Phone: (814) 227-2420 www.apscuf.org October 2022 Executive Committee: President – Joyce Overly; Vice President – Mark Kilwein; Secretary – Laurie Pierce; Treasurer – Xiaofeng Li; Delegates –Joyce Overly, Jennifer May, Lorie Taylor, Jacqueline Knaust; Alternate Delegates – Ellen Foster, Cristin Ketley, Nripendra Singh, Karl Sprenger, Barry Sweet; Coaches President – Heath Calhoun; Coaches Vice President – Doc Neiman; Coaches Alternate – Keith Ferraro; Coaches’ Grievance Chair – Eric Laughlin; Venango Campus Rep – Renee Bloom; CAP – Joseph Croskey; DRC – Mary Buchanan; Grievance – Mark Kilwein; Health & Welfare – Amy Shannonhouse; Legislative – Jonathan Touster; Membership – Tonya Otto; Negotiations – Joyce Overly; Nominations & Elections – Rachel Newbury; Social Justice – Ron Radaker; Public Affairs/Relations – Lacey Futon; Student Liaison – Marc Sanko; Rules & Bylaws – Jamie Phillips; Mobilization Co-Chairs – Jackie Knaust & Andy Lingwall; State Adjunct Faculty Committee – Natasha Dias; *Faculty Meet & Discuss Team: Joyce Overly, Barry Sweet, Adam Roberts, Mark Kilwein, Jennifer May, Mary Buchanan, Laurie Pierce (rec. sec.) *Coaches Meet & Discus Team: Heath Calhoun, Doc Neiman, Keith Ferraro, Eric Laughlin, Joyce Overly & Mark Kilwein The President’s Message… Remarks to Council of Trustees – October 12, 2022 Greetings, Trustees, President Pehrsson, Administrators, and Guests. My name is Joyce Overly, and I am the Clarion APSCUF Chapter President. I come before you today with a brief but important message: The faculty is not OK. We came out of the upheaval associated with pandemic teaching only to face more confusion and uncertainty from consolidation. The work of (to borrow an overused phrase) “building the plane while you’re flying it” is not only extensive, it is demanding because of the importance of getting it right for the future of PennWest. There’s a phrase we use in computational chemistry, ab initio, which refers to the calculation of molecular structures and properties “from the beginning” or starting from the very basic quantum mechanical equations that describe atoms and molecules. In a sense, we are doing the same in constructing the policies, procedures, and curriculum that will constitute PennWest. July 1 was the official start of PennWest, but we have a long way to go to have a true “New U” with a new shared identity and culture. For faculty members, and not only those who are department chairs, department leaders, members of the Interim Curriculum Committee, and other faculty leaders, this is an unsustainable workload that has thrown work-life balance out the window. Our chairs, in particular, are at or past the breaking point. In addition to the heavy workload, there is the compounding issue of lack of clarity in roles and responsibilities at PennWest. When a faculty member has a concern, it’s difficult to know who to go to or what the correct answer is. I’m not saying all of this to garner sympathy. I know that this consolidation process has been challenging for everyone. But I need you to know that the faculty is not OK right now. I look forward to the day when we reach a new equilibrium at PennWest where faculty members are able to put their primary effort back into the teaching and mentoring of students, the part of being a professor that brings joy, but we are far from that point. In solidarity, October 2022 www.apscuf.org/clarion 2 FALL 2022 MEETINGS (Please mark your calendars!) EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (EC) @ 3:30 pm ➢ Tuesday, October 18 ➢ Tuesday, November 1 ➢ Tuesday, November 15 ➢ Tuesday, November 29 DEPARTMENTAL REP COUNCIL (DRC) @ 3:30 pm ➢ Tuesday, November 8 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLIES (LA) ➢ February 2-5, 2023 (Sheraton, Harrisburg) ➢ April 13-15, 2023 (Sheraton, Harrisburg) GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS ➢ APSCUF’s Holiday and End-of-Semester Gathering, Thursday, December 8 @ 4:00 pm at Clarion River Brewing Company PRE-MEET & DISCUSS & MEET & DISCUSS *Friday, October 21 @ 2:00 pm – “Core Group” Pre-Meet & Discuss * Friday, September 28 @ 1:00 pm (Pre-Meet) & 2:00 pm (Meet & Discuss) *Friday, November 11 @ 2:00 pm – “Core Group” PreMeet & Discuss * Friday, November 18 @ 1:00 pm (Pre-Meet) & 2:00 pm (Meet & Discuss) *Friday, December 9 @ 2:00 pm – “Core Group” Pre-Meet & Discuss *Friday, December 15 @ 1:00 pm (Pre-Meet) & 2:00 pm (Meet & Discuss) NOTE: The