Changes to department level Course Equivalency policies- Fall 2021

Course equivalency policy revisions. In our new CBA, faculty in all departments have an opportunity to develop reasonable, clear, and fair course equivalency policies (Article 16, Workload).

See the outdated current course equivalencies to understand why these policies need updating.

This is your chance to bring transparency and fairness to how faculty workload is calculated. Each department should undergo a review of course equivalency policies this semester for all courses and other instructional activities, per the CBA. Please check in with your Delegate or Rep if you have questions.

See changes to Article 16 here
See the full CBA here

Current, outdated CE policies housed on the UVM Provost site: https://www.uvm.edu/provost/university-manual-collective-bargaining-agreements-faculty-handbooks

Chronicle opinion: How Can we Trust Administrators? - Joseph Pierce; 9/14/21

How Can we Trust Administrators? - Joseph Pierce; 9/14/21

“Universities like to invoke community when rolling out and justifying their policies. But invoking community and centering it are two very different things. Centering community means caring for our most vulnerable members. It means putting the lives of our kin at the core of our decisions. It means offering the means by which our sense of dread can be turned into purpose. As it stands, we are being asked to trust that people will accurately report their vaccination status; that the air ventilation will be sufficient; that the testing protocols will catch infections early enough to avoid new outbreaks; that the long-term effects of the disease are not as bad as people say, and as some evidence suggests.

In other words, there is a contradiction between the invocation of “community” and the rampant neoliberalization of the university. At its worst, the rhetoric of community uplift is completely devoid of any real, meaningful relationship with the communities most affected by the pandemic.

If our administrators truly had community in mind, the most vulnerable, those with the least amount of privilege or access to health care, child care, or housing, then they would be arguing for the most flexibility possible for the fall semester. They would be arguing that we need to implement the most vigorous plan to prevent infections of those who are immunocompromised, children, and disabled people. They would be arguing that we must have the option to choose how to best care for our communities on the terms set forth by those communities. Instead, we are left with calls for “vigor” in the face of adversity.

United Academics updated statement on vaccine mandate, 9/9/21

United Academics updated statement on vaccine mandate, 9/9/21

The University of Vermont has consistently encouraged its faculty to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and has successfully carried out a vaccination mandate for students.  However, the administration has not answered UA’s request to develop a policy requiring faculty to be vaccinated.  As we enter the second week of the semester with cases rising in Vermont, and increases in cases among children, we call on UVM to institute a vaccine requirement for faculty.

Many other employers across the country have mandated vaccinations for employees. UVM should certainly be able to do the same in the interest of the health and safety of our campus community and the broader community, particularly to help protect those who cannot yet be vaccinated. 

We call on UVM to: 1) require that by a reasonable date faculty members, other than those with standard exemptions, document that they are fully vaccinated, 2) develop a confidential HIPAA compliant system for documenting the vaccination status of faculty, and 3) develop and track mandatory weekly testing for those faculty members who are not fully vaccinated. 

United Academics is committed to protecting the health and safety of our community. UVM students are required to be vaccinated, and United Academics supports the same requirement for faculty.

 

Reopening updates for members, 9/1/21

In late August, we emailed faculty to let you know that United Academics had approached the administration to discuss a possible vaccine mandate, share some faculty concerns around masking, request more flexibility around remote office hours, and request a clear process for faculty who need to make temporary modality changes. We have heard back from the administration on several of these issues and want to share an update with you.

Masks

In response to UA's request, the administration has purchased high quality clear masks for use in selective classes (e.g., theater, speech, languages, speech language pathology, etc.). They will be distributed upon request. 

For faculty who are asking for a mask exemption for non-ADA reasons, i.e., who have other practical or pedagogical concerns, faculty are encouraged to try to work out concerns with your Chair. Chairs can explore possibilities with those faculty, such as increased distancing in the classrooms, installing plexiglass, or using transparent face masks or face shields. If the Chairs are unable to find a reasonable solution with the faculty member, they can raise the request through the Deans’ office to Vice-Provosts Jim Vigoreaux and J. Dickinson.

Office Hours

Regarding office hours, the administration has indicated that faculty may establish virtual office hours for those students who prefer it, while also offering in-person office hours. Faculty are encouraged to update syllabi to indicate that they are willing to meet in either space. We have heard from some faculty that a possible solution is to note on the syllabus times for remote office hours and to also note that in-person office hours are available by appointment.

Teaching Modalities 

Regarding teaching modalities and temporary changes due to illness or household exposure to positive cases, faculty should follow the process used in Fall 2020 to request temporary changes of more than one day. The process involves submitting an online modality change request form for requests to change course section modality, due to quarantine, self-isolation, formal requests for disability-related accommodations, and any other reason. Any permanent requests for changes in teaching modality made as part of a formal request for a disability-related accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), are handled by UVM ADA Coordinator.

Modality changes needed for only one day can be worked out directly between faculty and Chairs. Faculty should not cancel classes without the Chair’s approval.

We will continue to share details on these policies as they are available. We will also update you on our discussions on a possible vaccine mandate; we are awaiting a response from the administration.

Please reach out to our Contract Administration Committee or Executive Council with any questions or concerns.

United Academics statement on vaccine mandate (8/27/21)

United Academics statement on vaccine mandate (8/27/21)

United Academics is committed to protecting the health and safety of our community. UVM’s faculty union overwhelmingly supports a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for faculty this year. UVM students are required to be vaccinated, and United Academics supports the same requirement for faculty.

We are heartened that in a recent survey of our members, 99% of respondents report being vaccinated, and that vaccination rates are also high among our students.

Some in our communities are unable to be vaccinated and are exempt under state rules. Many of us have young children who are ineligible for the vaccine. A vaccine mandate helps protect these individuals.

As an additional precaution, United Academics supports frequent testing for the vaccinated and unvaccinated alike.

We begin another academic year worried about the ongoing pandemic and its potential impact to our UVM community and other communities we treasure. It is reasonable to anticipate transmission of the Delta variant at UVM may again upend the in-person, on-campus learning we all wish for. As faculty who care deeply about our students, our fellow workers, and our community, we approach this new school year with courage, ingenuity, and most importantly, compassion. 

Results of UA's Delegate elections announced

United Academics is pleased to announce newly elected Delegates, whose terms will begin July 1, 2021. Below is the list of Delegates:

CALS:

Julie Smith (Animal and Veterinary Sciences)

CAS:

Jamie Abaied (Psychology)

Mike Ashooh (Philosophy)

Hyon Joo Yoo (English)

Erica Andrus (Religion)

Linden Higgins (Biology)

Sarah Turner (English)

David Feurzeig (Music)

Chris Vaccaro (English)

Sara Nelson (Theater)

Don Loeb (Philosophy)

CEMS:

Karla Karstens (Math and Stats)

Katherine Merrill (Math and Stats)

Krisan Geary (Math and Stats)

CESS:

Haley Woodside-Jiron (Education)

Jean M. Sienkewicz (Social Work)

Valerie Wood (Education)

CNHS:

Koela Ray (Biomedical and Health Science)

Abilene Smith (Nursing)

Ken Allen (Biomedical and Health Sciences)

Extension:

Juan Alvez (Extension)

Grossman:

Joanne Pencak (Business)

Libraries:

Graham Sherriff (Libraries)

RSENR:

Jarlath O’Neil-Dunne (RSENR)

Clare Ginger (RSENR)

Part-Time faculty:

Katie Kennedy (Psychology)

Clyde Stats (Music)

Patrick Brown (CDAE)