digital stater | stories

1/31/02

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

CHANGE concerned with layoff changes

Dear editor:

The Coalition for a Humane And New Global Economy (CHANGE) is very concerned about the recent layoffs of 18 part-time English instructors and the entire part-time teaching staff of the math department. These layoffs not only bring suffering to the instructors but also degrade the education of Kent State students. We understand that the recent budget cuts have presented the university with severe challenges. However, we do not feel that destroying jobs is the solution. Part-time faculty have long been underpaid and underappreciated at many universities, including Kent State. Many do not even make a living wage. CHANGE believes that workers should be treated as human beings, not as expendable assets. We ask that you put yourself in the place of the loyal, hard-working instructors whose careers have suddenly been shattered due to no fault of their own. Perhaps before firing more workers, the highest-paid university officials should consider taking a significant pay cut for the common good of the entire university community. We urge you to explore all other avenues before resorting to measures that harm employees and students. Budget cuts or not, workers deserve to be treated like human beings, not commodities.

Sincerely,

Coalition for a Humane And New Global Economy (CHANGE)