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President Hill sends end-of-year letter to the community

December 23rd, 2009 by Molly Turpin, Senior Editor

President Catharine Bond Hill sent an end-of-year letter to the community in an all-campus e-mail at 10:28 a.m. on Dec. 23. In the e-mail she thanked members of the community for their hard work and engagement in discussion at the College this year and gave an update on some of the changes that have been made at the College in light of the financial crisis, especially regarding the compensation budget.

“We have done a great deal of planning around the College’s workforce,” she wrote. ”Since compensation takes up two-thirds of our operating budget, reducing the size of the workforce is essential to creating equilibrium in the College’s financial structure now and into the future.”

According to Hill, the College has looked for ways to improve efficiency at the College through coordination between offices, the reorganization to some student services and a reduction in spending on capital improvements. Hill also reported on the number of staff and administrative positions that have been cut. She wrote that since the onset of the financial crisis, the College has reduced non-faculty postions by 80. “We were able to achieve most of that reduction by not filling open positions and by offering a program of retirement incentives,” she wrote. ”We feel great sadness, however, that 20 of the 80 reductions in positions required laying off valued colleagues among our staff and administration. We are working with those employees to help them find other work; and, in fact, to date 11 of them have taken positions in other areas of the College or found employment elsewhere.”

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Hunger strikers release individual statements following 89-hour demonstration

December 14th, 2009 by Ruby Cramer, Editor in Chief

IMG_0826In an e-mail sent to  The Miscellany News tonight, Dec. 14, at 9:07 p.m., students involved in last week’s hunger strike released individual statements, each one a “response to the hunger strike from the perspective of those who participated,” said the e-mail, which was signed by the “Hungry for Justice” group. To see the students’ responses—as well as an introductory statement signed by the entire group—please read on below. The statements have also been posted on the group’s blog, Uppity Vassar.

—–

We are united on many issues, including our commitment to the theory and practice of social justice at our College, and our willingness to put our own bodies on the line for this goal. But we are also individuals with unique consciousnesses, and our reactions to the hunger strike are varied. Now that the strike is over, we’ve chosen to express our thoughts not as a group, but as individuals.

—Hungry for Justice

It is all too easy to dismiss the hunger strike as extreme, unnecessary or ineffective. But the fact is that student actions have had a direct impact in changing not only the processes but also the outcomes of administrative decision-making. On more than one occasion, administrators have insisted they tried every possible alternative – but when pushed, they found ways to enact more egalitarian measures. The Hardship Fund, which came directly out of negotiations between strikers and administrators last spring, is one example.

I believe it is important to remember the ways in which dialogue is restricted at Vassar. I am referring not only to the centralized distribution of power and lack of transparency that make it difficult to have a two-way conversation, but also to the construction of what constitutes an “acceptable” way to communicate. I hope that in the future, groups and individuals will continue to make their voices heard and will engage in dialogue in many different ways.

—Sarah Cohen ‘11

Reflecting on the second hunger strike of my Vassar career, I think it’s important to remind myself, as well as others, that the College cannot admit to bending to a hunger strike without implicitly encouraging its use as a legitimate tactic. That’s the best explanation for the tone and content of Dean [of the College Chris] Roellke’s less-than-flattering letter to the campus. In my opinion, the combination of the pressure of the hunger strike and the pressure of the unions created the necessary atmosphere to achieve justice for workers. My refusal to nourish my body for 89 hours was an expression of my lack of power and lack of options, as well as a physical demonstration of my commitment to the people who make our campus run. My greatest disappointment about the hunger strike was the staggering number of students who essentially told us that we were not allowed to question or disagree with those with authority/education/age. In that way, my decision to participate in a hunger strike was also an assertion of what I believe to be my place in the College—a place of involvement. I hope that, at the very least, a conversation has been opened about critique, and that now all members of the campus will be viewed as people with valid critiques to make of the College. I hope that we will now be seen as people to be listened to.

—Robyn Smigel ‘12

A hunger strike is seen as an extreme action, and it is. No one can deny that. But, I balked, at first, at the portrayals of those of us who chose to not eat as extremists. Extremists brings forth images of men and women with explosives strapped to their chests, or people in cults committing mass suicides. But then I realized that if I agreed that a hunger strike is an extreme action, then I must agree with the designation of myself as an extremist in some way or another. Extreme in that I risked my body, for my convictions. With nothing left of a voice, no decision making, I control the only thing I have left, my own body.

People thought that we weren’t willing to dialogue, that a hunger strike isn’t a form of communication. I disagree. We stopped, once an agreement was made. We were only worried about gainful employment for members of our community. A strong stance was taken, because how else do you create the tension for favorable negotiations? Neither we nor the administrations would publicly bend, and yet we both did. The unions were satisfied, and we did our best.

People accuse us for not thinking, or being misinformed. Or of thinking in black-and-white. I’m a believer in dialogue, but power must be equal between participants. I’m also a fan of critical thought, and I’d hope that all of us would seek a critical participation in campus affairs. Full of questioning, and seeking.

—Royce Drake ‘10

I think the hunger strike was a good learning experience in so far as it opened up dialogue between the administration and us from the pressure it put on them. Once we were noticed by the school—which includes administrators, union members and fellow students—progress began to appear in the form of a rescission of a layoff and continued talks into the matter. Being at the center of a serious demonstration, we received valuable information from various sources, such as union leaders, faculty and administrators, which revealed a bigger picture within this long-running issue.

As a striker, I also experienced from my classmates extreme antagonism, some of which I thought were unwarranted. There were a few instances of classmates talking rather loudly about food. For example, I remember someone taunting us with cheese burgers and another exclaiming that he apparently just had a delicious steak (ironically, most of us are vegan/vegetarian).

