Dear colleagues,

You are invited to an All Faculty and Staff Budget Presentation, hosted by the University Planning and Resources Council, to be held via Zoom and livestreamed to YouTube.

Description: Presentation by Faye Gallant, Executive Director of Budget and Financial Planning, for all WWU faculty and staff on the 2020-21 budget. Presentation will also be livestreamed to YouTube and available as a recording. The presentation will be followed by a question and comment period (conducted via Qualtrix) and by a Faculty and Staff Forum on September 29th. Hosted by the University Planning and Resources Council.

When: Sep 23, 2020 4:00 PM Pacific Time

Pre-registration is mandatory for individuals who wish to attend the live Zoom presentation. Register in advance for this meeting at https://wwu-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0pc-qupzIjEtPkTlrVW4nU5Bb-NDa8re0c

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Individuals may also watch via a concurrent livestream which will also be available after the presentation concludes as a recording. To watch via livestream or recording, go to https://youtu.be/J85puB8Wp-Q

Theresa Warburton, UPRC Chair

Dear Colleagues,

Copied below is a statement from WWU’s Black Student Organizations, and below that is a link to the entire document including short and long term demands.

Western students asked that I share this with faculty so that we can work to address problems here and now on our campus.

In light of the recent unprovoked murders of Black people in the United States, scores of universities have published statements reflecting their solidarity with the African diaspora as well as their institutional commitments to diversity. Western Washington University is no different in this regard. Western has agreed to open conversations, reach out to Black students and consider how it might support national change. What it has not done, however, is commit to real, tangible change that will significantly impact the lives of its current and future Black students. To be clear, Black Student Organizations are tired of being used as tokens, whose needs are only brought forth when there is a new hashtag trending. We have always expressed our needs explicitly, and yet it seems as though Western Washington University and the Associated Students only acknowledge our needs when saying “Black Lives Matter” is socially acceptable. Posting “Enough is Enough” on Western’s homepage, might seem to be an appropriate, politically correct response; however, it does nothing to address the very real concerns we have continually brought forth. Beyond issuing idle words, what lasting change is underway for Black students at our university? In the aftermath of multiple acts of anti-Black violence, will the university see its complicity in everyday racism and its lack of real change to support its Black students as less violent than those perpetrated by the police?

We are writing this statement to demand that you start with us first. Fix what has been broken for decades on this campus, before committing to stand with the nation and the world for racial justice. In the event our previously expressed needs have escaped your memory, we are including them in this document, along with additional demands to help the university move beyond lip service and into action. These demands are non-negotiable. We do not wish to be brought into endless meetings to help you figure out how to do this work. We expect the short term demands to be started immediately, and long term goals to follow directly thereafter.

Read more. Link to entire document.

Thank you for your consideration,

Jeff Young

Dear Colleagues,

Faculty Senate conducted the final meeting of the 2019-2020 academic year yesterday, and a key part of our conversation focused on how to best support our students in light of ongoing events. As one senator put it …what is happening outside our walls is profoundly impacting our students right now.

During the meeting, AS Senate Pro Tempore, Adah Barenburg asked the Senate to endorse the document below, produced in collaboration with AS Student President Neolanie Defiesta, and the leadership of the Black Student Union and African Caribbean Club.

The endorsement was unanimous. Please read over the following steps, they provide meaningful ways to support students with intentional kindness, respect, collaboration, and accountability.

Steps faculty can take to support black students: 

(1) Trust students if they say they cannot complete their normal work at the end of this quarter and if they request an Incomplete support your students beyond this quarter by committing to work with them to finish their work in a caring way.

(2) Commit to working beyond this quarter to have constructive conversations with black faculty, staff, and students about how to remove anti-blackness from your college, department, and classroom.

(3) Show you care  by checking in and holding space for students during this time.

(4) Inform students of their grading options including what the P/NP option is, what an Incomplete grade is, extend deadlines on assignments if appropriate, and be flexible with students if they are on the cusp of a passing grade.

(5) Respect that students will have different needs during this time and one approach will not fit what all black students need during this time.

(6) Communicate with students that if they need more support than their faculty member is providing to contact their department chair and provide a contact email for the department chair.

Thank you for the extraordinary work you’ve accomplished this year.

Sincerely,

Jeff Young

Dear Colleagues,

Our nation was shaken this week by the tragic death of yet another unarmed Black man, George Floyd. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, violence and the threat of violence is escalating against Black people and other communities of color in our country. I know that pain, fear, anger, and hopelessness weigh heavily on many members of our Western community.

I’m writing today to ask that we take account of this moment. Our university works within and struggles with the same white supremacist systems, structures, and conditions that undermine us all and make life in the United States dangerous and precarious for people of color.

In this moment, we can step forward by showing grace and understanding when finding ways to accommodate student needs in our classes, and by supporting members of our community experiencing trauma from these events.

Sincerely,

Jeff Young

Dear Colleagues,

Happy New Year! I hope that your break was restoring and that the new quarter is off to a good start.

I’m writing to encourage you to review the online FAQ about personal pronouns. Beginning this quarter, personal pronouns will appear next to student names on class lists and photo rosters for those students who have indicated their pronouns in Web4U. Addressing students and colleagues using the indicated pronouns is an important step toward fostering a respectful and inclusive university community.

Faculty can also indicate pronoun preference and gender identity via the Personal Information page on Web4u.

Thank you for making Western a better place… Jeff