Faculty at Connecticut Community Colleges Plan to Boycott Meeting

Faculty and staff at Connecticut’s Naugatuck Valley Community College say they are going to boycott meetings with Terrence Cheng, president of Connecticut State Colleges and University (CSCU), reports the New Haven Register. The faculty are alleging that Cheng has been “dismissive” and “evasive” of their concerns regarding his consolidation plan, which involves combining the state’s 12 community colleges into one single accredited institution.

According to the Register, members of the union the Congress of Connecticut Community Colleges (4Cs) said that the shared services have already resulted in problems such as delayed contracts for adjunct faculty and issues with pay. Additionally, the chapter chair for part-timers for the 4Cs union, Gail Hughes, told the Register that the union is worried about a “loss of autonomy, loss of creativity, and loss of our beloved community and our very identity at Naugatuck Valley.”

Meanwhile, Leigh Appleby, a spokesperson for CSCU, told the Register that “refusing to even have a conversation benefits no one.”

“This is an opportunity for faculty and staff members to have an open and honest conversation about the future of our colleges and our system,” Appleby said. “No one is obligated to attend, but if employees really have legitimate concerns, they should engage in a constructive dialogue with the president of the system.”