Featured News - Current News - Archived News - News Categories
Representatives of Niagara County Community College's Faculty Association on Aug. 17 presented several concerns to the college's Board of Trustees.
Professor Gene Carella summarized the results of a recent in-house faculty focus group that examined the college's administrative practices. In September, the full-time teaching faculty, librarians, counselors, and technical assistants will begin their sixth year of work without a contract, he said.
The findings of the May 2011 focus group, Carella said, demonstrate that faculty are deeply concerned about "an atmosphere of active, intentional and strategic disrespect" on the part of the administration," an atmosphere that includes "misrepresentation of statistics to favor whatever position the administration may want."
Faculty also found "active recrimination against faculty members who express disagreement with the administration about academic issues."
NCCC President James Klyczek said union members are still working under their existing agreement that provides wages, health insurance and other benefits.
"This particular unit is holding strong to the contract that is in place because it is such a fantastic contract for them," he said. "On the one hand, I can understand where they are coming from. On the other hand, I am offended by the context that they put these remarks relative to feeling threatened or people can't talk or they feel victimized or whatever the terminology was. That's taking it too far."