But I also witnessed first hand how kind others were. Some students and workers asked if we wanted anything or directly gave us Gatorade, apple juice, water or even blankets and a mattress pad. We received considerable praise from students and workers who believed in our cause, and I wish to thank them tremendously for that. We also invited students to hang and we explained to number of them what was going on. Overall, the hunger strike not only resulted in satisfying our demand of having more workers gainfully employed and set a tone for further actions in the spring semester, but also greatly motivated my efforts for this cause.

—Daniel Bruce Wong ‘12

Yesterday in our meeting with President [of the College Catharine Bond] Hill, Dean Roellke and friends and members of the Campus Solidarity Working Group, we raised concerns about the governance of the college and methods of decision-making that undermine the priorities and voices of many people on campus. While Hill and Roellke may not understand our methodology, it is becoming clear to me that they are not the ones principally undermining our efforts, nor we theirs.

Rather, I feel our actions have reinforced our need for them to do their jobs well; not simply to make decisions, but to get to know our institution. During our time in the lobby of main, CWA and SEIU members and representatives let us know that the strike was valuable. On our third day, we were told that several people who were laid off had finally been given a means of gainful employment. To reiterate Sarah’s statement, student protests are effective, whether in the sense that they produce discourse or lead to concrete egalitarian change. Without tension and criticism, decision-making suffers and discourse narrows.

The conversation is not over; two positions are still in need of attention, but we feel the hunger strike achieved its goal of giving the unions more leverage in negotiation, and what was “not possible” became reality. Obviously, reshuffling positions is a fraction of the work that needs to be done. However, financial sustainability can be achieved in a variety of ways. We refuse to believe that the Board of Trustees, composed largely of corporate elite, represents the only valuable source of knowledge in this process. We hope students will continue to fight for information, to make their own voices heard and to instill in the culture of this school a sense that we value more than economics.

—Gaelin Monkman-Kotz ‘12

It remains that the layoffs threaten the livelihoods of thirteen people, and I feel that the hunger strike drew much needed attention to this fact. I am of the opinion that what the first consideration of the college decision-making process should be is not financial necessity or competitiveness, but the human cost of any and all actions. Vassar, as an institution of higher learning with a history of social responsibility, should take measures to seek new and innovative solutions to financial problems. While layoffs are one way to go about fiscal cuts, they rob workers of the means by which they feed their families. This is significant given the current economic climate: it would be difficult for workers to find jobs after being laid off. Thus, layoffs threaten more than just individuals, but the families that depend on Vassar workers to provide for them.

What I felt the hunger strike did was to show the visceral threat of layoffs. Symbolically, by not eating, we hunger strikers sought to show how some of the workers being laid off might be unable to feed their families in the future. Our desire was that the college take further steps to seek out alternative solutions to fiscal problems, rather than settle on layoffs as being the only solution.

In our three and a half days of not eating, significant progress was made in terms of our goal. Perhaps our full goal was not met, but we were able to meet significant benchmarks in regards to the job security of those laid off. Regardless, we were able to establish a meaningful dialogue with administration about how we feel and make a statement about our beliefs as students of Vassar College who are concerned about the college’s future. It is my personal hope that the members of the college community come together and engage in joint, collective dialogue so that a measure like the hunger strike does not become necessary in the future.

—Brian Hioe ‘13

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Hunger strike ends, according to e-mail from Dean Roellke

December 12th, 2009 by Elizabeth Jordan, Online Editor

According to an all-campus email sent out by Dean of the College Chris Roellke at 5 p.m. this afternoon, the “hunger strikers have decided to end their protest.”  Three students had been hunger striking since late Tuesday night, Dec. 8, stating that they would continue their protest until the eliminated positions of 13 staff members were reinstated.

The three students had planned to continue their strike despite statements from Senior Officers that the positions would not be re-instated. Though the positions were not reinstated, Roellke’s e-mail included information from Human resources about 10 of the staff members whose positions were eliminated. According to Roellke, three of the employees whose positions had been eliminated will take other positions at the College,  “three have decided not to bid on other available positions at  this time for which they would have been eligible; two have accepted  retirement incentive packages; one was recently informed that the  layoff was withdrawn due to a voluntary transfer of another employee  in the same department to another opening at the College, and at least one has accepted a job elswhere.” 

 The email also states, “All those who have lost jobs have had access to career counseling and employment services as well as funds for professional development.  The College continues to work closely with those administrators and staff members who have had positions eliminated this fall to help them secure employment.”

Roellke and President Catharine Bond Hill will hold a debriefing meeting with the students involved in the strike on Sunday morning, Dec. 13. “Personally, I have found my own  conversations with the students engaged in this protest to be  fruitful, despite my serious concerns about their choice to conduct a  hunger strike,” wroted Roellke. ”I wish to thank all members of our community who have  expressed concern about the hunger strike.”

 The full text of the e-mail is below:

 Dear Members of the Vassar College Community,

Based on information from Human Resources, I am providing an update for the community on the 13 administrators and staff who received layoff notices this fall. Three are moving to other positions at the College; three have decided not to bid on other available positions at this time for which they would have been eligible; two have accepted retirement incentive packages; one was recently informed that the layoff was withdrawn due to a voluntary transfer of another employee in the same department to another opening at the College; and at least one has accepted a job elsewhere. All those who have lost jobs have had access to career counseling and employment services as well as funds for professional development. The College continues to work closely with those administrators and staff members who have had positions eliminated this fall to help them secure employment.

 I am both relieved and pleased to report that the hunger strikers have decided to end their protest. President Hill and I will have a debriefing meeting with the students on Sunday morning and look forward to additional opportunities for our community to reflect on this exceptionally difficult period. Student engagement in these issues is both an opportunity for powerful learning and allows for divergent perspectives to emerge. Personally, I have found my own conversations with the students engaged in this protest to be fruitful, despite my serious concerns about their choice to conduct a hunger strike. I wish to thank all members of our community who have expressed concern about the hunger strike. While the College’s employment policies could not be amended, the strikers highlight the empathy we all feel with those affected by the economic downturn. I want to assure the community that the College is acting in every way possible to find appropriate employment for those whose positions could not be continued, through no fault of their own.

