A summary of some new news related to CUNY's and CSI's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. See https://csi-covid19.github.io for the archive.
To add/suggest news, please email John Verzani
CSI website on why race matters (thanks Wilma)
This chart shows the number of adjuncts who will lose health insurance benefits
CUNY Budget news:
We have heard that: colleges will be receiving a temporary allocation for FY20, in advance of us bringing a formal budget proposal to the Board later in the summer, once we have more budget certainty from the State and City. Colleges have been asked to anticipate at least a 3% cut of the college’s overall FY20 budget. The actual amount may be higher or lower depending on federal support and tuition increases.
The state has the option of adjusting the budget 6/30. On 4/30 they exercised this option. No word as to this time.
141 CUNY Researchers request a call... (to happend 6/30)
It has been more than two weeks since NY State allowed academic research to re-open as part of phase 1 of the state re-opening plan, and yet our campus labs remain offline for research operations while numerous public and private peer institutions have done so. Meanwhile, progress towards reopening remains unclear to virtually all of us, leading to widespread frustration and concern.
In response to growing concern over unilateral actions taken by governing boards and administrations during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Committee on College and University Governance affirms that the fundamental principles and standards of academic governance remain applicable even in the current crisis.
The Statement on Government famously recommends “adequate communication” and “joint planning and effort” (commonly referred to as “shared governance”) among governing board, administration, faculty, and students
Although the statement acknowledges that governing boards have final decision-making authority (and may have delegated this power in certain areas to the president), it asserts that that authority “should be exercised adversely only in exceptional circumstances, and for reasons communicated to the faculty.”
The COVID-19 pandemic must not become the occasion for administrations or governing boards to jettison normative principles of academic governance. The Committee on College and University Governance regards such a course of action as not only unacceptable but detrimental to both the effective operation and the welfare of the institution.