Kennesaw State’s chapter of the United Campus Workers of Georgia is calling on KSU President Dr. Pamela Whitten and her administration for more transparency during the COVID-19 crisis.
On Sunday, March 29, UCWGA sent a memo to Whitten, urging the KSU administration to take steps to reduce uncertainties among staff, faculty and students.
“Our demand is that every worker on campus gets their wages protected as much as possible during this time,” UCWGA member and KSU Assistant Professor of English Dr. Pete Rorabaugh said.
In the memo, the UCWGA listed questions for KSU’s administration regarding the university’s contingency plan moving forward. Among those questions, the UCWGA asks Whitten to distinguish which campus workers are “essential” and “non-essential.” The union also included a list of demands for KSU, including guaranteed pay for all student staff and faculty during pandemic-related disruptions.
“We do feel like the drop off in consensus building, shared governance, transparency and clarity are important for us and everyone else on campus to pay attention to,” Rorabaugh said.
The COVID-19 pandemic has closed down both campuses, with only essential workers required to continue their jobs on-site. The UCWGA is asking Whitten to clarify who will be paid and how the university will ensure their safety on campus.
The University System of Georgia’s Non-Closure Emergency Leave Procedures authorizes university presidents to secure payment for campus workers, which KSU implemented in March, according to KSU’s website for coronavirus information and resources.
The UCWGA applauds Whitten for this action but is demanding more information as to how KSU’s NCELP will be implemented, Rorabaugh said.
“The language of that [KSU] non-closure emergency leave is that there are some people that it doesn’t include,” Rorabaugh said. “It doesn’t include student workers, that doesn’t include some temporary workers and we would like to see that more comprehensively applied.”
On KSU’s coronavirus website, the university states that students, staff and faculty whose jobs can be done remotely are authorized to receive payments for teleworking, but the website does not include provisions for students who cannot work from home. This could include bookstore employees and recreation center staff, according to the university’s website.
The UCWGA also demanded that KSU host three virtual town halls in order to address the concerns of all KSU personnel, including a question and answer session for attendees. The union suggests individual town halls for faculty, staff and students, respectively.
“I think virtual town halls would go a long way to giving various stakeholders at KSU, whether that be student, staff or faculty, the opportunity to ask the questions that they have,” UCWGA member and KSU Associate Professor of conflict management Dr. Heather Pincock said. “And if they can’t get immediate answers through the town hall, there could be follow-up communication.”
At this time, KSU has not responded to the UCWGA’s memo. Assistant Vice President of Strategic Communication Tammy Demel did not comment on whether or not KSU’s administration will comply with the demands made by the UCWGA.
The main source of information regarding KSU’s pandemic response can be found at coronavirus.kennesaw.edu.
