Phone: (814) 227-2420 www.apscuf.org August/September 2020 Executive Committee: President – Joyce Overly; Vice President – t/b/d; 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 Temporary Faculty Committee – Natasha Dias; State APSCUF Executive Council – Joyce Overly Faculty Meet & Discuss Team: Joyce Overly, Barry Sweet, Adam Roberts, Mark Kilwein, Jennifer May, Mary Buchanan Coaches Meet & Discus Team: Chris Weibel, Matt Hanhold, Keith Ferraro, Eric Laughlin, Joyce Overly & Chapter Vice President- t/b/d WELCOME BACK FACULTY & COACHES!! The President’s Message… Dear Clarion APSCUF Brothers and Sisters, For almost every year of my life since kindergarten, the month of August has meant “back to school,” and this year is no different. At the same time, it is an August like no other, for many reasons that we are all acutely aware of. The tragic national and global events of the past six months have upended any sense of normalcy. As my 76-year-old mother said to me recently, “I’ve never lived through anything remotely like this.” Before I address the challenges that APSCUF and Clarion University will be grappling with over the next few months and beyond, I want to extend a heartfelt “Thank you” to outgoing Clarion APSCUF Chapter President Ray Feroz and wish him a happy and healthy retirement. When APSCUF experienced its first-ever strike in Ray’s first semester as president, his astute and unflappable leadership helped see us through those long days. For that and his wise guidance in the years since, we are grateful! It is impossible to overstate the difficulties that lie ahead of us at Clarion and across PASSHE. The two most immediate issues are retrenchment and integration with California University. In this letter, I want to focus on retrenchment; I’ll write more in the next newsletter about integration. On May 28, Clarion APSCUF received a letter formally notifying us that “Clarion University of Pennsylvania (Clarion University) may need to retrench faculty due to changes in finances at the conclusion of the 2020-2021 academic year.” The letter does NOT mean retrenchment is inevitable, only that it is a possibility, and it sets in motion a process of sharing data about university finances, enrollment, and personnel, and seeking alternatives to retrenchment. Toward that end, the local APSCUF Meet-and-Discuss team and a state APSCUF Labor Relations Director met with management during the summer. Unfortunately, at this time the retrenchment letter is still on the table. Be assured that APSCUF is pushing back hard at both the local and state level. The retrenchment process (now underway at 10 PASSHE universities) seems to be driven by the requirement to achieve student-faculty ratios established by Chancellor Dan Greenstein. The chancellor set the target for each university at its ratio from 2011, a high-water point for most of us. It is an absurd, arbitrary metric that is not mentioned in the CBA as an allowable reason for retrenchment. Furthermore, management at Clarion has said they (Continued on page 2) August/September 2020 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 1 do not yet have any plans or guidelines in place to identify which departments or faculty members they are targeting for retrenchment, despite multiple requests for this information at M&D. Then, on July 16, the Chancellor proposed, and the Board of Governors approved, exploration of the integration of Clarion with California University. The first step in this process is for the universities to do a financial analysis of the proposed integration, to be submitted to the BOG by October 15. In response, our M&D team requested that the retrenchment letter be withdrawn, considering the many unknowns of the integration process. Management stated that they intend to move forward with retrenchment and refused to pull the letter. That is where things stand as I write this. This situation is distressing and demoralizing, to be sure. The thing that gives me hope is our solidarity. I don’t know how all of this is going to turn out, but I do know that our resourcefulness, intelligence, diligence, and support for each other are formidable and will see us through. In solidarity, Joyce GOOD-BYE AND SO LONG! Past President’s Final Thoughts Upon Retirement… Dear Colleagues, Well, it is August 14 and today I officially retire. I pay attention to signs. Exactly 50 years ago I finished my sophomore year at home via US Mail following the Kent State shootings, and 50 years later I finished my spring classes at home online following the COVID-19 pandemic. Unusual bookends to encapsulate a career! And I could not