Students in solidarity with union
PDF Negotiations called off late Monday evening, to resume this morning
While the Faculty Association and administration were in its second day of non-stop bargaining, more than 400 students, faculty and community members marched through campus and around Anthony Hall in support of the Faculty Association.
Chants of “We want contracts now,” from faculty members were heard alongside “We want our teachers back,” from students.
Supporters of the Faculty Association march through the Agriculture Building Monday during the student-organized rally march across campus. Students, faculty, members of Occupy Carbondale and community members joined the crowd as they made stops around campus. Members of the Faculty Association bargaining team spoke to the supporters outside the Student Center before resuming negotiations. –Sarah Gardner | Daily Egyptian
Faculty members will be on strike for at least one more day, according to a FA press release.
In the press release, Dave Johnson, spokesperson for the union, said the teams would resume negotiations early this morning. He said the administration gave the faculty team a revised proposal on remaining items in the dispute and administrators said they were leaving for the night.
“While we will seriously consider the board team’s revised offer, we are extremely disappointed that they have broken off negotiations this evening,” he said in the press release.
University Spokesman Rod Sievers said the administration gave the union a package of proposals that addresses all issues the union needed.
“The package was delivered to the FA with the understanding that the FA would look over the package and call the administration team back to the table when they were ready to talk,” he said. “Generally in the past that has taken about six hours so it may well be tomorrow (today) but if the FA has enough time to look it over tonight (Monday) and call the administration team back to the table they are ready to go.”
Morteza Daneshdoost, chair of the FA’s bargaining team, said at the rally outside the Student Center, the team could hear the chants in the rooms. He said at 5:30 p.m., Monday the group had not been home since they began negotiating with a federal mediator at 3 p.m., Sunday.
The protestors walked through the Student Center, where the teams were in negotiations on the second floor, and then circled Anthony Hall chanting, “Settle.”
“We are fighting for you,” Daneshdoost said. “What we are doing here is for the future of SIUC.”
Jyotsna Kapur, an associate professor in cinema and photography, was in tears during the student-organized rally. She said the student support was emotionally overwhelming.
“I feel whole,” she said. “This is what I have worked for. In our time of need our students have stood up for us.”
Ron Naversen, a professor in theater, was holding a puppet during the march which he said represented Chancellor Rita Cheng’s perception of the faculty.
He said he thinks the chancellor views the faculty as puppets because no one can teach his classes except his students, who have said they will not during the strike.
One student wearing a sign that read, “Students support faculty,” said she supports the faculty because she is supposed to graduate in May and wants a better university for other students.
“What is going on affects everyone,” said Connie Farhang, a senior from Carbondale studying art and design. “Students learn from their faculty … if (students) don’t support them who will?”
The students who organized the event said they would be outside Anthony Hall again today.
