I come before you today to discuss the critical situation regarding safety and security on our campus, as well as ways in which the faculty can work with the Board and the administration in the future.
We certainly appreciate how the Board wants to wait until the DOE report is analyzed before making any personnel decisions. However, if it is discovered that the University violated federal law in this matter, then the President should not be allowed to continue to lead Eastern Michigan University. We cannot have leaders of this university who mislead students, faculty, and community about vital safety and security issues. Nor can we accept top leadership that knows nothing about an issue of such importance.
The faculty survey of the Presidents performance conducted in December indicated a significant lack of support for the President. If a survey were done now, in the face of the “I didn't know or try to find out performance regarding the murder investigation, the facultys opinions would certainly be more pointed. In fact, I have received numerous messages from faculty calling for votes of no confidence in the president. Tomorrow, the FC will be meeting to consider their options.
The Board needs to ensure that members of the administration are held accountable for actions both taken and not taken to comply with federal law in making our campus as safe as possible. This would also include those who should have taken more responsibility and should have ascertained more of the facts as well.
Another issue that is of grave concern to faculty is the lost master keys. Since the master keys that open EVERY office on campus were lost, over 30 faculty members have experienced thefts from their offices. The vast majority of these have been thefts from locked faculty offices, often during daytime hours when faculty are teaching classes, and often the thefts have been of laptop computers. The administration, after the AAUP filed a grievance, agreed to re-key PH and MJ. We tried to work with the administration to re-key all faculty offices (the thefts have been more widespread than just PH and MJ), but the administration has refused to discuss the matter with us. Therefore, we are asking you, the Board, to strongly encourage the administration to re-key all faculty and staff offices. The dean of the COB has agreed to do so, and we hope that the other administrators on campus realize how this simple gesture is important to overall safety and security.
In dealing with these issues and many more that face EMU, I want to discuss ways in which we can work both with the board and with the administration as we move forward. The university has tremendous challenges ahead. However, we believe that EMU is a great university, and that we continue to provide a quality education to our wonderful students. As you consider the breadth of academic programs and the financial situation of EMU, I ask you to consider the following premise: please do not get all of your information from one source, the administration. We have seen how getting information from only one source can lead to trouble. Remember, the AAUP went through a very long, thorough and complex fact finding process. We are very familiar with the programs and financial situation of EMU. So please, ask the AAUP to be a partner in these discussions. We have the expertise to assist you.
Recently, the administration has distributed dubious financial information to various constituencies on campus, but the AAUP has been excluded. Negotiations are over, and will not resume for several years. If the faculty (specifically leaders of the AAUP who were active in negotiations and are seen as leaders of the faculty) are included in the important discussions concerning the future of EMU, then whatever decisions are made will have more legitimacy and acceptance from the faculty. The AAUP and the faculty are one and the same.
One other of concern to all the unions on campus is the Global Compliance system. The phrase I have heard over and over again to define this program is a Big Brother. The unions are all for ethics and honesty, but an anonymous reporting system is not appropriate, and given the potential disciplinary ramifications that may conflict with our union contracts, we believe that this policy should be examined. We are practical: we know that you are going to implement this policy, and that your intentions are well meaning. What we ask is that before this Orwellian adventure goes astray, you work with the different campus unions to ensure that it conforms with our labor agreements.
Lastly, if new leaders need to be chosen for EMU, please do not make the mistakes of the past, where the AAUP and other union leadership was specifically excluded from any role whatsoever in the selection of top administration officials. As we have stated in the past, all we ask for is a voice; not veto power, just a voice. If you include the AAUP as partners, the result will be an entire faculty that supports and works with the Board and the administration in making Eastern Michigan University a better place.
Thank you.