have been more blessed across those 50 years. It has been my honor to serve as your Chapter president during the past 4 years. We have learned that difficult times can bring out the best in people. Clarion University, and indeed the entire SSHE, face difficult times once again. But as sure as we overcame the challenges of 2016, we can overcome them again, creating a new and improved system, built on a solid foundation for the 21st century. APSCUF is a member-run union. We do not have a management company running the show, nor an executive director who may or may not have university experience. We have an elected president and officers at the university and state levels, and serious member input in all that we do. Recognizing that we are member driven, I would like to close by thanking everyone who has served in APSCUF leadership and committees during my tenure. Our officers Joyce Overly (VP), Linda Lillard (Treasurer), and Chris McCarrick (Secretary) are incredible. The members of our Meet and Discuss Team have faithfully and resolutely represented the faculty point of view to management: Barry Sweet (Spokesperson), Joyce Overly, Mark Kilwein (Grievance Chair), Adam Roberts, Jen May, Mary Buchanan (DRC Chair), and Chris McCarrick. Our Executive Committee provides guidance to the day-to-day operations and I have been blessed to have these members, in addition to our other aforementioned officers, serving during AY 19-20 and some from past EC’s: Jamie Phillips, Amy Shannonhouse, Annette Rosati, Amy Love, Jon Touster, Joseph Croskey, Lorie Taylor, Andy Lingwall, Paul Klenowski, Mark Lepore, Renee Bloom, Jackie Knaust, Natasha Dias, Cristin Ketley, Ellen Foster, Jane Walsh, Bell O’Neil, Chris Weibel, Matt Hanhold, Eric Laughlin, Karl Sprenger, YooJin Ha, Carey Childers, and Marilyn Howe. (Continued on page 3) August/September 2020 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 2 And where would I be without Jan Walters? If I ever seemed organized, it was because of Jan Walter’s superb planning and shepherding skills. Thanks Jan! Finally, rarely does a chapter have someone ready to assume the chapter presidency as well-prepared as Joyce Overly, who has served in recent years on the state APSCUF Executive Committee. I know Clarion APSCUF is in good hands. Thanks for your support and forbearance during my tenure as your chapter president. The term Solidarity will always have a sacred meaning in my heart because of you. In solidarity always, Ray FALL 2020 MEETINGS (Please mark your calendars!) EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (EC) Held virtually on Zoom @ 3:30 pm Tuesday, September 8 Tuesday, September 22 Tuesday, October 6 Tuesday, October 20 Tuesday, November 3 Tuesday, November 17 dEPARTMENTAL REP COUNCIL Held virtually on Zoom @ 3:30 PM Tuesday, September 15 Tuesday, October 13 Tuesday, November 10 MEET & DISCUSS @ 2:30 pm t/b/d GENERAL MEMBERSHIP & BU MEETINGS Tuesday, September 29– Held virtually on Zoom @ 3:30 pm (Campus visit – State APSCUF President Jamie Martin) LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLIES September, 19, 2020 - Held virtually on Zoom @ 10 am February 6-8, 2020 (Radisson, Camp Hill, PA) April 16-18, 2020 (Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey Hotel, Harrisburg) Fall Faculty Meeting/APSCUF Bargaining Unit Meeting will be held on Thursday, September 3, 2020 starting at 6:30 pm on Zoom. All active faculty and coaches are part of the Bargaining Unit and ALL are invited to participate. The Fall Faculty Meeting will include President Pehrsson providing a university update; Provost Gent will recognize faculty who have been promoted, granted tenure or are returning sabbatical leave; and new faculty and coaches will be introduced to the university community. Following the fall faculty meeting, the APSCUF Bargaining Unit Meeting will meet in which information will be shared about the issues that APSCUF is working on. So please mark you meeting calendar and join your colleagues at this event! It’s a great way to begin the new academic year! ATTENTION ALL APSCUF MEMBERS (Faculty & Coaches): The Clarion APSCUF General Membership Meeting will be held virtually on Zoom on Tuesday, September 29th @ 3:30 pm. State APSCUF President, Jamie Martin will be our guest speaker at this meeting. Light refreshments will NOT be served, but you certainly can have your own eats and drinks during the meeting. Please mark your meeting calendars and make an effort to attend this meeting. NOTE: Included on the Membership Meeting Agenda will be voting to approve APSCUF Appointees along with changes in our local APSCUF By-Laws which