Letter to the editor: to both students and families, faculty will be there to greet you Tuesday, Aug. 31 and Wednesday, Sept. 1
Oakland University Associate Professor in the Department of Organizational Leadership James Quinn.
James Quinn
August 30th, 2021
In its letter of August 30th (Oakland has asked the AAUP to make sure that Moodle be fully deployed per normal procedures), the OU Negotiating Team states that ‘Our joint mission is to support students and student success as best we can and not allow labor relations to interfere.’
On the contrary, Oakland University’s mission to achieve maximum success for all students surely requires that students, staff, and faculty work together. Given relevant information, OU students readily recognize that ‘faculty working conditions are student learning conditions,’ and for the negotiating team to adopt as part of its stand ‘Our joint mission is to… not allow labor relations to interfere’ (read: ‘not allow current contract negotiations between Oakland and the AAUP to interfere’) simply does not make sense.
How is it appropriate by the negotiating team to consider part of its mission to ‘not allow labor relations to interfere’? Rather, wouldn’t the following approach to OU students be more appropriate, welcoming, and inclusive: ‘Please come and meet with us. We want to hear your views.’
In recent years, OU administration has provided budget figures verifying that student tuition accounts for approximately 80% of the university’s annual general fund revenue. When students are aware of this information, it seems clear that they do wish their views to be considered. [Yet, Oakland does not wish any ‘interference’ by students!] One cannot imagine the OU Negotiating Team’s view of ‘interference’ by parents and others who support our students financially and otherwise!!
However, to facilitate maximum distribution of information regarding current contract negotiations to both students and families, faculty will be present during the Tuesday (8/31) and Wednesday (9/01) move-in days. We look forward to welcoming you!
Letters to the editor can be submitted to [email protected].
Steph • Sep 2, 2021 at 12:00 PM
I’ve created a petition that anyone can sign, in solidarity with faculty. The link to sign and share is https://bit.ly/OUAAUPcn
Mary Lose • Aug 31, 2021 at 5:24 PM
Thanks to Professor Quinn for his letter, to which I wish to add the following. Not only do the OU faculty offer our greetings to students and their families during the move-in welcome days on the main campus, but we also wish to welcome the dedicated Michigan elementary teachers who will extend their expertise this academic year through graduate courses offered by OU’s Reading Recovery Center at our 13 Reading Recovery regional sites throughout the state. OU faculty know well the sacrifices made by teachers as a result of the pandemic. To all our teachers we extend a hearty welcome to OU and our very best wishes for a safe, rewarding, and successful school year on behalf of Michigan’s young literacy learners.
Mary Lose
Director, Reading Recovery Center of Michigan at Oakland University
Professor of Education
Anonymous • Aug 30, 2021 at 5:52 PM
Well stated Jim Quinn. What a pleasure to know you and call you friend. Faculty will be there to greet students and welcome their families to our beautiful Oakland University Campus! We are eager to see our students. We miss them and can’t wait for the semester to begin. Let their voices be heard! Let our students communicate to OU Admin how important their education is and how important their faculty are to them.