Nuts & Bolts: Voting, Covid, Winter Scheduling, MTA Actions and Save the Date
10/2/2023
Dear Members,
FSU Executive Committee Election: Tenured positions
Voting to fill three (3) tenured seats on the FSU Executive Committee begins on Wednesday, October 4th. Only tenured faculty who are FSU dues paying members are eligible to vote.
Unsure if you are a member? Check your paycheck for a dues deduction. No deduction, email fsu@umb.edu for a member form.
To see the candidate slate and their 150-word statements, go to our website.
Covid: Member concerns
We’ve received numerous member emails telling us of an increase in the number of your students reporting absence due to covid.
We were able to locate the last community covid update which is dated May 5, 2023.
On September 28th we sent an email to the Director of Health Services raising concerns on new covid cases and asking for Health Services to send a university communication on current policies specifically what to do if you test positive and how to report your results to UMB.
We will inform you when we receive a response.
Winter Classes: Scheduling
Article 36 contains the language associated with Winter and Summer teaching. Specifically, 36.2.3 (c ) includes the process of assigning classes. The FSU asserts that a member is eligible to teach more than one Winter class.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us.
Reminder: Anti-Racism Grants
The FSU is accepting applications for our Anti-Racism grant program. The application deadline is October 20th at 4PM EDT.
For more information, please see our website.
MTA: Ballot Question Supporter
The MTA Board of Directors unanimously voted back the ballot question to eliminate the use of the MCAS exam as a high school graduation requirement. To get the question on the November 2024 state ballot requires the submittal of 75,000 certified signatures in the next six weeks.
The FSU has petition forms for completion. Please contact us and we will deliver the form(s) to you. Better yet, bring the form home for family and friends to sign. Signing the petition allows the question to be on the state ballot.
MTA Member Benefit: Agents of Change Documentary
A benefit of your membership is that you can view the 2016 documentary Agents of Change. Instructions are available on the MTA website.
Save the Date: Two upcoming events.
Tuesday, October 17th from 2:00 to 3:30PM is a Fall Semester Member Meeting.
Join us to hear about our activities including a review and status of coalition bargaining (CSU, DCU and PSU) related to parking and transportation. The coalition proposal includes MBTA subsidies. The meeting will be hybrid.
Wednesday, November 1st Forum on Endowment and Grants Processing.
Do you deal with endowments and grants? Are you paid from these sources? If so, please join us for a discussion related to how these funds are used.
Sincerely,
Caroline Coscia
FSU President
Senior Lecturer II
Political Science Department