 Sincerely and with appreciation,

Chris Roellke

Dean of the College

Professor of Education

 

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Hunger strikers plan to continue, despite statement from senior officers

December 10th, 2009 by Ruby Cramer, Editor in Chief

IMG_0825After nearly 40 hours without food, the hunger strikers stationed in the lobby of Main Building explained to The Miscellany News that they plan to continue with their demonstration, despite receiving an e-mailed statement from Dean of the College Chris Roellke stating that “there will be no change in policy on the announced layoffs.”

“That’s basically what they said last year,” said Robyn Smigel ‘12, who was also involved in a hunger strike last spring which ended in the creation of the Hardship Fund and an economy website after negotiations with senior officers. “Based on our experiences in the past, things were called impossible until we suggested alternative solutions. That’s basically how the Hardship Fund started.”

Smigel explained that she and the other students involved in the strike still hope that the 13 positions eliminated this September will be reinstated or that those who have had their positions eliminated will be be given different College “jobs of equal pay,” she said.

The four students present during the Miscellany interview—Cohen, Smigel, Royce Drake ‘10 and Brian Hioe ‘13—explained that though they were all originally involved in the Campus Solidarity Working Group, they consider themselves and their actions to be separate from those of the Working Group. “We definitely still support [the Working Group],” said Smigel.

“We think there is space on campus for different kinds of organizing,” added Cohen. “[The Working Group] does a lot of community building—that’s a great thing to have,” she said.

According to Sarah Cohen ‘11—not participating in the strike, but present to support it—the senior officers have been in contact with the students since the demonstration began on Tuesday at midnight. “We’ve e-mailed back and forth a couple of times,” she said.

Though no formal meeting between the senior officers and the strikers has yet been established or scheduled, Roellke explained that this morning, he, Dean of the Facutly Jonathan Chenette and Dean of Planning and Academic Affairs Rachel Kitzinger stopped by the lobby of Main to talk with the students. “We went to see if they were okay and to indicate to them that their actions do impact the broader community, whether they think they do or not,” said Roellke.

In addition, Smigel said that earlier today her parents were contacted by Dean of Students D.B. Brown. “My parents called me and they had got the impression somehow that disciplinary action may be coming our way. No one had said that directly to us,” she said. According to Roellke, however, the students were contacted by Brown in what he called “a standard call,” “made whenever there is a health or safety concern regarding a Vassar student.” ”D.B. Brown was never given any instruction to speak about disciplinary action,” said Roellke.

My parents called me and they had got the impression somehow that discplinary action my be coming out way and no one had said that to us directly and so i asked chris roellke about it and he said that he had not told anyone to tell my parents.
that’s basically what they said at
based on our experiences in the past where things might be called impossible until we suggest a way that they are
that’s basically how the hardship fund
or different jobs of equal pay
we e-mailed back and forth a couple of times
they want to meet with the campus solidarity working group that are not us
the four of us were originally involved in the campu ssolidarity group
tactical differences, we’re defintly interested in doing something that was a little higher pressure – robyn
we think there is space on campsu for diferent kinds of organizing sarah cohen
for community building – i think thats a great hting to have (cwgs) we’re in contact with the CWA
they have their own negotiation going on and we’re trying to pay attention to that
inside higher ed

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Three students begin hunger strike late Tuesday, Dec.8

December 9th, 2009 by Ruby Cramer, Editor in Chief

According to an entry posted five minutes ago on the new blog, uppityvassar.blogspot.com, “an autonomous group of Vassar students” began a hunger strike at 11:59 p.m., today, Tuesday, Dec. 8. Since the strike began, three students were stationed in the Lobby of Main Building, explaining their purpose to passers by. “The hunger strikers will not eat until the administration cancels the layoffs of 13 members of the Vassar community,” reads the post, “who have been notified that their jobs will no longer exist come Christmas break.” The blog, started earlier this week, is known to be run by Royce Drake ‘10 and Robyn Smigel ‘12— though others may be involved. Please continue checking miscellanynews.com for more updates on the demonstrators.

Update: Dean of the College responds to strikers with the following statement:

We are concerned that several students are choosing to put their health at risk by participating in a hunger strike and we urge them to reconsider their decision.

Our financial planning over the past year and a half has had as a priority the reduction of as few jobs as possible at the college. During this time of record economic downturn, we have achieved most of the needed reduction in our workforce by means other than layoffs: by not filling vacant positions, by offering retirement packages to eligible employees and by reorganizing departments and the ways we provide services. We have had to reduce a relatively small number of positions and in all of those cases the college has worked with the employees to assist them in finding other work. Of the 13 layoffs announced this fall, three have taken other jobs at the College; two have taken retirement incentive packages; and at least one has accepted a job elsewhere. All those who have lost jobs have had access to career counseling and employment services as well as funds for professional development.

Because of the realities of the financial constraints the college continues to face, there will be no change in policy on the announced layoffs. We all feel sadness at losing colleagues, and we will continue to provide support to assist them in finding other employment.

On behalf of my senior colleagues,

Christopher Roellke

Dean of the College

Professor of Education

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Live blogging from the Dec. 6 VSA Council Meeting

December 6th, 2009 by Ruby Cramer, Editor in Chief
    7:05 p.m. | Attendance.

    7:06 | Associate Professor of Art Lisa Collins and Associate Professor of Political Science Katherine Hite are special guests from the 22-member Committee on Inclusion and Excellence (CIE), a joint-committee compiled of students, faculty and administrators which, explains Collins, “works to implement policies and practices that work to create a campus where all students can work to be and feel successful and satisfied.” According to Collins, since June 2009, the Committee has been working on a Cultural Audit, “What would it take for you to thrive at Vassar?”

