2008 Woodie Awards
Faculty removal effort embarrasing
Issue date: 4/25/08 Section: Rocket Letters
I have several concerns about "SGA V.P. proposes end to faculty Co-Op representation," in last week's Rocket. First, the reporting is remarkably biased; faculty perspectives on the assertions that Michael Combs makes are missing.
If the faculty identified in the article had been contacted, the Rocket would have discovered that the Cooperative Activities Board, on several occasions, has cancelled regular meetings with short notice and rescheduled at times that appeared to be deliberately inconvenient for the faculty representatives, sometimes 9:30 p.m. when faculty have left campus for family responsibilities.
More importantly, however, because of the biased coverage, readers never learn of the context in which this latest effort to remove faculty from Co-Op occurs.
We never learn how faculty participation compares to student participation at Co-Op meetings (faculty, by the way, do not remove SGA representatives from faculty committees to which they are appointed due to spotty attendance, though perhaps we should consider this).
We also were not reminded that this is the second time this year that SGA has tried to remove faculty from Co-Op; the first failed, but apparently SGA leadership didn't like that response.
We don't learn that in response to SGA's concern about the number of faculty representatives on Co-Op that it was SGA, five years ago, which requested an increase in the number of representatives from two to four.
APSCUF, the faculty and coaches union, responded to that concern by offering to return to the original number of two representatives, a reasonable compromise, which SGA rejected.
Finally, I do not buy SGA's claim that students are intimidated by faculty in Co-Op proceedings.
This is the first SGA leadership, in over thirty years, that is so intimidated by faculty that they want to eliminate them.
I do not believe that SGA truly represents students on this issue.
Most students appreciate faculty mentorship outside of the classroom.
And most faculty take their charge to mentor students very seriously. One faculty representative to Co-Op told me that s/he did not understand SGA's hostility.
"The faculty that are currently serving have offered suggestions and made comments only to enhance the process, certainly not to dominate the discussion or decisions being made."
There is no reasonable explanation for the hostility.
I only know that the effort to remove faculty from Co-Op appears to faculty as unappreciative and disrespectful, and, I have to think, embarrassing to most students.
Jace Condravy
President
SRU APSCUF
If the faculty identified in the article had been contacted, the Rocket would have discovered that the Cooperative Activities Board, on several occasions, has cancelled regular meetings with short notice and rescheduled at times that appeared to be deliberately inconvenient for the faculty representatives, sometimes 9:30 p.m. when faculty have left campus for family responsibilities.
More importantly, however, because of the biased coverage, readers never learn of the context in which this latest effort to remove faculty from Co-Op occurs.
We never learn how faculty participation compares to student participation at Co-Op meetings (faculty, by the way, do not remove SGA representatives from faculty committees to which they are appointed due to spotty attendance, though perhaps we should consider this).
We also were not reminded that this is the second time this year that SGA has tried to remove faculty from Co-Op; the first failed, but apparently SGA leadership didn't like that response.
We don't learn that in response to SGA's concern about the number of faculty representatives on Co-Op that it was SGA, five years ago, which requested an increase in the number of representatives from two to four.
APSCUF, the faculty and coaches union, responded to that concern by offering to return to the original number of two representatives, a reasonable compromise, which SGA rejected.
Finally, I do not buy SGA's claim that students are intimidated by faculty in Co-Op proceedings.
This is the first SGA leadership, in over thirty years, that is so intimidated by faculty that they want to eliminate them.
I do not believe that SGA truly represents students on this issue.
Most students appreciate faculty mentorship outside of the classroom.
And most faculty take their charge to mentor students very seriously. One faculty representative to Co-Op told me that s/he did not understand SGA's hostility.
"The faculty that are currently serving have offered suggestions and made comments only to enhance the process, certainly not to dominate the discussion or decisions being made."
There is no reasonable explanation for the hostility.
I only know that the effort to remove faculty from Co-Op appears to faculty as unappreciative and disrespectful, and, I have to think, embarrassing to most students.
Jace Condravy
President
SRU APSCUF
