After the Administration's terrible PR kerfuffle on the SIUC Facebook page, the DE now confirms what many of us suspected: The Administration wasn't just interested in suppressing the freedom of speech, but also the freedom of the press. I am very proud of the ways the DE has resisted this pressure; the DE is not, primarily, a recruitment tool -- except in the ways having an award-winning college newspaper, recognized for its investigative journalism, might attract quality students here. Read the "Our Word" editorial here:
http://dailyegyptian.com/2011/11/06/university-students-relations-hindered-during-rocky-times/
Meanwhile, our local media has been similarly silent, misinformed, our outright wrong about this strike. Gary Metro at The Southern is of the opinion that, of all the passing cars at the pickets, "a larger group of motorists responded with silent stares or insulting hand gestures." This is not the experience of anyone actually on the picket line. I also personally had to inform a SI reporter that not all folks honoring the strike were on the picket line -- it was news to him on day two that picketers were a subset of overall strikers.
If you get outside of the very local community, the media becomes a little more informed and a little more even-handed. For example, check out the way the Chicago Tribune covered the first day of the strike:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-tenured-faculty-strike-at-siu-carbondale-20111103,0,5019450.story
But hey, it is good to know that in the wake of SIUC Facebook page censoring the Administration is figuring out a social media policy. Let us hope it shows a balanced recognition of the need to be open and transparent rather than to use "image control" to justify censorship, false promises, and lies.
I'm back on the line again today. I won't be checking back in here until this evening. Other bloggers may post across the day. For everyone's sake, let us hope this is the last day of this strike.
Monday, November 7, 2011
18 comments:
I will review and post comments as quickly as I can. Comments that are substantive and not vicious will be posted promptly, including critical ones. "Substantive" here means that your comment needs to be more than a simple expression of approval or disapproval. "Vicious" refers to personal attacks, vile rhetoric, and anything else I end up deeming too nasty to post.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
True, the administration's information policies have been dumb, absurd and full of misinformation. Just as FA's have been equally dumb, absurd and full of misinformation.
ReplyDeleteNow we're down to blaming the media...
ReplyDelete"Johnson said Wednesday night at a press conference the union rejected the pay raises and gave a proposal that says if the university increases revenue the money would go to the faculty."
ReplyDeleteLooks like the FA is trying to throw the other 3 unions and every other non FA employee under the bus.
Read more: http://dailyegyptian.com/2011/11/06/negotiations-continue-with-faculty-association/#ixzz1d29PZwVv
9:29--Doesn't sound like you know anything about the deals that the other unions have already agreed to.
ReplyDeleteBesides the AAUP policy, which seems a good compromise position, one possibility would be to accept a short term contract with a no-lay off side letter. An agreement to July 1013 would be better. Even a contract to the end of this fiscal year would allow people to get back to work, students back to classes and buy time to work out the bigger issues.
ReplyDeleteAnon at 10:44 makes a good point.
ReplyDeletePlus, the unions and their supporters wouldn't have a chance to dig in much further, allowing the FSN more traction in their efforts to decertifiy.
Speaking of the FSN, haven't heard much from them lately. I wonder how their petition drive is going?
ReplyDeleteVictory! FA has the support of the DE. We win. Take that Anthony Hall!
ReplyDeletePerhaps the FSN is relatively silent because the FA is doing its work for them.
ReplyDeleteAs an ACSE member, I don't feel like the FA is throwing us under the bus at all. If anything, the faculty got thrown under the bus by the administration when they settled with 3 out of 4 of the unions and left FA out to dry. I think it was a calculated move to try to portray them as unreasonable and impossible to bargain with, when in reality the admin hasn't many any effort to actually negotiate on anything of substance.
ReplyDeleteI just received a verification form from the chair of my department today. we have been asked to complete it and submit it asap as the Dean wants it. What is everyone doing regarding this form? Are the FA members completing this form?The chair of the department only sent it to us today (November 7th)
ReplyDeleteI don't have a substantive comment about media or the "teaching" replacements (will let punctuation stand in for comments on that one). Just sending good wishes to the FA and the bargaining team, for the important work you are doing, from a few miles downriver.
ReplyDelete~ solidarity from a former SIUC faculty member
How desperate the supporters of Cheng have become in their above comments that do not deal with the real issue, namely that SIUC is now out to destroy freedom of the press. This never happened in the decades I've worked at SIUC but Cheng and Nicklow think they can act like dictators. Don't they understand they are working in a university and not a corporation like Fox News? Obviously not. The sooner, they and Poshard leave SIUC the better.
ReplyDeleteThat is an excellent point Amelia. I certainly felt that it was just another way for the administration to vilify the FA, while simultaneously putting the remaining 3 unions in an unfortunate position.
ReplyDelete"Don't they understand they are working in a university and not a corporation like Fox News?"
ReplyDeleteOr NPR with its marred history of late . . .
Anon 3.04:
ReplyDeletedon't fill out the form, it is illegal surveillance of strike activity, apparently the FA lawyers have been informed, and a ULP may be filed.................not that this will mean much in reality, ...., but it is a form of `intimidation' by the admin so its best to resist it
10:02 You have got to be joking! On what planet is it illegal for an employer to determine whether or not an employee reported for work? Ridiculous!
ReplyDeleteI Hope the IEA does file an unfair labor practice against the administration soon----regarding the verification form.
ReplyDelete