    Collins says that there are currently three active subcommittees working in the CIE—the cultural audit team, a faculty grant sub-committee and a pre-matriculation subcommittee, which “imagines what it might be to have a program—probably in the summer—for students who have been accepted at Vassar but may want or need some acclimation to this campus because it might be very different from something they’ve experienced before,” says Collins. While the full committee meets once a month, each subcommittee meets every other week.

    Collins notes that CIE also drafted and sent a letter to President of the College Catharine Bond Hill; the letter—which was circulated amongst and signed by members of the faculty in addition to the 22 committee members—reaffirmed support for Vassar’s need-blind admissions policy. The letter is pending response.

    7: 10 | “Because it’s an ad-hoc committee, there are still some things up in the air regarding the constitution of this committee after this year,” says Hite, who explains that she and Collins are looking for feedback from the Council as to how the committee should continue to shape itself for the future.

    Speaking of the Cultural Audit, Collins explains that 100 Vassar students signed up for the audit and answered questions drafted collectively by the committee members. Questions varied from “How do you define success at Vassar,” “What do you hope to accomplish by the time you graduate” and “Where have you seen inequity or injustice on campus.”

    7:25 | Following the Audit, CIE drafted a 30-page document presenting preliminary findings; “We meet on Thursday to see if we are comfortable with where we are,” said Collins. Raymond, one of the students on CIE, explains that the committee “plans to put together a plan to present all the data to the school once we get back for the spring semester,” he says, explaining the committee has tentatively decided to present this data house by house.

    7:40 | Lathrop explains that she wishes there were more events and traditions that cultivate “personal investment in the Vassar community,” she says, listing a “foundation of sports fans,” “strong alumnae/i networks” and unique traditions and rituals as examples of ways to foster “things that really bring Vassar students together as a community.”

    7:52 | Raymond: “The idea of belonging and commitment to Vassar is a really broad theme. There’s a lot that’s in the document we’re trying to publish. The reason why we’re not sharing the entirety of it right now is because [CIE] hasn’t gotten to a place where we’re entirely comfortable with it yet…Once this has been presented, we want to work on policy changes.”

    7:56 | Executive Board Report from the President: “With second semester coming up, there is an opportunity to look at student services in particular. This week we’re looking at the JYA admin review. That’s just one area of student services and potential offices around campus that could be made more efficient—whether it be in their output or their staffing or the particular support that they offer.”

    This week, the Athletics Department unanimously passed the Athletics Proposal, which was endorsed by the Council this September. The proposal recommends that athletes get 0.5 units of academic credit for participation on a varsity team. The proposal will be reviewed by Dean of Planning and Academic Affairs Rachel Kitzinger before it goes to the Committee on Curricular Policy, which will make an official recommendation to President Hill.

    8:10 | Activities, speaking to the activities-related results of the VSA survey: “Most people are pretty happy with the amount of programming on campus. About 110 people were happy with everything, there were about 50 that would like to see more programming and about 20 that would like to see less.”

    8:12 | Executive Board Report from Operations: “The 99 Nights launch party [for the Senior Class Gift] was wonderful. We had at least 300 people there,” says Operations. The Senior Class Gift Committee—co-chaired by Operations and Rachel Gilmer ‘10—announced last night that the Class of 2010 would work throughout the spring semester to create an endowment to support scholarships. The class will be the first in the College’s history to establish such an endowment. “This community needs something, something that everyone on this campus can get behind and feel like they’re making a positive contribution to our community,” says Operations, who notes that the Committee has set a fundraising goal of $15,000 coming from over 75 percent of the senior class. Though the gift will be headed by the Class of 2010, all students and members of the Vassar community are able and invited to give.

    8:23 | The Executive Board presents a draft of its Administrative Review of the Office of International Programs (JYA): Academics: “The main recommendation made in this review is that JYA should probably be something that’s under the Dean of the Faculty Division, rather than the Dean of the College Division.”

    “This fall, the Vassar Student Association (VSA) Council focused its biannual Administrative Review on the Office of International Programs. Administrative Reviews allow the student government a regular chance to consider the role of different offices on campus, and to make policy suggestions from the students’ point of view,” states the review.

    8:42 | Activities moves to certify the Vassar Haiti Project (VHP), a student group that began in 2001. Raymond, who is also a member of the VHP, explains that the group started out of an initiative from Director International Services & Special Projects Andrew Meade and his wife Lila Meade, who both had connections to Haiti. Raymond explains that of VHP’s greatest accomplishments is the 2007 completion its first school, a concrete building with seven classrooms and over 750 attending students.

    VHP was certified by the Council.

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Midnight Breakfast returns for upcoming exam period

December 4th, 2009 by Ruby Cramer, Editor in Chief
MIDNIGHT BREAKFAST IS BACK!   On Sunday, December 13th from 10:00 PM to midnight breakfast will be served free to all students in ACDC by President Cappy Hill, the Vassar Student Association (VSA) and members of the Dean of the College division.  We hope everyone will come enjoy a bite to eat and a bit of communal relaxation before the onset of final exams.  At the end of the Spring, 2010 semester, an Ice Cream Social with accompanying outdoor activities is being planned.  We hope that you will be able to participate in what have become popular Vassar traditions, starting with Midnight Breakfast on December 13th!
Christopher Roellke
Dean of the College
Professor of Education
Vassar College
Poughkeepsie, NY 12604
PH:  845-437-5600
Fax: 845-437-7640

Midnight BfastDespite rumors that Midnight Breakfast would be canceled for the Fall 2009 semester in order to save money, Dean of the College Christopher Roellke announced this afternoon that “Midnight Breakfast is back!” On Sunday, Dec. 13, from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m., he wrote in an all-campus e-mail, “breakfast will be served free to all students in [the All Campus Dining Center] by President Cappy Hill, the Vassar Student Association (VSA) and members of the Dean of the College Division.” Roellke explained that for the Spring 2010 semester, an ice cream social “with accompanying outdoor activities is being planned” in lieu of a second Midnight Breakfast.

