Dear colleague: The Part-time Faculty Association (PATFA), which represents all adjuncts teaching in the University of Maine System, on Friday offered encouragement and three requests to System Chancellor Dannel Malloy.
PATFA, which is Local 4593 of the American Federation of Teachers, told Malloy in a letter it recognizes the enormous effort needed to transition mid-semester to alternative teaching venues during the health crisis.
“On behalf of the many part-time faculty members we represent, PATFA makes three requests:
“First, we want to be absolutely clear about the need to ensure that all part-time faculty have access on each campus to technologies enabling them to complete their teaching assignments. Thus, even if campus libraries were closed, part-time faculty need access to computers, the Web, and, in cases of work involving live online conversation, space to do that.
“Second, set up a simple payment system for any unit member who must undergo emergency training in Blackboard and related technologies to complete a Spring 2020 course. Likewise, we need a similar payment system for training as the System continues to transition to Brightspace in 2020.
“Third, we ask you and the interim Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs to direct the universities’ provosts to ensure at once that all part-time faculty members are included in intra-departmental and intra-college communications involving our full-time colleagues. In many parts of the System, part-time faculty members are not on digital lists used by full-time faculty members for those discussions.
“These steps, large and small, are vital, and we do not need to emphasize the need for speed. We believe part-time faculty members will be more than willing to adjust their approaches to teaching in this extraordinary season.”
PATFA President Michele Cheung (USM), Vice President James Seymour (UMA), Treasurer Pamela Mitchel (UMF), and Secretary Tom McCord (UMA) signed the letter.
PATFA is monitoring the System’s decision-making and is keenly aware of the difficulties UMS is facing during the crisis. Yet PATFA’s primary responsibility is to keep the needs of part-time faculty foremost and to make sure the System treats adjunct faculty fairly and safely.
patfa.me.aft.org