are inserted in this newsletter. August/September 2020 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 3 APSCUF’s September Assembly to be held virtually: For the health and safety of delegates and officers, APSCUF's September legislative assembly will be held via Zoom. The regularly two-day event will be condensed into one day, Friday, Sept. 18 starting at 10:00 am.. Before your campus representatives log into the meeting, please take a moment to contact them and share the issues of importance to you. We want you to have a voice in your union. Academic Pay Year Adjustment for 2020-2021 AY a/k/a Payless Pay Date: Effective for the 2020-2021 AY, a pay period adjustment will occur to realign the academic year pay dates with the calendar year. To accomplish this adjustment, the initial pay period for the AY will be moved forward by one pay period. If you are on a 26-pay cycle, your last pay for this year will be August 28, 2020. All faculty members, both 20- and 26- pay options, will receive their first pay check for the 2020-2021 AY on September 25, 2020. No paycheck will be issued on the pay date of September 11, 2020. Please note that you will receive all compensation to which you are entitled for the academic year. Any question on this, please contact our Human Resources office. NOTE: State APSCUF and Chapter Office staff continues to serve you remotely until further notice. They remain accessible via phone and email. Thank you for your patience as we respond to your communication as soon as we are able. ARE YOU TRYING TO FIND ALL THE PROMOTION, TENURE, SABBATICAL LEAVE AND/OR EVALUATIONS INFORMATION AND MATERIALS? Go to the Clarion APSCUF webpage at www.apscuf.org/universties/clarion and click onto “Documentation Center” (right-hand side). For a quick reference, please place this in your “favorites”. Note that all materials are updated on the web when received from each university-wide committee chair. University-wide Contractual Committee Chairs Tenure Chair – Adam Roberts CCPS Chair – Barry Sweet Promotion Co-Chairs – Helen Hampikian Sabbatical Leave Chair – Leah Chambers For a complete listing of all the members of the university-wide contractual committees, go to www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion . Members list is also included in this newsletter. -ANNOUNCEMENTSPECIAL ELECTION: VACANCY FOR THE OFFICE OF CHAPTER VICE PRESIDENT & VOTING INFORMATION The Clarion APSCUF Nominations and Elections Committee are pleased to announce the following slate of candidates for the office of Chapter Vice President. Please find attached their candidate statements.    Lacey Fulton (Communication) Mark Kilwein (Counseling, Human Services, Rehab & Criminal Justice) Paul Woodburne (Social Sciences) VOTING: This Special Election to fill the vacancy of the office of Chapter Vice President will take place thru Survey Monkey and ballots will be sent to campus email addresses. Voting will be held from Tuesday, September 1 starting at 6:00 am thru Wednesday, September 2 with the poll closing at 4:00 pm. If you have any questions about this special election process, please contact N&E Chair Rachel Newbury at rnewbury@clarion.edu. Thank you, all, for your interest in serving our union and our university community. Best wishes, Rachel Newbury, N & E Chair, Paul Klenowski, Amanda Lockwood, Natasha Dias, Xiaofeng Li August/September 2020 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 4 WELCOME New & Returning APSCUF Members!!      Cathy Allgeier – Finance, Accounting & Real Estate Drew Williams – Visual & Performing Arts Emily Meyer-Stewart – Counseling, Human Services, Rehab & Criminal Justice Coach Alexa Ream – Head Women’s Soccer Coach Vinny Rizzo – Assistant Football APSCUF MEMBERSHIP – APSCUF Membership is open to ALL active faculty and coaches - Tenured, TenureTrack, Full-time Temporary, and Part-time Temporary. If you are not yet a member, please join us in our efforts. APSCUF is the sole voice for protecting the rights of faculty and coaches giving you the best working environment possible. Be a member — and be an active and contributing member. Signup and get involved today! To request a membership application, please contact Jan Walters in the APSCUF office at jwalters@clarion.edu . APSCUF MEMBERS: ARE YOU REGISTERED FOR APSCUF’s “MEMBERS ONLY” SITE?? To register for Members only         Log onto the APSCUF website at www.apscuf.org At the center of the home page find the ‘Members Only’ section Then click onto ‘REGISTER NOW’ Complete the username fields Read guidelines and chose ‘I accept’ Fill in form as described Hit ‘submit’ You will see an email that reads “Welcome to Members Only” site. It will include your username and state that your account is currently inactive and will need to be approved by an administrator at State APSCUF before you can log in. Another email will be sent when this has occurred. Your password will be securely stored in APSCUF’s database and cannot be retrieved. In the event that it is forgotten, you will be able to reset it using the email address associated with your account.  