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Live blogging from the Nov. 29 VSA Council Meeting

November 29th, 2009 by Ruby Cramer, Editor in Chief

7:00 p.m. | Attendance

7:03 | Report from the Committee on Curricular Policies (CCP) from Academics and Strong: Academics explains that the Committee has been researching peer institutions that administer their Course Evaluation Questionnaires (CEQs) online. The College has been exploring this option with the hope  that students would complete the CEQs more thoughtfully at their leisure at home, rather than in the last or second to last day of class. Academics also said that she is on the sub-committee that is looking into team teaching. This year, there are a minimum of 34 team-taught classes; last year there were 42 and the year beforethere were 52. ”The decrease already happened last year,” says Academics.

7:12 | Academics introduces a memorandum which, she explains, attempts to “walk the line between endorsing the sentiment presented in [the letter written by Judy Nichols] last week,” and also clarify inaccuracies, says Academics in reference to the letter that was drafted by Adjunct Associate Professor of English Judy Nichols and presented to the Council on Nov. 22 by representatives from the Campus Solidarity Working Group. During that meeting, members of the Council endorsed the letter in a 16 to 5 vote which followed at least three hours of discussion. “Ms. Nichols’ letter criticized the reductions in tenure lines, adjunct and visiting faculty members, and course sections as a result of the financial crisis,” reads the letter. “The document demonstrated a clear concern for the long-term health of Vassar’s multidisciplinary curriculum, our flexible course offerings, and our retention of excellent scholars and teachers. The Council voted to endorse this letter because we believe these are core properties of a Vassar education that our constituents value deeply.”

“Beyond these sentiments,” it continues, “which earned the support of the majority of Council, we feel it is our responsibility to acknowledge the inaccuracies within Ms. Nichols’ letter. As representatives, deep sympathy with a problematic or a cause cannot be an excuse to avoid the facts. The document presents a problematic interpretation of Vassar’s financial planning. We seek to highlight just some of the instances where the letter marshals false or incomplete evidence to make its case.”

7:25 | Noyes: “I really think we should vote on this letter tonight. We’re not going to agree on every single point of this memorandum, and I think that’s okay. I think that part of the point of this is that we all have different opinions.”

7: 30 | Operations explains that one of the concerns of last week’s endorsement was that constituents weren’t consulted before the Council voted in support of Nichols’ letter. “That’s not really an issue this week,” notes Operations, since the memorandum addresses actions of the Council and therefore only speaks for the Council members themselves, not their constituents.

7:36 | 2010: “It seems a little bit like we’re backpedaling or that we’re criticizing their letter.”

7:43 | According to the letter, the Dean of the Faculty released the information to the Executive Board that to the best of his knowledge 10 fewer sections will be offered next year, a much lower figure than the 30 to 40 estimated earlier this year.

8:00 | Council members propose small amendments to the wording of particular paragraphs or sections of the memorandum.

8:40 | Five-minute recess

8:58 | The Council unanimously endorses the memorandum, which will be sent to the Board of Trustees on Wednesday, Dec. 2.

A copy of the memorandum can be found at the bottom of this post.

9:08 | Allocation of $1000 from Mid Hudson Valley Fund to Hip Hop 101: Motion passes.

9:09 | Allocation of $1295 from Mid Hudson Valley Fund to Town Houses: Motion passes.

9:11 | Allocation of $875 from Great Works Fund to Vassar Public Art Committee: Motion passes.

9:14 | Open Discussion. Council adjourned.

—–

ACADEMICS MEMORANDUM

From: The Vassar Student Association Council

To: The Board of Trustees and Students of Vassar College

Cc: President Catharine Hill, Dean of the Faculty Jonathan Chenette, Dean of Planning and Academic Affairs Rachel Kitzinger, Dean of the College Christopher Roellke, Vice President for Finance and Administration Elizabeth Eismeier, Vice President for Development Cathy Baer, Vice President for Computing and Information Services Bret Ingerman, Vice President for College Relations Susan DeKrey, Chair of the Faculty Policy and Conference Committee Steve Rock

Date: November 29, 2009

We, the VSA Council, wish to elaborate on our 11.22.09 endorsement of the Campus Solidarity Working Group’s letter to the Board of Trustees. The letter, written by Adjunct Associate Professor of English Judy Nichols, was presented to Council by a group of five students. After a heated discussion of nearly four hours, Council voted 15-6 to endorse the document. We seek here to frame this endorsement in the context of our nuanced discussion.

Ms. Nichols’ letter—the second in a series of similar documents—criticized the reductions in tenure lines, adjunct and visiting faculty members, and course sections as a result of the financial crisis. The document demonstrated a clear concern for the long-term health of Vassar’s multidisciplinary curriculum, our flexible course offerings, and our retention of excellent scholars and teachers. The Council voted to endorse this letter because we believe these are core properties of a Vassar education that our constituents value deeply.

Our endorsement of this letter was, to some extent, a reflection of the mood of the student body. Council is comprised of 24 full-time students. We study in every academic department. We compete on varsity athletics teams. We do research with our professors, learn from the life experiences of our staff, and benefit from the multifaceted diversity within our own student body. Council’s views on Vassar parallels the views of our 2,450 constituents. Many Council members felt that they lacked accurate financial information; many felt unsure of the future of their department or their favorite professor; many felt annoyed that, while members of the Executive Board are routinely consulted on confidential financial planning, the broader student community is left in the dark until after decisions have been reached. These feelings, reflected by our 15-6 endorsement, are all reflective of broader concerns on campus.

We also respect the student contingent of the Solidarity Group who attended our meeting. We are their representatives, and it is our responsibility to channel their feelings to the College’s decision-making bodies. Even if we disagree on policy and approach, we applaud these students for caring about our College so deeply. Indeed, a consistent frustration among Council members is that surprisingly few constituents come to us with institutional concerns—unfortunate, in a financial climate inevitably filled with such concerns. We are often discouraged when students are apathetic about the state of the College, and do not seek information easily available through campus-wide e-mails, our VSA site, the Economy site, or The Miscellany News. We admire the commitment of the students in the Solidarity Group and appreciate their efforts to make Vassar a more conscientious, egalitarian institution.

