Phone: (814) 227-2420 www.apscuf.org January 2021 Executive Committee: President – Joyce Overly; Vice President – Mark Kilwein; Secretary – Christopher McCarrick; Treasurer – Linda Lillard; Delegates –Joyce Overly, Jennifer May, Barry Sweet, Jacqueline Knaust, Mark Lepore, Annette Rosati; Alternate Delegates – Ellen Foster, Jonathan Touster, Cristin Ketley, Jamie Phillips, Lorie Taylor; Coaches President – Chris Weibel; Coaches Vice President – Matt Hanhold; 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 – Paul Klenowski; Negotiations – Joyce Overly; Nominations & Elections – Rachel Newbury; Social Justice – Cahndice Matthews; Public Affairs/Relations – Christopher McCarrick; Student Liaison – Marc Sanko; Rules & Bylaws – Jamie Phillips; Mobilization Co-Chairs – Jackie Knaust & Andy Lingwall; State Adjunct Faculty Committee – Natasha Dias, Sheila Kazar; State APSCUF Executive Council – Joyce Overly Faculty Meet & Discuss Team: Joyce Overly, Barry Sweet, Adam Roberts, Mark Kilwein, Jennifer May, Mary Buchanan, Chris McCarrick (recording sec.) Coaches Meet & Discus Team: Chris Weibel, Matt Hanhold, Keith Ferraro, Eric Laughlin, Joyce Overly & Mark Kilwein Dear APSCUF Brothers and Sisters, I hope that you had an enjoyable and relaxing semester break and that your spring semester is off to a good start. I’d like to use this space to bring you up to date on numerous developments. Get ready, this letter is a long one. We had good news on retrenchment when I was notified back in November that the retrenchment letter was withdrawn. Sadly, there are still nearly 100 of our colleagues across the State System who are facing the loss of their jobs at the end of this semester, and many adjunct faculty members whose positions were eliminated or teaching load reduced. In early January, PASSHE offered APSCUF faculty and coaches another retirement incentive in the form of a new round of the Enhanced Sick Leave Program. The coaches will be voting on their ESLP offer later this week. For the Faculty ESLP, Legislative Assembly voted to accept the offer. This was not an easy choice because of PASSHE’s refusal to even consider making the offer retroactive to faculty members who submitted retirement letters in the fall. This is especially egregious because Clarion’s management was quite clear that getting enough retirements would prevent retrenchment. The Assembly was left with two undesirable choices: approve a plan that would be blatantly unfair to the fall retirees or reject the plan and take away the opportunity for faculty members to retire with a larger sick-leave payout and potentially save the jobs of younger faculty colleagues. The reason for PASSHE’s refusal to include the fall retirees wasn’t financial; APSCUF negotiators offered to forego part of the spring semester distance January 2021 education pay to cover the cost. The only reasons I can discern are callousness to faculty or an effort to weaken our union. As you know, two covid-19 vaccines have been approved by the FDA and administration of the vaccine is underway. Clarion APSCUF has inquired about the possibility of offering vaccination on campus for faculty and coaches, and we have been assured that talks are ongoing with the local and state health departments for vaccination under PA’s 1b category. In the meantime, if you qualify under the expanded 1a category, I encourage you to seek out a vaccination clinic (on the PA Department of Health website) for the “Fauci ouchie.” A critically important PASSHE issue that has gotten more attention recently is racism on the campuses and the persistent achievement gap between students of color and white students. Spotlight PA has done a series of articles on the topic, and it was also a focus of their recent interview of the Chancellor. As a side note, the interviewer is a recent graduate of East Stroudsburg University and she did an excellent job! Finally, consolidation planning is ongoing. (Note that APSCUF is using the term “consolidation” because it is the word used in Act 50, while “integration” is not.) I first want to express my deep gratitude to those faculty members and coaches who are members of (continued on page 2) www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 1 the consolidation working