[Circulation] Time Cards Are Due and SAC Letter to the Community

[Suzanne Karanikis]

Hi All, 

Don't forget to submit your time card by Monday, 1:30 pm for hours
worked through Saturday. 

I'm pasting in a letter that was posted to the intranet announcements
regarding how many staff are feeling about the campus' current events. I
have been finding that many students have not read it, either because
they don't read the announcements or because they have just too much
being thrown at them. I ask that you read it if you have not already. I,
and lots of my coworkers share many of these sentiments. We know how
vocal some students and faculty have been, and it's worth a read from a
staff perspective. SAC is the Staff Advocacy committee. At the end of
the letter you will see the current SAC reps and which constituencies
they represent. I am a past SAC member. I am happy to talk about the
letter more if you want. 

Suzanne 

A LETTER TO THE HAMPSHIRE COMMUNITY FROM STAFF ADVOCACY COMMITTEE 

February 25, 2019 

Dear Hampshire Community, 

The mission of the Staff Advocacy Committee is to represent and advocate
for staff concerns, ensuring that the interests of all constituents are
acknowledged and addressed, and [to] promote a sense of community at the
college. SAC's advocacy is informed by staff and institutional
priorities. 

We are writing to you as representatives of staff while acknowledging
that staff have multiple viewpoints and perspectives. We are dismayed to
see consequential decisions taking place by faculty and senior
administrators without fully engaging SAC or other elected staff
representatives in these processes. SAC was not consulted as to whether
to have a vote of no confidence, or on the vote itself, despite our
multiple attempts to provide staff perspectives on the perceived impacts
that a vote of no confidence would have on staff. 

We are also deeply concerned that Hampshire College leadership,
including President Nelson and some members of the Board of Trustees,
have mentioned the possibility of resigning or leaving the College at
this critical moment in response to a vote of no confidence by faculty.
Like faculty, not all staff share the same perspectives, but we are
frustrated that faculty have left staff out of these critical
discussions. Students and alumni have not checked with the broader staff
community before developing demands that claim to be in solidarity with
staff, but which may not represent the perspectives of many staff.
Divisions between staff, faculty, students, and senior administrators on
campus have grown, and trust is broken. We are reaching out to the
entire community because the way forward must be one of true
collaboration. 

We recognize that there is a lack of unified communication on campus.
SAC has used our platform over the months to share information as
broadly and widely as we can with our constituents, to serve as a
reliable voice of clarity for staff, and to liaison between staff and
other groups on campus. SAC has taken a steady, neutral approach to
supporting our constituents. We do not presume to represent faculty and
students, and we are not speaking for you. The solidarity we seek is one
in which our perspectives are heard and our views are given their due.
We ask that the divides within our community be bridged with mutual
respect and awareness of our differences as well as our similarities. 

SAC is often asked to take a stance on issues, and we generally try to
remain as neutral as we can in order to account for all staff
perspectives. However, in these extraordinary times SAC submits the
following position statement, informed by constituents' concerns,
respect for the agency of all staff, and awareness of the need to
represent and balance a variety of staff perspectives: 

 	* We seek Hampshire's stability over the long term, even as we
recognize the grim reality that a significant proportion of individuals
among us will not be here to see Hampshire's evolution. SAC supports a
strategic partnership but also advocates exploring all other viable
options for the long-term stability of the College.
 	* We support working with President Nelson and the Board of Trustees
to move forward with partnerships and to ensure that staff voices are
heard in these discussions. We expect staff representation in both
discussions and decisions about the future of the college, in addition
to representation by faculty and students. The Staff Crisis Committee,
in partnership with SAC and staff delegates on Options Committee, are
committed to working on partnerships and the future of Hampshire
College.
 	* We are committed to maintaining the reputation of the College and
the degrees conferred to students and alumni. We are grateful for the
continued philanthropy of our donors.
 	* We seek to build, maintain, and deepen our connections and
relationships with alumni, faculty, and students. Inconsistent access to
information and conflicting narratives for staff, faculty, alums,
students, and the public serves only to pit us against each other rather
than deepen connections between us.
 	* We will represent the interests of all staff in advocating for the
rights of those who might be laid off or otherwise impacted by the
inevitable downsizing of the college. We will continue to work with the
senior administration to make sure that the concerns of staff are
represented in discussions about layoffs and severance. We continue this
essential work while acknowledging the limits of our ability to effect
change within present structures (i.e. that all committees on which
staff serve--SAC, Budget & Priorities, etc.--have historically been
designated by senior administration as purely "advisory").
 	* Just as SAC does not speak for all staff without consulting our
constituents or weighing constituent concerns and input, we expect that
faculty, students, and administration will consult with elected staff
representatives before making decisions or statements that could impact
the campus as a whole.
 	* We weigh the concerns of our constituents and do our best to
represent their concerns in all their diversity and complexity. We
expect faculty, students, and the administration to do the same.
 	* We represent the largest employee constituency on campus
(approximately 250 people), and our mission requires us to weigh
constituent concerns so that we can act in the best interests of staff.
This often means we cannot act as nimbly or as quickly as many would
like. Our structure, consistent record-keeping and information-sharing
procedures have led to well-informed decisions that generally do
represent staff priorities, as best they can. We urge those creating new
committees to structure them so that they allow for true representation
of multiple groups on campus and in ways that can stand the test of time
amid sweeping change.

Staff have borne the brunt of Hampshire's financial instability for
decades. We have a unique perspective as we have experienced precarity
over the years in the form of layoffs, austerity, and job changes. Staff
have much to lose in discussions about the College's future. We have no
contracts, a history of stagnant wages, irregular performance review
procedures, and disenfranchisement in decision making that directly
impacts our ability to negotiate fair severance packages or improvements
to our work lives. Many of us are doing the equivalent of two or more
jobs, due to high turnover as positions have been vacated and funds have
been directed elsewhere. We are facing clear hardships in the future,
regardless of whether we are laid off or we remain employed by the
college. 

We invite faculty and students to seek out perspectives that may help to
inform their own and help them serve as true allies to staff. We implore
senior leadership to fully acknowledge and appropriately formalize the
contributions of staff to the future course of the College. The full
Hampshire College community is complex and our perspectives are nuanced.
Staff are ready to work together with faculty, students, and senior
administration to ensure a future for Hampshire College. 

Sincerely, 

The Staff Advocacy Committee 

Jean Berg (Admissions, Communications, Financial Aid)
 Sue King (Student Life)
 Julie Martel (Institutional Advancement, President's Office)
 Laura Melbin (CASA, CLPP, Central Records, OARS)
 Robin Potter Nolasco (IT, Library, Post Office)
 Sarah Steely (Academic Affairs)
 Sarah Steely (interim representative for Business Office, Human
Resources, Event Services and Summer Programs, Early Learning Center,
Campus Safety and Security)
 Justin Vezina (Facilities and Grounds)
 Anne Downes (Staff Trustee, ex officio to SAC as staff trustee)
 Becca Groveman (Note Taker, non-voting member) 

Posted on Monday, February 25, 2019 by sac at hampshire.edu 

-- 
Suzanne Karanikis
Circulation Supervisor
Harold F. Johnson Library
Hampshire College
893 West Street 
Amherst, MA 01002
phone: 413-559-5762
fax: 413-559-5419
 
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