Nevertheless, we harbor no unrealistic expectations that Vassar can remain unchanged. In this economic climate, the VSA Council is fully aware that the curriculum we all value must shrink. So too must our teaching staff. However, as members of the community, we cannot help but feel saddened when our teachers are let go. And as representatives of the student body, we cannot help but agree with the Solidarity Group’s sincere concern for the effect of the financial crisis on academic life and on the lives of community members.

Beyond these sentiments, which earned the support of the majority of Council, we feel it is our responsibility to acknowledge some of the many inaccuracies within Ms. Nichols’ letter. In its accusatory and hyperbolic tone, the document presents a problematic interpretation of Vassar’s careful financial planning. We seek to highlight just some of the instances where the letter marshals false or incomplete evidence to make its case.

The letter makes several inaccurate claims about the staffing and curricula of specific departments. Computer Science will actually be teaching four more course sections next fall compared to this year.[1] Film too will be one course ahead of the level of staffing they requested for 2010-11 because a new tenure-track appointee would have had a reduced course load in the first year.[2] As for the languages, the Dean of the Faculty office has indeed asked that tenure-line faculty members engage in teaching at the 100-level on a regular basis. Students at the 100-level deserve and benefit from contact with our tenured scholars, and our tenure-line faculty benefit from regular engagement with the challenges and rewards of teaching at that level. We disagree with the letter’s implication that this trend is negative. Further, we take issue with the letter’s baseless accusation that the administration has illegally forced faculty members to retire. While the College’s financial situation has no-doubt resulted in some retirement-age faculty feeling pressure to leave the institution, we have no reason to believe that the administration is the source of that pressure.

Most significantly, beyond these specific points, the letter conveys both implicitly and explicitly that decisions have been made by a small group of administrators without regard to community input. This is misleading. While our Senior Officers (most of whom are also teaching faculty) have directed financial planning, students and faculty also had direct input into decision-making. Two elected students—the VSA President and VSA Vice President for Operations—sit as full members on the Priorities and Planning Committee. The members of this group sit as equals, debating the College’s many noble aspirations alongside its financial restraints. The students, faculty, and administrators come together with optimism for what Vassar should be and realism for what Vassar can be. Through this committee, we have had (and continue to have) substantive and specific input into the financial decision-making process. On curricular issues, the VSA Vice President for Academics sits on the Advisory Group for the Allocation of Faculty Resources (AGAFR) and the Committee on Curricular Policies (CCP), and is a vocal advocate for multidisciplinary programs, the reduction of administrative course releases, and the general maintenance of our broad and diverse curriculum. The letter fails to acknowledge the substantive input that students have had into the current financial plan through their elected representatives.

Moreover, the letter implies that Vassar’s financial planning was reached haphazardly—that the senior administration hacked away at the budget without care for the curriculum or respect for the College’s employees. In fact, we recognize that the process was thoughtful and deliberative. Dean of the Faculty Jon Chenette has worked (and continues to work) with departments to ensure that we are making academic reductions in ways that will affect the broader curriculum as little as possible. We recognize that some members of the community, including some members of our own Council, object to staffing decisions in certain areas. However, the Senior Officers, CCP and AGAFR reached these decisions after long and careful consideration. This important work should not be dismissed.

We agree wholeheartedly with the document’s concern for the curriculum, and are pleased that since the Council’s endorsement, the most recent estimates suggest that the curriculum will lose only 10 course sections next fall, rather than the 30 previously estimated. It is important to realize that the damage done to the curriculum by these changes is not nearly as catastrophic as Ms. Nichols’ letter implies. By almost any measure, Vassar’s curriculum will remain flexible and diverse.

We would also like to clarify the conditions under which Council voted to endorse the letter. The members of the Solidarity Group told Council that Ms. Nichols planned to send her letter on Wednesday, November 25. As we later discovered, she did not plan to send it until Wednesday, December 2. This false date essentially prevented us from delaying the vote by one week to consider the motion in greater depth. While we do not believe that we were intentionally misled, this significant miscommunication put pressure on Council to act quickly. Many representatives saw this as a choice between “doing something” to advocate for the curriculum or “doing nothing.” Under this tight timeframe, the majority of Council elected to endorse the document. In some cases, this endorsement was more for the sentiments behind it than for the facts underlying it.

The feelings we express here are nuanced, but the issues facing the College are complex enough that such nuance is required. Unlike the Solidarity Group’s letter, we lack a unified thesis. We are instead left with competing and simultaneous thoughts—irreparable sadness for the loss of professors and staff, concern for our characteristically dynamic curriculum, profound respect for the College’s senior leadership, and a determination to mend our community and build an unshakable foundation for Vassar’s next 150 years.

[1] The following information is drawn largely from the Schedule of Classes and sheds light on the appropriateness of the staffing levels approved for Computer Science. CMPU offered 23 class sections in 2008-09, and is offering 17 this year. Most of the reduction involved cutting back on under-subscribed multi-section courses. CMPU is offering 14 different courses this year, as compared to 16 last year. All areas of the curriculum required for the major are well represented. None of the class sections have reached their maximum size. In 2008-09, 13 of the 23 CMPU course sections had fewer than 10 students; this year only 3 of the 17 have fewer than 10. The total number of students served in this year’s 17 sections exceeds the number served in last year’s 23. Because of these healthier enrollments, the College is adding sections back for next year. The Computer Science department has been approved for 22 teaching equivalencies next year — four more than this year. Note that teaching equivalencies differ slightly from course sections because of the way labs count into faculty teaching loads.

