[Faculty] Academic Senate Fall Letter - December 2, 2022

[Senate]

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Letter to Senate Faculty

December 2, 2022

Dear colleagues,

Our graduate students and postdocs have been on strike for almost three weeks and counting. Although there was news of a tentative agreement in two of the four bargaining units, it seems almost certain that there will be no resolution before the end of the Fall quarter.

The Senate is not a major party in labor negotiations, but as Senate faculty, we are affected as colleagues, advisors, PIs, and instructors. We are committed to the welfare and rights of our teaching assistants, readers, graders, tutors, research assistants, academic researchers, and postdocs, who are our partners in the shared mission of education and research excellence. We believe the financial conditions of our collaborators should be improved. We have the right to honor the picket line, and to participate in the strike. We retain our rights of academic freedom. We are committed to our undergraduate students and graduate students in their instruction. We have commitments and responsibilities in our research projects. These can be conflicting commitments at times like this. As we draw near the end of the quarter, we have to make difficult decisions including final grades.

So far, there have been several communications from different sources regarding the details of the ongoing contract negotiations[1]<https://us16.campaign-archive.com/?u=16b960a15758a2e9f6cc8140d&id=40d56c3c18#_ftn1>, and the rights and responsibilities of faculty[2]<https://us16.campaign-archive.com/?u=16b960a15758a2e9f6cc8140d&id=40d56c3c18#_ftn2>. Reading the different communications, sometimes seemingly at odds to one another, I get one message: the guidelines are rather like guardrails with a somewhat wide room to maneuver.

The responsibilities of the faculty as outlined in APM 015[3]<https://us16.campaign-archive.com/?u=16b960a15758a2e9f6cc8140d&id=40d56c3c18#_ftn3> do not follow a strictly prescribed list of acceptable behavior but allow faculty to exercise discretion and professional judgment to meet the responsibilities, as noted in the communication from the Systemwide leadership[4] "Yes, we have rules. Yes, we must act in ways that are consistent with the Faculty Code of Conduct or risk discipline. Still, the underlying, if tacit, principles are clear: we will strive to provide the best educational experience for our students, we will treat them fairly, and we will assess them appropriately for their academic achievements". We will have to rely on our own professional compass, rather than a list of prescriptive rules, to guide our movement forward. With this in mind, here are a couple of points I would like to share with you.

First, faculty have the discretion to change the final assessment in consideration of the course content, syllabus, and the situation demanded by workers on strike[4]<https://us16.campaign-archive.com/?u=16b960a15758a2e9f6cc8140d&id=40d56c3c18#_ftn4>. Alterations can be on the format and delivery of the assessment to accommodate available labor to grade. There are other alterations and alternatives that can be considered[5]<https://us16.campaign-archive.com/?u=16b960a15758a2e9f6cc8140d&id=40d56c3c18#_ftn5>.

I remind us that the Registrar's Office extended the Fall 2022 grading deadlines to Sunday, December 18th at 11:59 pm[6]<https://us16.campaign-archive.com/?u=16b960a15758a2e9f6cc8140d&id=40d56c3c18#_ftn6>. If you do not submit grades by that time, the Registrar's office will assign Grade Delays (GD) to all missing grades: do not assign GD yourself, since instructor-issued GD carries a different meaning of a pending case in student conduct. Also, note that the Incomplete (I) grade should only be assigned when Senate regulations are met[7]<https://us16.campaign-archive.com/?u=16b960a15758a2e9f6cc8140d&id=40d56c3c18#_ftn7>.

Delaying grades for our students may result in negative impact, potentially serious, in terms of scholarships, benefits, graduation, job and graduate school applications. Although some argue delaying grade is a reparable disruption, it is not clear that it is.

Second, our colleagues include those of us who are fighting alongside the workers, those of us who respect the right to strike of TAs and GSRs and choose to backfill the labor, and those of us who go on with business as usual. I ask that we remember our colleagues have varied responses to the strike and relate to it in different ways, making difficult decisions; although most of us would agree our graduate students need to have better financial support in order to pursue their academic goals.

I hope to see many of you at the Division meeting on December 6, 1 pm-3 pm. I also understand there is a call to strike Senate service. I respect your decisions and share the hope for a timely resolution.

In your service,
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Sang-Hee Lee
Professor of Anthropology
Chair, Riverside Division of the Academic Senate

________________________________
[1]<https://us16.campaign-archive.com/?u=16b960a15758a2e9f6cc8140d&id=40d56c3c18#_ftnref1> Updates on the contract negotiations from UC<https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/UAW> and from the union<https://www.fairucnow.org/bargaining-updates/>
[2]<https://us16.campaign-archive.com/?u=16b960a15758a2e9f6cc8140d&id=40d56c3c18#_ftnref2> Communication from the Systemwide Senate leadership (11/10)<https://senate.universityofcalifornia.edu/_files/reports/sc-js-division-chairs-faculty-strike-guidance.pdf> and from the Council of UC Faculty Associations<https://cucfa.org/2022/11/updated-faqs-for-senate-faculty-about-uaw/> (different and separate organization from the Senate)
[3]<https://us16.campaign-archive.com/?u=16b960a15758a2e9f6cc8140d&id=40d56c3c18#_ftnref3> APM 015<https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/_files/apm/apm-015.pdf>
[4]<https://us16.campaign-archive.com/?u=16b960a15758a2e9f6cc8140d&id=40d56c3c18#_ftnref4> Communication from the Systemwide Senate leadership (11/23) about grading<https://senate.universityofcalifornia.edu/_files/reports/sc-js-division-chairs-faculty-strike-guidance-2.pdf>
[5]<https://us16.campaign-archive.com/?u=16b960a15758a2e9f6cc8140d&id=40d56c3c18#_ftnref5> You might consider options listed by the UCLA Senate<https://view.bp.e.ucla.edu/?qs=196f283af6507d0c9ee012d3b2651ecf00211c5dee02b733b9c3e79dee6cb62970aff4cd1dc49cf86f60a8f607ad4d936bce4c031f919e7cde391e66cfa9ec4edd403c9dfad56e75b8d6dd1b9719c6e6b8f3281b045d30bf#1-Assessments>
[6]<https://us16.campaign-archive.com/?u=16b960a15758a2e9f6cc8140d&id=40d56c3c18#_ftnref6> Full communication from the Registrar regarding the grading deadline extension can be found here<https://senate.ucr.edu/news/article/14>
[7]<https://us16.campaign-archive.com/?u=16b960a15758a2e9f6cc8140d&id=40d56c3c18#_ftnref7> Senate Regulation 01.04.<https://senate.ucr.edu/regulations/section/513/01>

Contact Us

Sang-Hee Lee
Academic Senate Chair
shlee at ucr.edu<mailto:shlee at ucr.edu>

Senate Executive Office Email
For non-urgent matters please email:
senate at ucr.edu<mailto:senate at ucr.edu>


STAY CONNECTED

[Website]<https://senate.ucr.edu/>


Academic Senate |  231 University Office Building, Riverside, CA 92521
 senate at ucr.edu<mailto:senate at ucr.edu>

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COMMITTED TO ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AND SHARED GOVERNANCE



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