Students from MSU's Vet Tech program waited patiently to plead for their future
Various groups slated for extinction came to plead their case to the Michigan State University Board of Trustees. (Click here for a complete list of academic programs slated for elimination, reduction or restructuring.) Two unions – the new Union of Non-Tenured Faculty and the Graduate Employees Union also spoke about their concerns.
American Studies – Jack Taylor, Jesse Draper and Darren Brown. Please note that American Studies Director Ann Larabee has asked us to clarify that the three graduate students were speaking on their own behalf and not on behalf of the program. “I did not authorize them to speak at the Trustees meeting, and indeed did not know that they were doing so,” wrote Larabee in an email to us. |
Music Therapy – Concerned Parent*, Ronna Kaplan, Bus Spaniola. |
Veterinary Technician – Dawn Christenson |
Chicano-Latino Studies – Juan Vasquez, Graduate Student* |
Geological Sciences – Leroy Smith, Chelsea Mack and Warren Wood |
Graduate Employees Union – Robin Harris, Elizabeth Pellerito |
Union of Non-Tenured Faculty – Lynn Scott, Steve Thomas |
As you can see in the first video above, Darren Brown of American Studies was the only person to appear that day who did not maintain the civility normally exhibited at board meetings. His colleague Jack Taylor went to the podium afterward to apologize for his behavior. (Biting the hand that is threatening not to feed you may not be the best way to win friends and influence people. But the outburst did jolt people into alertness in the overheated and crowded room.)
The new Union of Non-Tenured Faculty was not there to address the budget cuts, though the situation arguably affects their efforts to negotiate their first contract. Their representatives wanted to persuade the Board of Trustees to pressure the university to rescind its stated policy of refusing to grant merit pay increases to non-tenured faculty because they do not yet have a contract.
Related articles on Lansing Online News:
- MSU budget ax falling across campus
- MSU budget cuts: Is the process really transparent, open, thoughtful and fair?
*I will include the name as soon as I can confirm the spelling.
Heartsick. Thank you, Bonnie, for the excellent coverage. We shouldn’t lose these programs, these unions. Does not seem like the process is transparent, open, thoughtful or fair.
[...] -The financial support offered to graduate students is vital to keep MSU a quality educational institution. You can view their presentation by clicking on the following link…http://lansingonlinenews.com/?p=892 [...]