The Ithacan

Faculty Council seeking part-time representative, Fall 2015 course to offer winter trip to Costa Rica, and more

The Ithaca College Adjunct Organizing Committee visited the Faculty Council on April 7 to ask members to sign a petition supporting unionization of part-time faculty.

Ithaca College students have begun to respond in organized ways to the administration’s denial of Faculty Council’s request to expand the resources of the Center for Counseling and Psychological Services.

The Ithaca College administration’s denial of the Faculty Council’s request for a new staff member for the Center for Counseling and Psychological Services has generated disappointment among mental health advocates on campus.

Ithaca College cannot claim its students are the top priority if the administration is not willing to provide the necessary support.

The Ithaca College Faculty Council discussed potential negative impacts of next year’s school budget on the faculty and the administration’s rejection of the council’s suggestion to hire another full-time staff member for the Office of Counseling and Wellness at its meeting March 17.

Ithaca College’s Faculty Council represents all faculty on campus in issues ranging from academic structure to benefits. Amid predictions of lower salary increments and the news of part-time faculty’s plans for unionizing, the council serves as a body of governance and counsel for its constituents.

Several Ithaca College administrators visited the Feb. 3 Faculty Council meeting to discuss creating a faculty committee to help raise money for the college’s strategic plan, IC 20/20, and a pending policy regarding usage of course packs in classes.

At the Jan. 20 Ithaca College Faculty Council meeting, members spoke about the upcoming budget deficit, a new plan to meet with the Board of Trustees twice a year and the potential for a new CAPS employee.

Deborah Harper of the Office of Counseling and Wellness attended the Faculty Council meeting on Dec. 2, seeking more resources citing an unprecedented increase in demand.

Ithaca College administrators discussed employee benefits, honorary degree nominations and shared governance at the Nov. 11 meeting.

Several key administrators visited the Faculty Council meeting to discuss administrative staffing changes and the status of college-wide projects.