groups and sub teams for their work, most of which occurred over the semester break. It’s a thankless job, to be sure. To her credit, the Provost meets with Faculty Senate Chair Jackie Knaust and me on a weekly basis to update us on the planning. I feel like I know a lot of details but still have difficulty seeing how it’s all going to come together. PASSHE plans to present a plan to the Board of Governors at their next quarterly meeting on February 15 and 16, and we will send a link to livestream the meeting when it is available. Behind the scenes, state APSCUF is working to make sure that management faithfully follows the requirements of Act 50. If you have questions or comments about any of the items mentioned above, don’t hesitate to share them with your APSCUF department representative, members of the Clarion APSCUF Executive Committee, or me. APSCUF is a member-driven organization and in order to best serve our members, I need to know what’s on your mind. In solidarity, Joyce SPRING 2021 MEETINGS (Please mark your calendars!) EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (EC) Held virtually on Zoom @ 3:30 pm Tuesday, February 2 Tuesday, February 16 Tuesday, March 2 Tuesday, March 16 Tuesday, April 6 Tuesday, April 20* *Note: General Spring Elections DEPARTMENTAL REP COUNCIL Held virtually on Zoom @ 3:30 PM Tuesday, February 9 Tuesday, March 9 Tuesday, April 13 MEET & DISCUSS MEETINGS Held virtually on Zoom @ 3:30 pm Friday, February 12 – Pre-Meet & Discuss Friday, February 19 – Meet & Discuss Friday, March 12 – Pre-Meet & Discuss Friday, March 19 – Meet & Discuss Friday, April 9 – Pre-Meet & Discuss Friday, April 23 – Meet & Discuss Friday, May 14 – Pre-Meet & Discuss Friday, May 21– Meet & Discuss LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Held virtually on Zoom February 5, 2021 April 16, 2021 GENERAL APSCUF & BARGAINING UNIT MEETING is scheduled for Tuesday, March 30, 2021, @ 3:30 pm and will be held virtually on Zoom. This will also include “Meet the Candidates” forum for the 2021 Spring General Elections. Please “pencil in” this meeting on your meeting calendar. Special guest speaker will be Sean Crampsie, APSCUF’s Director of Government Relations. NOTE: General Spring Elections will be held on Monday & Tuesday, April 19 & 20 thru Survey Monkey. ANNOUNCEMENT: On Tuesday, February 9, Chancellor Greenstein will participate in a joint public hearing of the PA House Education and Appropriations Committees to give a quarterly update on consolidation. We will share a livestream link closer to the meeting date. REMINDER: State APSCUF in Harrisburg and our local Chapter Office staff continues to serve you remotely until further notice. They all remain accessible via email and phone. Thank you for your patience as they respond to your communication as soon as they are able. Congratulations and thank you to Sheila Kazar (Biology & Geosciences). She will be serving, along with Natasha Dias, as our representative on the State Adjunct Faculty Committee. She will also be serving on our local APSCUF Executive Committee. WELCOME BACK RETURNING APSCUF MEMBERS!!  Michael Boston – Communications Sciences & Disorders  Jeffrey Hancks – Library Science  Beth McGuire – Library Science January 2021 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 2 HAVE YOU MOVED OVER WINTER BREAK? If so, please be sure to inform Jan in the APSCUF office of your new address. Reporting your new address to Human Resources DOES NOT guarantee that we have received this information. Also Faculty: You will also need to change this with your dental and vision provider, the PA Faculty Health & Welfare Fund. For a new enrollment form, please contact Jan the APSCUF office today at jwalters@clarion.edu. FACULTY/COACH INTERNSHIP OFFERS OPPORUNITIES: State APSCUF's faculty and coaches orientation internship is for APSCUF members who have some local APSCUF responsibility and are interested in expanding a working knowledge of the union. Interns spend a week in the summer in the Harrisburg office to observe the entire spectrum of union administration. They interact with staff members who serve in various capacities. The program aims to prepare APSCUF members for increased local and/or state responsibilities. Click here to