Northwest College faculty passes resolution critical of board vote

Posted 2/11/20

The Northwest College Faculty Organization is voicing its disapproval of the Board of Trustees’ decision to pass a series of policy revisions late last year.

“The faculty is …

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Northwest College faculty passes resolution critical of board vote

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The Northwest College Faculty Organization is voicing its disapproval of the Board of Trustees’ decision to pass a series of policy revisions late last year.

“The faculty is profoundly disappointed that ... [the board of trustees] passed overarching changes to faculty policies on first reading and against the overwhelming dissenting voice of the faculty,” reads a Jan. 23 resolution signed by NWC Faculty Organization President Jason Horton.

The Faculty Organization had primarily objected to changes relating to salaries and the process for terminating employees, but college trustees approved the revised policies — among a host of other, less controversial changes — on Dec. 9. The resolution notes that 90% of faculty voted against some of the policies and that 88% of the faculty voted, which the resolution said was a historic high.

“The faculty welcomes and invites conversation with the board of trustees. However, faculty participation at this point appears to be largely symbolic,” the resolution reads.

The resolution thanked trustees John Housel, Bob Newsome, and Carolyn Danko who tried to pass a motion to table the Dec. 9 vote in order to refer the policy revisions to a second reading at a later meeting. That motion was defeated, and Housel and Newsome voted against a motion to pass the revisions.

At the trustees’ Feb. 3 board meeting, Board President Dusty Spomer addressed the resolution.

“I think it hits home with our board of trustees in recognizing the decisions we make and how they can be viewed. And I don’t want to come across as argumentative or disrespectful in my response,” he said.

However, Spomer objected to the suggestion that the board’s decision was made in haste. He said the process defeated the motion to table the revisions, and a majority of the board was ready to “make a decision on the process.”

He said there’s a lot of discussion that goes on outside the board meeting that would more reflect the level of consideration given to constituent group needs. Spomer also said he doesn’t see the faculty organization’s participation as symbolic.

At the December board meeting, faculty members voiced a number of objections to the revisions during the public comment portion of the meeting. Horton said the college had not honored the salary increases he was led to expect when he was hired at NWC in 2010. Meanwhile, Bob Becker, assistant professor of speech communication and chairperson for agriculture business, expressed concern over what he saw as an elimination of due process in termination proceedings.

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