[2] Film is indeed losing a tenured retiree, and that line may indeed be restored in the future. For the short term, the College is replacing all the courses that person would have taught by a combination of other types of appointments. Overall, the department will be one course ahead of the level of staffing they requested for 2010-11 because a new tenure-track appointee would have had a reduced course load in the first year.

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Live blogging from the Nov. 22 VSA Council Meeting

November 22nd, 2009 by Ruby Cramer, Editor in Chief

7:03 p.m. | Attendance.

7:05 | Sustainability Forum, with special guests Director of Marketing and Sustainability Ken Oldehoff, co-Chairs of the Vassar Greens Vanessa Raditz ‘12 and Laura Livingston ‘12, as well as Greens member Xiaoyuan Ren ‘13.

7:10 | Oldehoff on composting in the Retreat: “It started off slow, but it really has taken off,” said Oldehoff, who continued, saying that during the 2008-2009 academic year, the average weight per day of composted materials was 559 pounds throughout all dining facilities on campus. “Because of doing the composting in the Retreat, we’re up to 704 pounds,” he said.

7:17 | Oldehoff:  ”We want to research to see what the carbon footprint was in 1996, and as a goal the College is hoping to go back to that point. Last year, Sightlines came out and told us what our carbon footprint was, and we’re going to look for ways to bring it back down to about 15 years ago.”

7:30 | Oldhoff explained that recently there has been a problem with student stealing from the Retreat and with illicitly entering the All Campus Dining Center without swiping in. Town Houses encouraged all members of the Council to send an e-mail to their constituencies alerting them of the problem and discouraging it from worsening.

8:03 | Motion to allocate $8000 from the Speakers and Lecturers Fund to No Such Organization passed.

8:04 | Presentation of a letter to the Vassar College Board of Trustees drafted by Judith Nichols, Adjunct Associate Professor of English, by representatives from the Campus Solidarity Working Group. John Joyce ‘12 of the group explained that the letter was not written or drafted by the Working Group; rather, the Group supports the letter and attended the VSA Council Meeting in hopes of attaining signatures from Council members. “We want members of the VSA to sign on and start having a more active voice in this process,” said Nathan Orians ‘10, a member of the Working Group. Thus far, there are about ten pages of signatures in support of the letter. Three pages are compiled of faculty signatures—the remaining eight are made up of students and alumnae/i.

The letter in question can be found at the end of this post.

8:10 | Operations explained that members of the Council can sign the letter as individuals not representing their constituencies, or the entire Council can by a majority of 60 percent vote to “endorse” the letter as if it were a proposal.

8:34 | Orians urged Council to endorse the letter, saying that by signing on the VSA would be echoing the general tone of respect that the Campus Solidarity Group and various faculty have been advocating for.

8:47 | Joyce: The purpose “of this letter is to preserve the curriculum that we all came for…[and to] tell [the College] that we’re not okay with the changes that are being made.”

To read more about last night’s Council, see News Editor Jillian Scharr’s article, “By a vote of 15 to 6, VSA endorses letter criticizing 2009-2010 curriculum plans: Members of Council overlook inaccuracies in support of intended sentiment.”

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Dear Vassar Trustees,

We write you again as a large group of faculty, students, students’ parents, staff and alumnae/i who are concerned that the financial adjustments currently being implemented to protect the college’s endowment will in the long run seriously compromise the curriculum that has made Vassar a successful and respected institution of higher learning. In an October 25th article in the Chronicle of Higher Education, President Catherine Bond Hill stated that  cutting 79 positions at Vassar College is not a “paradigm shift” but rather “an adjustment to the cost structure.”  We respectfully disagree.  We fear that the academic integrity of the institution is at risk from financial policies that, in addition to eroding fair labor practices and laying off long-term employees, reduce or eliminate vital course offerings and compromise richness and breadth of the curriculum. The real crisis facing the college is not short-term financial losses, grievous as those may be, but the long-term loss of Vassar’s academic uniqueness, diversity, identity and vision.

Last year the college reduced course offerings by sixty sections. This year Vassar students are noting the ways the cuts are making admission into courses needed for majors much more difficult. Multidisciplinary courses, which in past years have allowed Vassar to maintain a cutting edge, are being seriously threatened. Damage to the dynamic curriculum will certainly limit students’ engagement in new disciplines, discourses and methodologies. We expect the erosion of the multidisciplinary programs to have a serious impact on the attraction and retention of new faculty.

One of the ways Vassar has developed dynamic multidisciplinary programs is through on-going employment of non-tenure-track faculty, many of whom teach, advise and participate in the committee work of the college. This past week, the Dean of the Faculty, Jon Chenette, announced in a faculty meeting that up to fourteen non-tenure-track faculty will be notified that their contracts will not be renewed and their positions will be terminated. “Thank you for your service,” he said to the non-tenure-track professors who will be losing their jobs or their health benefits. We are told that these reductions will be permanent, regardless of economic recovery.

Meanwhile, Vassar faculty have lost responsibility for the curriculum. This began last year when American Sign Language was erased from the course offerings and Arabic language courses were reduced without much consultation or dialogue. As courses disappear, so do professors who specialize in areas not covered by tenured and tenure-track faculty.

The high number of students seeking admission to Vassar and the high level of student satisfaction at the college are linked, in part, to the vitality and flexibility of the Vassar curriculum. Small class sizes and attention to students through advising have been crucial as well. It is troubling to us that the current administration seeks to save money by constricting multidisciplinary programs, shrinking departmental offerings, and reducing the number of faculty through pressuring faculty toward retirement and terminating or reducing non-tenure-track faculty contracts. This year only three of eight open tenure-track lines are being filled at Vassar. The college that helped produce Elizabeth Bishop, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Mary McCarthy, as well as many great actors, artists and musicians, seems to be reducing its willingness to support the arts.  Even as the economy improves and the recession comes to an end, Vassar is in danger of losing its brand.

The damage to our curriculum represents a serious threat to the liberal arts. The following represents but a few of the changes and cuts that departments and programs are being asked to make.