Second email will be sent to the State APSCUF administrator so that that person can activate the account. This may take a day or so.  Once this occurs a second email will be sent to you saying that you can now log in. Once you enter the “Members Only” site, you can find information on Special Services for full-dues paying members such as discounts from Verizon Wireless, AT&T and T-Mobile, rent-a-car discounts with National and Alamo, magazines and lots more. So sign up today!! http://www.apscuf.org/members/forms-and-benefits/special-services YMCA MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNT: Receive a membership discount when you join the new Clarion County Scenic Rivers YMCA in Clarion. Present your membership card OR your Member Verification Certificate from 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! HAVE YOU MOVED OVER THE SUMMER? 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. 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. August/September 2020 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 5 PA FACULTY HEALTH & WELFARE FUND INFORMATION (faculty only) PA Faculty Health & Welfare Fund 60 Boulevard of the Allies, 5th Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15222 Phone: (844) 865-1137 Fax: (412) 224-4465 pafaculty@cdsadmin.com REMINDER: Please be sure to take your dental (United Concordia Dental) or vision (National Vision Administration) ID card with you when you go on your appointment. They will need your ID number to process your paperwork with UCCI and NVA. ATTENTION PART-TIME TEMPS: ARE YOU ELIGIBLE FOR PA FACULTY HEALTH & WELFARE FUND BENEFITS – faculty’s vision & dental provider?? Part-Time Faculty: In order to qualify for benefit reimbursement, you must have worked at least 25% of full-time in any one (1) of the preceding three (3) semesters. The benefit package shall be provided after the initial waiting period of one (1) semester served, and thereafter, so long as benefit claims are incurred while part-time Faculty is employed. Part-Time Faculty who works 25% to 49% of full-time is eligible for member only benefits. Part-Time Faculty who works 50% to 99% of full-time is eligible for member benefits and their lawful spouses or samesex domestic partner is eligible for benefits. For more details and information on eligibility, go to www.apscuf.org or contact our Health and Welfare Fund Officer, Amy Shannonhouse. Note that this is NO COST to you for PASSHE pays your premium to The Fund. If you do qualify and have not yet completed a Health & Welfare Fund enrollment card, please contact Jan Walters in the APSCUF Office at jwalters@clarion.edu . REVISED LIST - FACULTY RETIREMENTS Best Wishes to our 2019-2020 Retirees                   Dr. Stephen Agyei-Mensah, Computer Information Science Dr. Jerry Belloit, Finance (January 2020) Dr. Nancyann Falvo, Nursing Dr. John Heard, Chemistry, Mathematics & Physics(August 2019) Dr. Ray Feroz, Counseling, Human Services, Rehab & Criminal Justice Dr. Anthony Grenci - Accountacy Dr. Christina Hearst, Student Support Faculty Dr. Ralph Leary, English & Modern Languages (January 2020) Dr. Herbert Luthin, English & Modern Languages Dr. John McCullough, Education Dr. Mark Mitchell, Psychology Ms. Michele Pedlow, Trio Student Support Services Mr. James Rose, Visual & Performing Arts Dr. Thomas Rourke, Social Sciences Dr. Richard Sabousky, Special Education Dr. Jocelynn Smrekar, Education Dr. Lisa Turner, Special Education Dr. Craig Zamzow, Biology & Geosciences Unfortunately due to the Coronavirus, the spring Retirement Reception was postponed. Once the social distancing has been lifted, new plans for a celebration will follow. August/September 2020 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 6 REVISED LIST - DEPARTMENT NAMES & CHAIRS Congratulations & Best Wishes to the following individuals! Department Name Biology and Geosciences Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics Computer Information Sciences Communication Counseling, Human Services, Rehabilitation and Criminal Justice Communication Sciences and Disorders Education English and Modern Languages Finance, Accounting & Real Estate Information and Library Science Library Services Management and Marketing Nursing Nutrition, Health & Sport Science Psychology Social Sciences Special Education Student Affairs Faculty Student Support Services Visual and Performing Arts Chair Name Andrew Keth Adam Roberts Jeffrey Childs Lacey Fulton Jennifer May Kristina Dworek Jesse Haight Leah Chambers Jeffrey Eicher Linda Lillard Mary Buchanan Tony Johns Deb Kelly Doug Knepp Jeanne Slattery Barry Sweet Lorie Taylor Wendy Snodgrass Joseph Croskey Casey Teske ANNOUNCEMENTS NEW TENURE-TRACK FACULTY Welcome new tenure-track faculty for the Fall Semester 2020!  