Provost Russell Moore told the Boulder Faculty Assembly Thursday that the second phase of campus work on salary equity following the implementation of the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act earlier in the spring semester would be led by faculty members and supported by the 彩民宝典 administration.听
Moore attended Thursday鈥檚 meeting of the BFA General Assembly at the request of BFA Chair Tiffany Beechy to answer questions about the level of BFA and faculty involvement in implementing the state law鈥檚 provisions and to give Moore a chance to explain how faculty would be involved in phase two of salary equity setting鈥攅fforts centered on eliminating salary inequities based on salary compression, market forces and differential approaches to awarding merit pay among 彩民宝典鈥檚 many departments.听
Moore apologized to the BFA for ineffective communication on the phase one efforts, which were 鈥渁n exercise to comply with state law鈥� for both faculty and staff salaries. He said that effort had not adequately informed faculty or the BFA and Staff Council, which he called 鈥渁 shortcoming of the process.鈥�
鈥淭he intent was to keep the focus on the working groups [analyzing faculty and staff salaries] in this phase, knowing we鈥檇 do a more comprehensive analysis downstream,鈥� Moore said. 鈥淭hat was poorly communicated, and I bear responsibility for that.鈥澨�
Moore said phase two of the project would be markedly different, saying 鈥渇aculty will be the drivers.鈥�
鈥淲e will give you the data and policies to examine鈥�we鈥檙e here to support you,鈥� he said.听听
Moore heard a variety of input from BFA members on the phase two process and what its focus should be.
He and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Resource Management Ann Schmiesing both acknowledged concerns expressed by BFA member Rolf Norgaard of the Program in Writing and Rhetoric and by Alastair Norcross of Philosophy that the Office of Academic Affairs鈥� current efforts to create new policies on raises tied to promotions should include instructor-class faculty in all their newly classified ranks.
Moore also validated concerns by BFA member Samira Mehta (Jewish Studies) that new faculty members who receive above market assistant professor salaries quickly see that salary advantage eaten up by Boulder鈥檚 costly housing market.听
鈥淵ou鈥檙e absolutely right,鈥澨齅oore said. 鈥淥ur assistant professors are hired at slightly higher levels than our AAU public peers鈥攂ut when you look at where they are, in Kansas, Iowa...these are not in places with a high cost of living.鈥澨�
Moore said the administration was in conversations with the CU system on 鈥渉ow we do our faculty housing program and possibly redoing it.鈥澨�
The conversation closed on a question by former BFA chair and current member Bob Ferry of History, who asked if the faculty committee that would take on phase two salary issues would be appointed by the BFA or the faculty, or by administrators.听
Moore said he was supportive of the BFA having 鈥渁 heavy hand鈥� in the process of selecting faculty members on the committee and was also open to drawing committee membership directly from the membership of college and school faculty governance groups, which was suggested by Beechy.听
鈥淚 think it would be perfectly appropriate if the governing bodies in the colleges selected them,鈥� Moore said.听听
鈥淚 think there is a big discovery phase in this,鈥� Moore said of the work the committee would do.
In other action in the BFA meeting
- Campus Chief Operating Officer Patrick O鈥橰ourke told the group, in clarifying the campus鈥檚 mask-optional policy announced this past Monday and going into effect on Monday, March 7, that it was acceptable for faculty to ask students to wear masks in class if faculty were experiencing health issues or concerns, but that they could not require the wearing of masks in class.听
- Voted to approve:
- A resolution that would ban CU faculty, staff and students from wagering on the outcomes of CU Division I sports teams, similar to measures adopted at Villanova University, St. John鈥檚 University and Purdue University. The resolution passed with 39 in favor, two opposed and two abstentions.
- A resolution that would create a set of changes to the role and charge of the BFA Grievance Advisory Committee, creating empowered advisors for those faculty involved in grievance procedures, among other measures. This passed with 40 in favor, zero opposed and three abstentions.听
- Introduced as 30-day notices of motion:听
- A resolution to codify 鈥減romising practices鈥� that academic units can undertake to credit diversity, equity and inclusion work by faculty as part of the merit evaluation process.听
- A resolution to pressure the faculty-staff retirement investment firm TIAA to withdraw its investments from corporations that extract fossil fuels and engage in deforestation. The BFA will also hold a Zoom forum from 4 to 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 17, to allow for further discussion on the motion.
