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UFF Biweekly EXTRA
United Faculty of Florida -- USF System Chapter
25 October 2011
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ANNOUNCEMENTS

JOIN UFF TODAY!

Download, fill in, and mail the membership form. You must be a UFF member at the time of an incident (such as a reprimand, non-reappointment, layoff notice, or tenure/ promotion denial) for UFF to represent you in a grievance or future litigation. UFF CANNOT REPRESENT A NON-MEMBER IN A GRIEVANCE OR FUTURE LITIGATION. And if you join UFF by December 9, you will receive a $ 300 dues rebate in spring; it's never been easier to join the movement.

GOVERNOR SCOTT SENDS A LETTER ASKING FOR ... INFORMATION

On October 13, Governor Rick Scott sent a form letter to President Genshaft with seventeen questions. Some questions (like "Does your university offer or require a class that focuses on the development of writing proficiency and critical thinking?") are readily answered by reviewing the USF website; others (like "Do you have measurable goals for the number of graduates who remain in Florida post-graduation?") are unanswerable. For the complete list, see Governor Scott's letter.

On October 19, Scott appeared on WSKY-FM's Bob Rose Show and said that he was interviewing candidates for boards of trustees and asking them what they thought about tenure. The St. Petersburg Times reported that Gov. Rick Scott wants to know how much Florida university graduates earn, and quoted him saying that "I'd like to understand why our universities cost what they cost." And Board of Regents Chair Ava Parker wrote a response saying that "The Board of Governors will coordinate a response on behalf of the State University System."

Parker's response suggested how tricky the situation might be: not only do the questions suggest that Scott has a short term business model in mind evocative of community colleges ("Do you have measurable goals to meet employers current needs?" [italics added]) but also that it might be a set-up. The Tampa Tribune reported that Scott's letter to universities questions focus, job training and quoted UFF USF Chapter Secretary Greg McColm saying, "We are concerned that this exercise will prove to be at most a distraction, and possibly even a preliminary to hostile action."

LOGISTICS

Next Chapter Meeting next week, Friday, November 4, at noon, in EDU 313, on USF -Tampa.

Sandwiches & sodas are provided by the union, and all UFF members are invited to attend. Non-members are also invited to come and check us out. Come and join the movement.

Membership: Everyone in the UFF USF System Bargaining unit is eligible for UFF membership: to join, simply fill out and send in the membership form.

NOTE: The USF-UFF Chapter website is http://www.uff.ourusf.org, and our e-mail address is uff@ourusf.org.

About this broadcast: This Newsletter was broadcast from uff.ourusf.org, hosted at ICDsoft.com, and is intended for all members of the UFF USF Bargaining unit (USF faculty and professionals at most departments). A (usually identical) version will be broadcast to USF-News and USF-Talk from mccolm@usf.edu.

If you do not want to receive the UFF Biweekly, you can unsubscribe below. If you do not receive the Biweekly, but want to, e-mail a message to mccolm@usf.edu.

The UFF also sends out a biannual hardcopy newsletter, Uncommon Sense, to the entire unit. Past issues of Uncommon Sense are posted on-line. Articles from past issues of the Biweekly are also posted on-line.