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UO Matters

Pres Scholz boasts of his support for Free Speech, then sends his flunky so he doesn’t have to talk to advocates

By UO Matters on 10/03/2024

Letter to campus from President Scholz and his PR flacks here:

Dear colleagues,
At the University of Oregon, we share a commitment to seek truth and advance knowledge, both for its own sake and to enrich the human condition. The academic freedom to develop effective practices of pedagogy, pursue research wherever it leads, and share the knowledge discovered is the fundamental principle that brings this commitment to life.
We are steadfast in upholding and affirming academic freedom at the UO, which is protected through policies approved of by the UO Senate.

Daily Emerald report on what happened when people pushed him on what he meant here:

The protestors marched to Johnson Hall where Smith, Urbancic, O’Neal and Tuten attempted to make the delivery to President Scholz, but Mark Schmelz, chief human resources and vice president, “intercepted,” according to O’Neal.

… “These measures include but are not limited to the University’s requests that students report their instructors’ political course content and targeting peaceful student protests using video recordings from the Board of Trustees public meetings. The CLC interprets these measures as threats to free speech on campus and the practice of academic freedom for educators at UO,” the media advisory said.

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education gives UO a yellow rating for Free Speech, noting:

University of Oregon has been given the speech code rating Yellow. Yellow light colleges and universities are those institutions with at least one ambiguous policy that too easily encourages administrative abuse and arbitrary application.

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UO Senate motion calls for fair compensation, whatever that means

By UO Matters on 10/02/2024

From the Senate website here. It’s disappointing that this motion does not endorse the union salary proposal and does not call on President Scholz to accept it. Scholz’s bargaining team has already claimed that faculty are currently paid “fairly”.

You can find your Senator here and ask them to support an amendment to change 2.3 below to:

2.3  BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that the University Senate advocates for prompt negotiations and fair resolutions between the university administration and United Academics to avert any potential academic disruption resulting from a strike and calls on President Scholz to accept the United Academics proposal for raises of 8.5% for each of 3 years, to get faculty compensation to a fair level compared to our AAU public comparator universities. 

I expect the motion will come up for a vote at the Senate meeting on Oct 9th.

Sponsors

Alison Schmitke (College of Education, UO Senate President); Dyana Mason (College of Design, UO Senate VP)

Motion

Section I

1.1  WHEREAS the purpose of the University Senate is to further the academic mission of the University of Oregon; and

1.2  WHEREAS the University Senate is a partner in shared governance and will be a central to supporting Oregon Rising; and

1.3  WHEREAS when faculty are supported and valued, they are better equipped to contribute effectively to the academic mission that is the core focus of the University Senate’s work; and

1.4  WHEREAS a timely resolution to negotiations will allow the University Senate to focus on advancing the University’s academic goals;

Section II

2.1  BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that the University Senate affirms its commitment to respecting and recognizing for the essential contributions of faculty in advancing the academic mission of the university; and

2.2  BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that the University Senate believes fair and competitive remuneration is integral to sustaining faculty who uphold the university’s standards of excellence in research, teaching, and service; and

2.3  BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that the University Senate advocates for prompt negotiations and fair resolutions between the university administration and United Academics to avert any potential academic disruption resulting from a strike.

Continue reading and commentUO Senate motion calls for fair compensation, whatever that means