Dear Colleagues,
As we return to campus for another semester, we are once again faced with the challenges of the ongoing pandemic. This morning, Andrew Gothard (President, United Faculty of Florida), issued a letter to the Board of Governors calling on them to allow for greater local authority for universities and campuses across Florida to take the precautions they believe will best protect their communities (e.g., allowing classes to begin the semester remotely). As the Executive Committee of the UFF-FIU Chapter, we stand firmly behind this call for greater autonomy in this regard.
We write to you today to provide some guidance on the upcoming semester. First, FIU’s administration has successfully procured N95 masks for librarians and faculty scheduled to teach in person classes. These masks have been given to department chairs and deans to allow them to be allocated to faculty members as quickly as possible. Please reach out to your chair/dean to arrange a pick-up time.
Second, as in previous semesters, FIU continues to use the “P3 App” to monitor the spread of COVID-19 on its campuses. We encourage faculty to develop a plan for delivering their course materials in the event they fail the P3 app, but are otherwise able to teach (e.g., an asymptomatic presentation of the virus). Faculty should get their plan approved by their respective department chair or supervisor as a precautionary measure, and work with their chair/supervisor on any covid-related teaching matters. Remember, if you cannot come to campus because you have failed the P3 App you must contact the department chair/supervisor as soon as possible. For more information, please consult the Faculty FAQ .
(https://repopulation.fiu.edu/faculty-staff/faculty-faqs/index.html)
Finally, we remind faculty that FIU remains committed under the Collective Bargaining Agreement to providing a safe work environment. If you believe the environment you have been asked to work in is unsafe, please raise the concern with your department chair/supervisor. If they are unable to address your concern adequately, please reach out to the UFF-FIU Grievance Officer, Eric Dwyer (eric.dwyer@uff-fiu.org), to discuss next steps.
Sincerely,
UFF-FIU Executive Committee