The university has put out a release tonight on the number of faculty, and we disagree about the long term rise int he number of faculty. represent a recent increase in the number of faculty. The number of faculty has increased in the last two years because it is recovering from an exceptionally low level, which the previous contract required them to correct. 

However, two other items should be considered:

1. The student-faculty ratio, which is still way higher than historical standards
2. The percentage of credit hours taught by full time faculty, which has declined precipitously over the last 10 years. (See credit hours taught .pdf to see a graph of why we are alarmed)

There is only one conclusion that can be reached: In order to enhance the educational experience for our students, the administration needs to hire more faculty, as we have proposed. The administration refused to even consider any contractual standards related to this critical issue during negotiations.