Phone: (814) 227-2420 www.apscuf.org October 2021 Executive Committee: President – Joyce Overly; Vice President – Mark Kilwein; Secretary – Christopher McCarrick; Treasurer – Xiaofeng Li; Delegates –Joyce Overly, Jennifer May, Annette Rosati, Barry Sweet, Lorie Taylor; Alternate Delegates – Ellen Foster, Jonathan Touster, Cristin Ketley, Nripendra Singh, Karl Sprenger; 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 (rec. sec.) *Coaches Meet & Discus Team: Chris Weibel, Matt Hanhold, Keith Ferraro, Eric Laughlin, Joyce Overly & Mark Kilwein The President’s Message… Dear Clarion APSCUF Colleagues, For this month’s President’s Message, I decided to begin by sharing comments from Sam Claster, Edinboro APSCUF Chapter President. He says exactly what I want to say, but better than I would have: Over the past month, I have been searching for the words to describe this particular moment in our institutional history and in our professional careers. Alas, nothing I come up with seems to properly capture the unique mix of daily concern for safety, of the massive increase in each of our workloads, and the general sense of loss that many faculty have been feeling. These feelings and the accompanying lack of morale among faculty needs to be acknowledged and processed. I do not intend to belabor the point, but to get to a healthy institutional space, we need to be honest about where we are as a university in order to begin processing what can only be described as collective grief. We have experienced the real loss of good departmental colleagues, and we are experiencing the potential of loss of departmental and academic identity as we hurl toward New U, along with the overall feeling that the University experience, and in particular the classroom experience, may never be quite what it was pre-COVID. There is also, of course, the general concern for the future of Edinboro’s campus as it becomes part of a new organization. These are all reasonable emotional reactions to what has become a perfect storm of institutional challenges. As such, disconnecting from the everyday of the job is a temping and also reasonable behavioral response to such institutional trauma, but I urge you—this is not the time to give up, but rather a time to shape a new institution into the space and places our students and our colleagues wish it to be. Every month, I receive newsletters from the APSCUF chapters at our sister schools. As I read them, I notice many of the same issues and concerns that we have at Clarion—and Sam’s comments are a good example. I hope we can keep that in mind as we move forward on the formidable and complex process of building a new university from three distinct institutions. The most immediate academic tasks related to consolidation are (1) electing chairs for the new departments; (2) assembling an interim curriculum committee; and (3) developing curricula for the programs at New U. Processes for all of these are outlined in the side letters that were approved by the Board of Governors in September. Be assured that your leaders at local and state APSCUF are monitoring these processes closely! I speak a couple times a week (Continued on page 2) October 2021 www.apscuf.org/clarion 1 with Sam Claster and Craig Smith, California APSCUF President. In addition, the six chapter presidents of the integrating universities meet regularly with State APSCUF President Jamie Martin. The integration of Clarion with CalU and Edinboro is moving forward and the faculty must use its collective experience and insights to help New U be a success. At the same time, we have a collective bargaining agreement that management must respect. A final thought: A few other APSCUF members and I spent a couple hours this morning walking the picket line with members of the Redbank Valley Education Association. They have been on strike for five weeks and had been working without a contract for over 800 days. As I walked and chatted with the teachers, I was reminded of the solidarity and mutual support that are a hallmark of the labor movement, and reinvigorated for the challenges that lie ahead as we negotiate our “new normal” in the face of covid-19 and university integrations. Together, we got this! In solidarity, FALL 2021 MEETINGS (Please mark your calendars!) EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (EC) @ 3:30 pm Tuesday, October 19 Tuesday, November 2 Tuesday, November 16 Tuesday, November 30 MEET & DISCUSS @ 2:30 pm Wednesday, October 6 @ 2:30 pm – Pre-Meet & Discuss Friday, October 15 @ 2:30 pm – Meet & Discuss Friday, November 12 @ 2:30 pm – Pre-Meet & Discuss Friday, November 19 @ 2:30 pm – Meet & Discuss DEPARTMENTAL REP COUNCIL @ 3:30 pm Tuesday, October 12 Tuesday, November 9 MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS & GATHERINGS *State APSCUF President Jamie Martin campus visit Wednesday, October 27 @ 4 pm. - location t/b/d * APSCUF Labor Relations Representative Sara Miller virtual campus visit - Thursday, October 28 from 8:30 am– 5:00 pm *Clarion APSCUF’s End-of-the-Semester Holiday Gathering – Thursday, December 9 @ 4 pm at CRBC (tentative) LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLIES February 17-19, 2022 (Sheraton, Harrisburg) April 7-8, 2022 (Sheraton, Harrisburg) ANNOUNCEMENTS: