a href=”https://www.dailyegyptian.com/contactus.html”bDE Staff Reporter/b/abrspan class=”realsmall”bDaily Egyptian/b/span

Dear Editor:This is significant for the students of SIUC. The Board of Trustees of this University are agents of the governor, endowed with their power by their appointment by the governor. The BOT up to this point had been arguing that binding arbitration would forfeit the powers granted to them by the governor’s office. Yet the governor seems to think it’s a better solution than a strike, and as such, the BOT better get the message.

As of yet, however, they remain committed to dragging this University through a strike; this Monday the first day of a possible strike at our University the BOT will meet to discuss binding arbitration as a solution to our current quagmire. Too little, too late. If they wish to keep their positions they MUST meet before Monday, and they must commit to binding arbitration immediately. Otherwise it is the governor’s responsibility to his constituents to remove them from power and replace them with individuals who will commit to binding arbitration and do so before a strike occurs at this University.

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The Daily Egyptian has sided with the BOT in their refusal to commit to binding arbitration saying that it would be detrimental to our University. How is binding arbitration worse than a strike? The governor’s office boss doesn’t think so. Why, then, is the BOT waiting till Monday, at which point all of our fears will be answered? Binding arbitration is this University’s best hope to avoid a strike.

How is it then that the Egyptian editorial board is so naively convinced that binding arbitration is worse than a strike? Their recommendations too conspicuously coincide with those of the administration. Almost as

brilliant are those offered by the editorial board last week stating that

the administration should have a say in a FACULTY union. Yeah and the Ku Klux Klan should have a voice in the NAACP. Completely absurd.

My recommendations are twofold:First, the governor should replace the BOT immediately if necessary to ensure that binding arbitration takes place instead of a strike; secondly, the Egyptian should seriously consider a new editorial board, one that is not a complete disservice to our University, the students and to our education.

Senior in political science and economics.