME Local 579, making Oshkosh and its university a better place to learn, live, and work. Around 250 community activists, including faculty, staff, and students from UW Oshkosh, turned out on Earth Day to March for Science. While elected leaders from the Republican Party are stubbornly denying that climate change is happening, public employees and union leaders like Clancy and Zirbel know better - and they are working to raise awareness and promote positive change. Heidi Frey, Local 579 President, said, "This is what union people do, and this is who union people are. We work to make the world a better place, and we start that work at home in our communities. We are committed to the idea that public institutions and public service are for the public good." Clancy, Zirbel, and the other concerned citizens who turned out for the March for Science understand that climate change and destabilization are real. They support scientific research and education made possible through publicly-funded grants, grants that President Trump and the Republicans in Congress want to defund. AFSCME members are proud to say that our union is green. Union jobs are the sustainable choice for rebuilding our economy and strengthening the middle class. Our union offers benefits in addition to the employer's benefit package, adding value to the workplace at no additional cost to taxpayers. Union jobs, especially working class union jobs, pay better wages and offer better benefits than non-union jobs. Union wages aren't hoarded away by billionaires; they are reinvested back into small businesses in our local communities. If you are an activist and you would like to get involved, contact [email protected] to find out how you can join the union at UW Oshkosh. The union is still here. We still have great benefits. Ask us about AFSCME Free College! — Apr 24