download an application and more information about hotels, travel, and meals. Questions? Email Katie Jeffries at kjeffries@apscuf.org . A REMINDER to the new Fall 2020 Part-time Temporary Faculty: If you were a new parttime temporary faculty member for the fall 2020 semester and are returning to Clarion University for the spring 2021 semester, please contact Jan Walters in the APSCUF office for a PA Faculty Health & Welfare Fund enrollment card. YES, you do qualify for partial vision and FULL dental coverage for you have fulfilled the obligation of serving one semester of the previous three semesters. NOTE: THIS IS NO COST TO YOU WHATSOEVER! Just one of the benefits negotiated in APSCUF’s collective bargaining agreement. For detailed coverage for part-time temporary faculty, go into the APSCUF website under forms-benefit at https://www.apscuf.org/members/forms-benefits/ . SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES CLARION APSCUF 2021 FALL SCHOLARSHIPS: Applications are now being accepted for the Fall 2021 Clarion APSCUF Scholarship to be awarded to six (6) Clarion University students. Any student wishing to apply must be currently enrolled at Clarion University with a minimum of 3.2 QPA following completion of the Fall 2020 semester. Eligibility, instructions and application can now be downloaded at www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion . Deadline for submission is Friday, March 19, 2021 @ 12:00 pm. Please feel free to share the direct link to the application: Application for APSCUF Scholarship We are asking once again for you to announce this scholarship to your students in your classes along with posting the above link in each of your D2L course sites. Also, we are asking to please display the enclosed announcement flyer in your department where students can view it. In advance, thank you for your assistance. The Clarion APSCUF Scholarship Committee: Jeffrey Diamond (Chair), Todd Lavin & Helen Hampikian STATE APSCUF SCHOLARSHIP: APSCUF offers a $3,000 scholarship to relatives of APSCUF or APSCURF members in good standing. Click here to download the 2021 scholarship application in Word form, and click here to download a fillable PDF. Applications must be postmarked no later than March 1, 2021, and the committee will award the scholarship(s) in August. Direct questions to APSCUF’s director of membership services at 800-932-0587, Ext. 3021. January 2021 A HEALTHY U REMINDER from Bim Arthun, Director of Membership Services It is not necessary to agree to the HIPAA authorization in Sharecare. It is required that you agree to the ADA/GINA authorization on an annual basis. Let’s back up for a moment. On January 8, the State System emailed faculty and coaches about the 2021 Wellness Year, which runs January 1 through May 31, 2021. For those enrolled in the Highmark PPO, you and your enrolled spouse/domestic partner must complete the Sharecare RealAge Test prior to May 31, 2021, to avoid paying a 10% penalty on your healthcare premiums for the contract year July 1, 2021, through June 30, 3022. A link in the email sends you to the Sharecare platform where you are required to login and complete the ADA/GINA authorization. Once completed, a second screen pops up for the HIPAA authorization. The two screens look the same, and it appears as though you must check the box to continue, but you do not. You may leave the HIPAA authorization blank and simply hit SUBMIT to proceed. For those who elect the HIPAA authorization, Sharecare will have access to your personal health information from the State System, Highmark and/or any healthcare providers (including, without limitation, all physicians, physician groups, hospitals, nursing facilities, pharmacies and other providers (each an “Authorized Organization”). If you elected the HIPAA authorization and would like to withdraw it, you may do so by contacting Sharecare at 1-800-858-9063. -Bim Arthun, Director of Membership Services FACULTY: Please feel free to share the below information to any of your students that may be interested in applying for Government/Public Relations internship at State APSCUF in Harrisburg. Application deadline is February 15, 2021. GOVERNMENT/PUBLIC RELATIONS INTERNSHIP We offer a paid internship in government