What's Hot Archive
University employees spared from layoffs Workers at Iowa’s three state-run universities appear to have escaped layoffs from the state budget ax, with plans that rely on unpaid time off and smaller contributions by the schools to employees’ retirement accounts. The Iowa Board of Regents on Thursday approved budget plans that also include no bonuses for university presidents and, most likely, a $100 surcharge next semester for students at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa. Counting Faculty and Staff Absences Efforts to track H1N1 on college campuses this fall have focused almost exclusively on students, but the University of New Mexico has introduced Absence Tracking, a daily survey to keep tabs on the numbers of faculty and staff who call in sick. Thousands Protest Fees, Cuts at UC Campuses Thousands of students, professors and workers at University of California campuses across the state poured out of classrooms Thursday to rally against deep cuts to public education and aim their frustration squarely at UC leaders' handling of its budget crisis. The system-wide walkout reflected frustration and anger as UC lays off hundreds of workers, imposes unpaid employee furloughs and reduces courses to close a budget gap of more than $750 million - the result of dramatically reduced funding from the cash-poor state and higher operating costs. Latest Data on Campus Spread of H1N1 Seventy-three percent of the 204 colleges participating in a study by the American College Health Association of the spread of H1N1 are reporting new cases in the last week. Rates of H1N1 on campus were the highest in the Southeast and Midwest. Higher Ed. Bill Contains Money for 'Green Schools' The bill includes more than $4 billion over the next two fiscal years for a green-schools initiative, something Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., has been trying to get through Congress via a variety of legislative vehicles. (For instance, this bill, but also the House's original version of the stimulus. It was eventually stripped out because of opposition from some conservative Democrats and moderate Republicans). Obama wants $12 billion for 2-year colleges President Barack Obama is proposing a multibillion-dollar investment in the nation's community colleges, a $12 billion effort to help the two-year institutions reach, teach and train more people for "the jobs of the future." Obama was outlining his four-part program in a speech Tuesday afternoon at Macomb Community College in Warren, Mich. Brain Drain Governor Pawlenty’s budget axe fell hard on the University of Minnesota last week. For the first time ever, the university will rely more on revenue from students than from the state. That means tuition will increase 3 percent for undergraduates, many of them working class students who are already struggling to afford college. Cuts will also force the university to eliminate 5.5 percent of its workforce, or 1,240 jobs, including 370 layoffs. Economic Stimulus Funds for Higher Education Last month President Obama signed an economic stimulus plan that provides $100 billion for education-related funding. Of that, $15 billion is designated for higher education in the form of financial assistance that will aid college students facing growing tuition costs. (California Democratic Party, 3/10/09)  UC Service Workers Approve Historic Agreement Some 8,500 University of California service workers will see their wages rise by 16 percent over five years under a new agreement ratified this month after a year-and-a-half of tough bargaining. Return of Grad Union Movement Unions worked hard for President Obama in November — and those in academic unions have had high hopes that his actions would revive the movement to organize graduate teaching assistants at private universities. In his first move related to the National Labor Relations Board, Obama has cheered those unions by designating as chair Wilma B. Liebman, who is on record as backing collective bargaining rights for private universities’ graduate teaching assistants. Liebman was originally appointed to the NLRB by President Clinton, and she was one of two members who wrote a strong dissent to the 2004 decision that effectively shut down union organizing at private institutions. UC, Service Workers Reach 'Historic' Agreement After a summer strike and 18 months of bargaining, UC reached a five-year contract deal Wednesday with 8,500 workers statewide, including 550 employees at UC Santa Cruz. Union leaders called the $64 million package of wage hikes "historic" because it establishes a first-ever minimum pay rate for UC employees represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Local 3299. Salaries for the university's lowest paid workers -- some of whom earn $10.28 per hour -- will gradually be increased to a $14 per-hour minimum. Workers also will get a 16 percent raise over the life of the contract. (Santa Cruz Sentinel, January 29, 2009) Next Wave Toolkit Learn how to start a new Next Wave chapter, host an event, get involved in the election or find more information.
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