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September 3, 2003
Dear President Steinberg,
Like other faculty members, I received a memorandum from George Sutton
over
email last night that threatens to cut faculty protection against medical
catastrophe by ending the University's provision of medical
insurance, "effective today." This is an unprecedented threat
that has never
been made in my twenty-three years and three strikes at LIU.
I regard this threat as a vicious and unwarranted attack on the entire
faculty and a rupture with the generally good relations that have
characterized our relations with local Administration, the University
Center
and the Board of Trustees. These relations have generally stood up pretty
well for a good number of years and have helped the University's development
for some time.
If the University carries through on Sutton's threat -- even for one
day -- I
promise you that this era of good relations will come to a screeching
halt.
In my capacity as President of the Faculty Senate, I will poll the members
of
the Governance Committee that has been meeting with Vice President Kane
and
Trustee Grabois and ask them to suspend all discussions on governance
with
the Board of Trustees. After the strike is over, I will then go to the
entire
Faculty Senate and ask for a resolution declaring a final and definitive
end
to these meetings. I will also ask for a second resolution asking all
faculty
members to withdraw from any and all Trustee committees that have faculty
representation. We will continue to deal with local Administration and
the
Center but will have nothing to do with the Board. I have been speaking
with
appropriate faculty leaders about this and have no doubt that the Senate
would adopt the appropriate resolutions.
Sutton's memo claims that the Administration and Board "are concerned
about
the impact of the infusion of bitterness and negativity on the campus."
So
are we. The surest way to create years of lasting enmity is for the
Board to
cut off faculty protection from medical catastrophe.
John Ehrenberg
President, Brooklyn Campus Faculty Senate
Copyright
© 2000 & 2003, LIUFF. Faculty.Union@brooklyn.liu.edu
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