and public relations for undergraduates attending a Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education university. The APSCUF internship is a great opportunity for a student interested in government, politics, public affairs, journalism or communications. APSCUF interns must be professional, selfmotivated and skilled communicators. Our recent interns have gone on to jobs in the legislature, lobbying and the news media (see Where are the APSCUF interns now?). We are seeking a junior or senior majoring in political science, communications, journalism or a related field to serve as a government relations/communications intern at the state APSCUF office building at 319 N. Front St. in Harrisburg. The student internship must be for academic credit under the supervision of a State System university faculty member. The successful applicant should have strong knowledge of government workings, as well as excellent oral and written communication skills. APSCUF will pay $11 per hour, and interns are expected to work 35 hours each week, Monday through Friday. Click here to download the summer 2021 internship application. Upcoming and current internships:  The summer 2021 internship begins Tuesday, June 1, and concludes Friday, Aug. 6, 2021. The application deadline is Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. For more information, please contact Kathryn Morton, communications director. YMCA MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNT: Receive a membership discount when you join the Clarion County Scenic Rivers YMCA in Clarion. Present your membership card OR your Member Verification Certificate provided to you by the Clarion APSCUF office to the YMCA Member Service Desk and receive a special discount on your membership. Know that your membership is for both the Oil City and Clarion County YMCAs! January 2021 Nominating Petitions packets will be sent via Email the week of February 1st. All Nominating Petitions must be returned by 4 PM, THURSDAY, MARCH 18 to Rachel Newbury, N & E Chair at rnewbury@clarion.edu. GENERAL SPRING 2021 ELECTION CALENDAR  Week of February 1: Nominating petitions sent to faculty and coaches electronically thru campus emails  Thursday, March 18: Nominating petitions due by 4 pm to Rachel Newbury, Nominations and Elections Committee Chair @ rnewbury@clarion.edu and to Jan Walters, Office Manager @ jwalters@clarion.edu  Friday, March 26: Candidate Statements due from candidates to be published in the Clarion APSCUF April Newsletter (e-mail to jwalters@clarion.edu)  Tuesday, March 30: “Meet the Candidates” Forum @ 3:30 pm on Zoom - Candidates introduced; comments and questions  Week of April 5 & 12: E-mail reminders of the Spring 2021 Election to be held through Survey Monkey. Included will be the slate of candidates and their statements.  *Monday, April 19: Ballots sent for voting through Survey Monkey @ 6:00 am to campus e-mails.  *Tuesday, April 20: Voting continues through Survey Monkey. Polls close at 4:00 pm.  Tuesday, April 20: Verification of winners by N&E Committee. Announcement of winners. *Note that the General Spring 2021 Elections will be held in conjunction with the Faculty Senate Elections on April 19 and 20, 2021 through Survey Monkey. The Faculty Senate Elections will be a separate e-mail ballot. The Following Faculty and Coaches positions are open. (Please review Qualification & Functions Summary) APSCUF OFFICERS & COMMITTEE:  President: 1 two-year term  Vice President: 1 two-year term  Secretary: 1 one-year term  Treasurer: 1 one-year term  Delegates to Legislative Assembly: 1 two-year term  Alternate Delegate to Legislative: 3 two-year term  Nominations and Elections Committee: 2 twoyear term  Venango Campus Representative: 1 one-year term January 2021 UNIVERSITY-WIDE CONTRACTUAL COMMITTEES:  Promotion Committee: 3 three-year term  Sabbatical Leave Committee: 2 three-year term  Tenure Committee: 2 three-year term  CCPS: 2 three-year term APSCUF COACHES’ POSITIONS:  COACHES’ PRESIDENT – 2-year term (Delegate to Legislative Assemblies)  COACHES’ VICE PRESIDENT – 2-year term (Alternate Delegate to Legislative Assemblies)  COACHES’ ALTERNATE – 2-year term (Alternate to the Coaches’ President & Vice President)  COACHES’ GRIEVANCE CHAIR – 2-y