SIUE Faculty Unions Express Outrage Over In-Person Return

The SIUE Faculty Association, Non-tenure-track Faculty Association and the Professional Staff Association recently issued a joint press release responding to SIUE’s recent decision to return to in-person learning in the wake of surging COVID-19 variants. The three unions represent over 850 faculty and staff on campus.In the release, faculty voiced their disapproval over the decision and expressed frustration over the quickly changing orders from administration.

“The Board and President are putting students, faculty, and staff at risk at a time when the positivity rate, both on campus and in the community in which we live and work, has never been higher,” said President Ed Navarre, representing 400 tenure-line faculty. “We can’t help but feel that we are being treated as expendable.”

According to the release, the most recent guidance comes just five business days after faculty and staff were ordered to shift classes to an online format for the first week of the semester.

“We had only two days’ notice to completely overhaul the first week of classes, and now in the middle of the first week, we get two days’ notice to shift everything back,” said Navarre. “This is not how quality, thoughtful teaching is done, and it is certainly not how faculty and staff want to do things at SIUE.”

https://www.riverbender.com/articles/details/siue-faculty-unions-express-outrage-over-inperson-return-55996.cfm?utm_source=riverbender&utm_medium=right_trending