CAMPUS VISITS State APSCUF President Jamie Martin will be making a campus visit to Clarion University on Wednesday, October 27 at 4:00 pm. Location is to be announced. Jamie will give us updates on Integration Negotiations and other APSCUF issues. Bring your questions along, enjoy some light refreshments and welcome Jamie to our campus! Sara Miller, our representative from State APSCUF’s Labor Relations Department, will hold “virtual” office hours for our campus on Thursday, October 28, 2021. If you have issues, questions or just simply want to put a face to the name, please contact Sara Miller at smiller@apscuf.org to set up a one-on-one appointment. Sara will then provide you with a Zoom link for a meeting with her between the hours of 8:30 am and 5 pm. Fall 2021 Supplemental Payments (see pages 11-13) Overload & Related Payments - November 5, 2021, paycheck Distance Education - December 12, 2021, paycheck October 2021 www.apscuf.org/clarion 2 WELCOME New & Returning APSCUF Members!! ❖ Nicholas Barilar – Visual & Performing Arts ❖ Kristin Knapp – Nursing ❖ Adam Romanik – Library Science 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! WE LOVE OUR STUDENT ATHLETES!! Again, this year, Clarion APSCUF is proud to be a sponsor in the Golden Eagle Athletic Partnership, a corporate sponsorship supporting Clarion University athletic teams. Check out our sign at Clarion University Memorial Stadium! WE ARE CLARION PROUD! GO GOLDEN EAGLES!! Clarion APSCUF Fall 2021 Scholarships Awarded Again, CONGRATULATIONS to the following APSCUF Scholarship winners who were awarded $500 each for the Fall 2021 semester. The scholarship winners were recommended by the APSCUF Scholarship Committee and were approved at the Executive Committee meeting on April 6, 2021. Left to Right: *APSCUF Child: Miriam Terman (English Secondary Education) *Graduate: Sarah Traver (Speech Language Pathology) *Senior: Kaia Rearick (Molecular Biology) *Junior: Kathryn Robinson (Secondary Education – English & Social Students) *Freshman/Sophomore: Mackenzie Carver (Biology) *At Large: Olivia Mott – Secondary Education – English & Social Studies) THANK YOU! to the members of last year’s Clarion APSCUF Scholarship Committee: Dr. Jeffrey Diamond (Chair), Dr. Todd Lavin and Dr. Helen Hampikian. These scholarships have been made possible by the faculty and coaches of APSCUF. October 2021 www.apscuf.org/clarion 3 ANNOUNCEMENT: FALL 2021 SPECIAL ELECTION RESULTS The Clarion APSCUF Nominations and Elections Committee is pleased to announce the results of the Special Election for the two vacancies on the University-wide Promotion Committee. Congratulations to Lacey Fulton (Communication) – 3-year term Congratulations to Dan Clark (Mathematics, Chemistry & Physics)- 1-year term Thank you to all who participated in the election. Your contributions are appreciated. October 2021 www.apscuf.org/clarion 4 October 2021 www.apscuf.org/clarion 5 Check your voter registration or register now online to make sure you are prepared for the next election in your area. Here is the link to the Official Pennsylvania Voter website: DOS Voting & Election Information (pa.gov) Deadline Alert: October 18, 2021, is the last day to register before the November 2, 2021, election. 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 MEMBER BENEFIT: Retirement Overview available If you are considering taking advantage of the Enhanced Sick Leave Payout in which the deadline has been extended to November 15, 2021, or are curious about retirement in general, APSCUF is pleased to offer an opportunity for members to attend a virtual retirement overview. Bim Arthun, APSCUF's director of membership services, will present the overview based on the most common questions that potential retirees ask about benefits. The subject areas include the Annuitant Health Care Program (AHCP), dental and vision benefits in retirement, and deferring your sick-leave payout. Information about the phased-retirement program will be made available following the general overview. Bim Arthun Members may attend the following session. Information for attending this meeting is available on the Members-only benefits page (login required) under the Members menu at APSCUF | Association of Pennsylvania State College & University Faculties: • Tuesday, October 19, from 4–5:30 p.m. (Zoom login information at https://www.apscuf.org/membership-login/ ) Now if you are unable to attend any of these dates, feel free to contact Bim to schedule a one-on-one meeting. Email her at barthun@apscuf.org. 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 2021 www.apscuf.org/clarion 6 October 2021 www.apscuf.org/clarion 7 October 2021 www.apscuf.org/clarion 8 A BLAST FROM THE PAST!! And YES, we actually survived!! As the 5th Anniversary approaches us of the Fall 2016 Faculty Strike, October 19-21, 2016, we look back on those three days out on the streets of Clarion and Venango Campus with our fellow union brother and sisters in SOLIDARITY! The below and the following page is from our local Clarion APSCUF October 2016 newsletter. October 2021 www.apscuf.org/clarion 9 October 2021 www.apscuf.org/clarion 10 October 2021 www.apscuf.org/clarion 11 October 2021 www.apscuf.org/clarion 12 October 2021 www.apscuf.org/clarion 13