Clarion APSCUF office will be closed from Monday, October 24 through Friday, October 28th. CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS With our Collective Bargaining Agreement ending June 30, 2023, Negotiations has begun! Know that Negotiations Survey’s went out to all APSCUF faculty and coaches’ members on Wednesday, October 12 to faculty and coaches’ campus emails through Survey Monkey. Survey participation will be closed at 4:30 pm on Thursday, October 20. With these surveys, APSCUF will examine members’ opinions about items to purse or protect during contract negotiations. All feedback is desired but your comments in the open-ended section are especially valuable. As a member, you have a voice which we encourage you to participate in this survey. Fall 2022 Supplemental Payments (see pages 6-8) Overload & Related Payments - November 4, 2022, paycheck Distance Education - December 2, 2022, paycheck WELCOME New Clarion APSCUF Members!! ❖ Andrew Ortega – Performing Arts (Music) ❖ Karl Jacobson - Performing Arts (Theater) ❖ Melisa Stoner - Nursing APSCUF Membership is open to ALL active faculty and coaches - Tenured, Tenure-Track, Full-time Temporary, and Part-time Temporary. APSCUF is the sole voice for protecting the rights of faculty and coaches giving you the best working environment possible. Be an active and contributing member. Get involved today! October 2022 www.apscuf.org/clarion 2 Clarion APSCUF Sick Leave Bank Policy Any faculty or coach member may request days from the Sick Leave Bank using the “ASPCUF Sick Leave Bank application form”. Such days will be awarded with appropriate medical documentation showing the needs for days. All faculty or coaches must use all of their own accumulated leave before days are provided from the Bank. There will be a limit to each single request according to the following: If the request for days to be provided by the Sick Leave Bank occurs in the fall semester, the maximum number of days given from the Bank will be limited to 12 weeks of leave in that academic year, including fall and spring semester. If the request for days to be provided by the Sick Leave Bank occurs in the spring semester, the maximum number of days given from the Bank will be limited to 12 weeks of leave in that calendar year. Adopted by Clarion APSCUF, November 14, 2006 HELP GET OUT THE VOTE NOVEMBER 8th! Dear Fellow APSCUF Members, Please help “get out the vote” this November 8th. Please feel free to share the information about voting to your students. Elections in a pluralistic democratic society are vital to our health, welfare, and success. If you want school to cost less – vote. If you want your voice heard – vote. It is exceptionally difficult to create a multiethnic, diverse, and peaceful democracy. In fact, it has never been done. Colleges and universities are more than job engines. They are places where we do the hard work of trying to build a better America and world. Voting is an important part of that work. Please help to get out the vote by sharing this flyer with your students. If you have questions about voters’ registration and deadlines, the flyer on page 9 can direct you to the answers, and the QR code will allow you to register to vote. In Solidarity, Joseph Croskey, Clarion APSCUF CAP Chair Jon Touster, Clarion APSCUF Legislative Officer Jackie Knaust & Andy Lingwall, Clarion APSCUF Mobilization Committee Co-Chairs PLEASE NOTE: If you are thinking about retiring, check out APSCUF’s “Pre-Retirement Checklist” on the following pages. This checklist should only be used as a guideline. All faculty/coaches contemplating retirement should consult with their retiree handbook from either SERS or PSERS. Those enrolled in TIAA-CREF should have their portfolios in order. In addition, faculty/coaches should have a copy of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between APSCUF and the State System of Higher Education and the current State System Employees Benefit Booklet to consult as a reference in making this decision. For additional information about retirement, go to Forms & Benefits | APSCUF and scroll to the very bottom of the webpage under the heading RETIREMENT. October 2022 www.apscuf.org/clarion 3 October 2022 www.apscuf.org/clarion 4 October 2022 www.apscuf.org/clarion 5 October 2022 www.apscuf.org/clarion 6 October 2022 www.apscuf.org/clarion 7 October 2022 www.apscuf.org/clarion 8 October 2022 www.apscuf.org/clarion 9