At the Faculty Executive Council meeting on Monday, council members discussed the recommendation letter from the Orange County Health Department, student population updates and new technology to measure community standard compliance.
Students and faculty at UNC-Charlotte are calling for the removal of Associate Vice Chancellor of Safety and Security John Bogdan due to allegations of human rights violations while he worked as brigade commander at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay.
Graduate workers having to teach this semester have expressed concerns over the possibility of contracting COVID-19 and of the complexity of having to adjust instruction plans.
Gary Shipman, a Wilmington-based lawyer, is representing UNC System faculty and staff in the midst of preparing a class-action lawsuit to delay in-person classes. In a response to Shipman, NCDOL General Counsel Jill F. Cramer and Deputy Commissioner of Labor Kevin Beauregard acknowledged the concerns of faculty and staff members. However, they stated it is the responsibility of the UNC System to develop policies and plans that reduce the risk of exposure of contracting COVID-19 — not the department.
Gretchen Bellamy, the senior director for education, operations and initiatives and Sibby Anderson-Thompkins, interim chief diversity officer, wrote a letter to the Roadmap Implementation Taskforce calling for a seat at the table when making decisions about fall's reopening, advocating for more equitable plans.
UNC faculty have expressed concerns about the University's reopening, along with student leaders and campus workers. Through a public letter published in The Charlotte Observer and a letter from Chairperson of the Faculty Mimi Chapman, faculty have expressed their fears of returning to campus and of community spread of COVID-19. “We are willing to do our part,” Chapman wrote. “But at this point, I believe that our University and perhaps the entire UNC System is being asked to turn straw into gold.”
In this episode, host Evely Forte spoke to DTH reporter and incoming Assistant Copy Editor Sasha Schroeder and incoming Assistant Online Editor Praveena Somasundaram to understand why many UNC faculty members, professors and teaching assistants are petitioning UNC administration about the fall 2020 semester because of the COVID-19 pandemic, what the petitioners are really demanding and how they hope the University will implement potential changes.
Two UNC professors presented a roadmap for racial equity that has been in development for over a year at Monday's Faculty Executive meeting. The roadmap calls for sustained actions over the course of three years, including renaming campus buildings in an inclusive process, establishing faculty advisory groups on racial equity and holding an annual UNC Board of Trustees meeting with Black and Indigenous faculty, and faculty of color.
Faculty held a community conversation Friday to discuss a variety of concerns about UNC's fall reentry, including remaining questions about the Carolina Roadmap, racial equity on campus and safety of University staff and athletes.
In a petition published June 12, graduate workers have expressed concerns about the safety and logistics of returning to campus for in-person instruction this fall. Workers demanded that UNC not reopen in-person this fall, does not layoff or furlough staff and grant them a one-year time-to-degree extension, among other demands. The University has said the Carolina Roadmap was developed with feedback from multiple parties, are working to refine the plan and will make "whatever adjustments are needed in real time.”
Over 50 people gathered virtually Monday for a Solidarity and Action Virtual Vigil hosted by the Undergraduate Senate to discuss topics like mental health and self care, and campaigns to push for change on UNC's campus to address issues of racial and social injustice.
Faculty, fellows and teaching assistants are petitioning UNC administration to guarantee that no instructor will be required to teach in person during the fall 2020 semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic, among other concerns. So far, more than 600 University employees have signed the petition.
After surveying his students and finding out what they have been dealing with since UNC announced the closing of its campus, one professor updated his syllabus to let students know that they are not alone.
With the transition to online learning coming up on March 23, UNC professors are planning on how to make their classes remote. For some areas of study like music and physical fitness, this online transition presents unique challenges. The University has extended spring break by a week to give professors time to prepare for online learning. For some professors, this means figuring out how to teach instrumental music over Zoom. For others, this means seeking help from other professors across the country.
Drew Ellis (Drell) is a UNC student and music producer.
The recent news about Silent Sam, free expression on campus and other issues were discussed at Friday's Faculty Council meeting.
UNC faculty from different departments signed a letter in support of graduate students who were arrested in Pittsboro during a protest.
Student participation in the computer science department at UNC has skyrocketed over the last decade, but issues have emerged from the department's inability to accommodate its newfound demand. While the number of declared or intended computer science majors has increased by more than tenfold since fall 2009, the department's faculty total has risen only 8.2 percent over the same time period. While the University recently extended a hint of incoming relief, the expectation remains that class cuts, reduced enrollment availability and other restrictive measures will make life increasingly difficult for computer science majors.
Members of the Faculty Executive Committee met on Monday where they heard from UNC Police Chief David L. Perry.
Members for the Program for Public Discourse met with UNC faculty members on Monday to discuss how to facilitate civil conversations in their classrooms while also commenting on the program's origins and long-term motivations.
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