Faculty Meeting Statements

AY 2020-2021

May 5, 2021 Faculty Meeting Statement

". . . we wish to thank all of you who attended and participated in AAUP actions and meetings this year. The pandemic and the leadership crisis it has intensified have been demoralizing, but we would echo what many of you have said in our chapter meetings over the past twelve months: building solidarity and acting in common with all faculty has been fortifying in this undoubtedly challenging time."

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April 7, 2021 Faculty meeting Statement

"Like other formal and informal aspects of shared governance, we depend upon the capacity of those who volunteer their time and efforts. A number of steering committee officers will soon be stepping down, having completed the 2-year terms prescribed in our bylaws. This is a healthy and important practice for our chapter and is part of building strong systems of accountability and transparency. If AAUP is to continue to exist and function as it has, we will need new volunteers to step up."

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March 3, 2021 Faculty meeting Statement

"As we have seen in the President’s written report today, tough decisions are ahead--including decisions about the future of our curriculum and the conditions under which we will deliver it. The quality of those decisions will depend on the ability of this College to hear and respond effectively to the needs and concerns of its constituencies."

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February 3, 2021 Faculty meeting Statement

"We echo the observation that 'effective faculty-board communication is a critical component of shared governance. Its absence can result in serious misunderstanding between campus constituents and in significant governance failures leading to flawed decision making.' We welcome the opportunity to do better."

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December 9, 2021 Faculty Meeting Statement

"It is important to get involved, but it is also important to stay involved . . ."

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November 11, 2020 Faculty Meeting Statement

"The MHC AAUP provides a forum for faculty to share information and engage on issues of importance to our members and the College as a whole. In this time of uncertainty and change, transparency and accountability are all the more important for effective shared governance. . . . We have heard that the college is moving towards significant structural and programmatic changes. What is that process going to look like?"

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October 14, 2020 Faculty Meeting Statement

"We are at an moment where, paradoxically, anything feels possible as we think creatively about the future of this institution, AND nothing feels possible because so many of us are pulled in different directions, struggling with elder care, child care, difficult student experiences, and the heavy workload involved in the FIT renovations to our courses.

"We want to acknowledge these tensions and encourage us to be creative and resourceful together and support each other in the spirit of mutual aid. AAUP is a space where we can talk and build community, a place where faculty can come together as professionals and as human beings who are vulnerable to illness, who are not made for screens, and who must navigate complicated relationships and obligations to our families, friends, and communities."

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September 16, 2020 Faculty meeting Statement

"We continue to be concerned by the timing of announcements about budgeting and furloughs. Other Five College campuses have been more transparent about the number and duration of furloughs. We made a summer request to the Dean of Faculty for transparency of information about timelines and procedures for layoffs and furloughs. . . . On Monday, we got the welcome response that the college is looking towards fewer furloughs (than expected) of faculty and teaching staff. We are happy to get good news, but we are asking for process rather than reassurance. "

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August 19, 2020 Faculty Meeting Statement

"In statements at every faculty meeting since the campus closure in March, we have consistently advocated for the health, safety, and economic security of all Mount Holyoke employees, along with greater transparency and meaningful faculty involvement in the decision-making process regarding reopening plans and budget discussions."

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