Bill Adams – Communication  Natasha Dias – Biology & Geosciences  Gary Williams – Management & Marketing TENURE GRANTED Congratulations to the following faculty who have been granted Tenure effective the Fall Semester 2020!       Jennifer Barch – Student Affairs Faculty – Counseling Laurie Bladen – Nursing Donna Falsetti – Nursing Kristina Dworek – Communication Sciences & Disorders Kristen Curreri– Nutrition, Health & Sport Science Jane Walsh – Social Sciences August/September 2020 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 7 PROMOTIONS ANNOUNCED Congratulations to the following faculty who have been granted Promotions effective Fall Semester 2020! INSRUCTOR TO ASSISTANT PROFESSOR  Laurie Pierce – Nursing  Rachel Newbury – Libraries  Brianna Steele – Student Affairs Faculty - Counseling ASSISTANT TO ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR      Jane Walsh – Social Sciences Kate Overmoyer – Chemistry, Mathematics & Physics Annette Rosati – English & Modern Languages Laurie Bladen – Nursing Ambreena Siddiq – Chemistry, Mathematics & Physics ASSOCIATE TO FULL PROFESSOR           Mark Lepore – Counseling, Human Service, Rehab & Criminal Justice Peggy Apple – Education Amy Love – Special Education Young-Gyoung Kim – Special Education Dan Shifflet - Chemistry, Mathematics & Physics Wendy Snodgrass – Student Affairs Faculty - Athletics Dan Clark - Chemistry, Mathematics & Physics Mary Pat McCarthy – Communication Science & Disorders Stephen Johnson - Chemistry, Mathematics & Physics (Music!) Uraina Pack - English & Modern Languages SABBATICAL LEAVES GRANTED for 2020-2021 AY Congratulations to the following faculty who were granted Sabbatical Leave during the 2021-2022 Academic Year!  Jonathan Touster – Chemistry, Mathematics & Physics  Stephen Johnson - Chemistry, Mathematics & Physics  Kevan Yenerall – Social Sciences (Spring 2022)  Catherine Petrissans – Social Sciences  Andy Lingwall- Communication (Spring 2022)  Ellen Foster- English & Modern Languages  Sandra Trejos – Social Sciences (Fall 2021)  Linda Lillard – Library Science (Spring 2022)  Dipendra Bhattacharya- Chemistry, Mathematics & Physics (Spring 2022)  Dana Madison - Chemistry, Mathematics & Physics (Spring 2022) Best wishes to the following faculty who were granted Sabbatical Leave during the 2020-2021 Academic Year!        David Hipfel – Chemistry, Mathematics & Physics Doug Knepp – Nutrition, Health & Sport Sciences (Spring 2020) Miguel Olivas-Lujan – Marketing & Management Yun Shao – English & Modern Languages Phil Terman – English & Modern Languages Leah Chambers – English & Modern Languages (Fall 2020) Uraina Pack – English & Modern Languages (Fall 2020) August/September 2020 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 8 LOCAL APSCUF BY-LAW CHANGE – To be voted on by the membership at the General Membership Meeting to be held virtually on Zoom, Tuesday, September 29, 2020 at 3:30 pm. The Zoom link for this meeting will be sent to your campus email prior to the meeting. August/September 2020 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 9 August/September 2020 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 10 August/September 2020 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 11 August/September 2020 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 12 August/September 2020 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 13 August/September 2020 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 14 August/September 2020 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 15 August/September 2020 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 16 August/September 2020 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 17 August/September 2020 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 18 August/September 2020 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 19 August/September 2020 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 20 August/September 2020 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 21