POSTED BY SUE RAMLO

A couple of months ago, the Provost’s office sent faculty, through their deans, a survey, asking us what we thought the criteria for firings should be. Akron-AAUP saw this for what it was: direct dealing with faculty, and a failed attempt to legitimize the gutting of the faculty. At the time, none of us saw the administration’s plan for faculty cuts as an act worth supporting. We believe that this was a divisive move by the administration to deflect responsibility for their own actions and to pit anxious faculty against each other. The faculty did not allow themselves to be duped by this tactic.

Nothing should change today: The Administration is still working to undercut the institution’s moral values and academic integrity, and to divide the faculty. No one should support this. Faculty were laid off with no justification/rationale, no hearing, no severance (without an arm-twisting promise of not suing), nor sufficient notice. Because some of us were not on the list does not change the fact that the administration’s actions are an unconscionable assault on due process agreed to in the current University of Akron (UA)-Akron AAUP contract..

As colleagues, we ask that you do not allow the university to simply discard us. Do not let your hard-working colleagues be forced to leave their academic careers in such a disgraceful and unwarranted manner. We need to be united for our students and the future of UA.

There is too much misinformation. We hear (thankfully few) voices starting to say out loud that now that they are not on the list, force majeure is actually the best solution.  Let’s not delude ourselves into believing this is true. . On the contrary, the fact remains that other solutions to this financial crisis  are possible, and it is apparent to everyone that COVID-19 is not the primary cause of the university’s financial problems

Let the arbitrator mandate our rightful treatment. Let us keep the university  an academic institution upholding  the values of truth and integrity that have been a part of its reputation for 150 years. Let’s not contribute to the shameful activities of the Administration by ratifying this insulting contract.  Rather than help to stabilize the university, ratification will repulse students, faculty, and staff. You know it is true; if this  agreement is ratified, the remaining faculty  will start looking for  new jobs because they know they may well be on the next RIF list. Students as well are too savvy to want to attend an institution that doesn’t value its faculty and staff.

Is that something worth sacrificing others for?

Please vote “no” to keep our beloved University of Akron  a place worth working for, a place with pride that students want to attend. Vote “no” just as you would have had you not seen the list. Vote “no” just as you would want others  to do if you were on the list.  Many of us on the list are in the prime of our careers honest, hard-working faculty, devoted to our students, our departments, and the university,  who are not being fired for cause. We do not deserve to be treated this way.

The Faculty Hit List Community