•Though student interest in computer science has jumped because of availability of employment in the tech sector, Vassar cut staffing by one third last year. Cutting of release time, failure to replace faculty and cutting of staff make it impossible to supervise student projects, adequately staff computer laboratory sessions, and administer the complex equipment and staffing of the program adequately. Majors are having trouble completing requirements for this major.

•Despite the current world situation, the Religion Department is being asked to reduce the position of  its only Islamicist to part-time. Vassar is the only the college in the top 25 liberal arts colleges not to have a  tenure-track position in Islam.

•There is increasing pressure on language departments to provide elementary language courses at the expense of advanced literary and cultural study. Raising course enrollment limits in language classes to accommodate reduced staffing and student need leads to compromises in pedagogy that Vassar faculty should not have to make. Staffing reductions also put at risk JYA programs administered through Vassar and involving faculty members of language departments. This will further impoverish the curriculum and also result in direct financial losses to the college, as our students pursuing study away options will take their tuition and financial aid money to other institutions.

*The department of Drama has a tenure track position on hold and had one adjunct not renewed.  Drama had a retirement at the end of last year and the dean allowed the department to replace him temporarily with two people to share the one position for three years. (The department will have two major retirements this year but it looks like they will be able to fully replace the courses these retirements remove from the curriculum.) It should be noted that all of these changes are in the creative side of the department—and will have a huge impact on the quantity and quality of production work, and an equally strong impact on advising and mentoring of students.

* The department of Film has a very large number of majors, yet it remains understaffed in comparison to other departments. The department will lose several courses, as well as a tenure track line next year. Courses taught in film by two faculty members from other departments will be lost next year when those two faculty members no longer teach at the college (because of retirement in one case or adjunct faculty termination in the other).  The administration has refused to authorize a tenure-track replacement for the position of a retiring faculty member, someone who supervises independent projects in screen writing and oversees numerous screenplay theses.  This position may be replaced in the future. The department of Film will not be as excellent as it has been in the past.

•The department of English has been asked to eliminate ten sections from its offerings.  The department may not be able to make the cuts without some loss of long time contributing non-tenure track faculty. The suggested reductions have been linked specifically to professors who teach creative writing and whose contracts are coming due this summer. Likewise, the central role the department has played in offering Freshmen Writing Seminars may be imperiled.

•The department of Physics and Astronomy has been affected in three major ways due to staffing constraints. Introductory physics courses next year (and in the foreseeable future) will be capped for a total enrollment of 72 each semester – current enrollment in Physics 113 is over 100. This will affect other science majors and premed students the most. For the first time in the history of Vassar, students will be closed out of this course. Participation in multidisciplinary programs or cross-listed courses with other departments is severely restricted. Finally, the number of courses for non-physics majors offered is being cut and only one course per year is likely to be offered.

We need to stop this damage before it is too late. We ask you to join us in demanding the protection of the curriculum that is the core of Vassar’s educational mission. We are seeking your help in supporting our administrators in canceling lay-offs and canceling teacher contract termination.

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Campus Solidarity Working Group holds second major demonstration outside Main Building

November 19th, 2009 by Jillian Scharr, News Editor

Today, Nov. 18, the Campus Solidarity Working Group demonstrated in front of Main Circle at 3 o’clock. The protestors, many of them bearing signs and dressed in red, cheered several speakers from both the student body and the college staff. Then they marched around the campus, cheering to the beat of a bucket and a pan: “We’ve had enough; can’t take no more!” After the march, the protestors regrouped in front of Main and sat in the lobby in silence, holding up signs to explain their intent to express solidarity with “silenced voices” in the Vassar community.

Vassar alumna and Field Work Office Administrative Assistant Robin Laurita ‘05, one of the speakers, quoted President Barack Obama’s inaugural address: “the time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit and to choose our better history.”

“I believed that [the administration] would commit themselves to these ideas,” said Laurita; “[would] make Vassar College a pioneer in these difficult economic times. It was only within a few weeks that the true mission of the executive administrators would begin to take hold in my psyche.” Laurita continued, “I’m asking the students, as an alumn to upcoming alumns, take back your mission statement! Do not allow a select few to come in here and dismantle what Vassar has stood for historically.” Laurita then displayed the cap and gown she had worn on her graduation day. “I’m aking you to stand up and show what [this] means to you,” she said tearfully, gesturing to the robe. “You be the leader…take back your mission statement!”

Dean of the College Christopher Roellke commented on the administration’s recent relationship with the Working Group. “We received a very cordial response to our response,” he said of their latest correspondence. “It was a very polite, diplomatic email but the bottom line is they still want their demands to stand.” Roellke commented that this tone of voice is “a 180-degree turn into [a direction] which is extraordinarily positive.”

Science Support Technician and business agent for the Communication Workers of America Union Carl Bertsche also spoke at the rally, announcing that the Union proposed a plan for staff reductions to the administration where six people would still have been laid off, but “there would have been due attrition, and the union would have taken the hit. The College could have had what they wanted; we would have had job security…and all our folks would enjoy the holidays with their families.” However, according to Bertsche, “[the administration] told us basically to ‘stick it.’ Now,” he continued, “We’re on a position with the moral high ground.”

Roellke was unaware of the proposal of which Bertsche spoke. “We’re ready to hear any and all grievances,” he said. “If we made an error in the contract we certainly want to follow the proper protocol.” He also explained that the College is working with the laid-off staff and that “an effort is being made to try to place them elsewhere in the College.” According to Roellke, the way that the administration approached the cuts was to “determine functions that the college could do without.” Knowing this, he said, several departments left vacant positions open in the hopes that staff whose posts were eliminated would be moved into the available positions.

“It isn’t about six people here or the 14 adjuncts who are not going to be renewed…this is an institution of higher learning, where you’re supposed to be able to treat people properly,” said Bertsche. “There’s four groups of people on campus here, and a large amount want [the senior officers] to do business in a different way.”

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