1 10 9 https://archivingcovid19.libraries.rutgers.edu/files/original/64eae197ec2fb5f83bbb50d696302924.pdf 36ee458c24442828044643fa21236a9b Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rutgers Responds Subject The topic of the resource Rutgers University responses to the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic, beginning in March 2020 Language A language of the resource English Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Audrey Truschke Description An account of the resource This archive collects some key moments in the responses of Rutgers University, especially the Rutgers administration, to the COVID-19 pandemic, from March 2020 through Fall 2020. This has been a period of unprecedented austerity measures from Rutgers, prioritizing the wealthy and advantaged while laying off hundreds of the most vulnerable of the Rutgers community. Rutgers has faced criticism for its decisions from many corners, including from its own faculty and students, many of whom argue that the administration's approach to the pandemic is heartless, lacking in leadership, and inappropriate for a state university that is supposed to prioritize education. Email A resource containing textual messages and binary attachments sent electronically from one person to another or one person to many people. Email Body The main body of the email, including all replied and forwarded text and headers Members of the Rutgers Community: Fostering a healthy community in New Jersey is core to the mission of our University. While at this time we are not aware of any confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our community, we have been closely tracking its spread across our region. We have an imperative to do what we can to slow the spread of this serious virus and protect those who are most vulnerable. This is a difficult and extraordinary situation, and I recognize that people throughout our community are concerned for their personal health and that of their families and friends. To that end, and with thanks to all members of our community who have taken steps to help us prepare, I am announcing that Rutgers University is taking the actions listed below. We do not undertake any of these changes without careful consideration of the hardships and inconvenience that they may impose. Thank you for your patience and your understanding, as together we navigate this challenging situation. Classroom Instruction at Rutgers – Camden, Newark, and New Brunswick <ul><li>Beginning Thursday, March 12, through the end of spring break on Sunday, March 22, all classes are canceled.</li> <li>Beginning Monday, March 23, through at least Friday, April 3, all course instruction will be delivered remotely. All face-to-face instruction is suspended. This includes any class meetings.</li> <li>Individual instructors are expected to be in contact with their students regarding their plans for remote instruction prior to March 23.</li> </ul> Instruction at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences <ul><li>Courses at RBHS will continue as scheduled.</li> <li>Beginning Monday, March 16, all RBHS classes with more than 15 participants will be provided remotely. RBHS deans from the relevant schools will be in touch with students regarding more detailed plans for remote instruction.</li> <li>Please note there will be no change to clinical rotations and clinical instruction.</li> </ul> Campus Activities <ul><li>Students living in residence halls should leave campus as soon as possible. Students are strongly encouraged to remain off campus through April 3. The University understands that leaving campus may not be possible or prudent for everyone, and we encourage anyone with concerns to contact the student housing office on your campus.</li> <li>Beginning Thursday, March 12, Rutgers events and in-person meetings involving groups larger than 15 participants are cancelled through April 15. Guidance related to this policy will be reviewed again by April 1.</li> <li>Groups with events scheduled after April 15 are urged to begin considering alternative plans in case future events will need to be cancelled or postponed.</li> <li>No new non-essential events should be scheduled until further notice.</li> <li>Athletic directors are instructed to follow the guidance of their respective athletic conferences.</li> </ul> Travel <ul><li>We strongly suggest that all members of the Rutgers community reconsider any upcoming domestic travel, especially to areas where there has been a significant incidence of COVID-19.</li> <li>All Rutgers-led international spring break programs are canceled.</li> <li>All students in third-party study abroad programs are strongly encouraged to return.</li> <li>All international travel sponsored by Rutgers is suspended.</li> <li>Any member of our community returning from a country designated Level 3 by the CDC is required to self-isolate for 14 days before returning to campus.</li> </ul> Faculty and Staff <ul><li>University offices, labs and services will remain open during this time period.</li> <li>Employees are strongly encouraged to use teleconference services, such as Webex, in lieu of in-person meetings.</li> <li>Guidance from University Human Resources will be forthcoming advising staff on appropriate telecommuting practices, employee leave management, and related workplace questions.</li> <li>Specific guidance for healthcare workers who have direct contact with patients will be forthcoming from the Executive Vice President of Health Affairs.</li> <li>Please take steps to protect your health and the health of your coworkers by following guidance on prevention and care. If you feel unwell, please stay home.</li> </ul> The COVID-19 Task Force continues to monitor this situation and is updating guidance daily. Further details will be coming from each chancellor. Expansive guidance for the University community can be found at coronavirus.rutgers.edu. I ask that every make it point to regularly visit the website to stay current on Rutgers-related advisories. I urge you to remember that the most important steps you can take are self-care. I thank you again for your patience as we navigate this dynamic and complex situation. Sincerely, Robert Barchi Subject Line The content of the subject line of the email Important Update on University Operating Status Regarding COVID-19 From The name and email address of the person sending the email Robert Barchi president@rutgers.edu To The name(s) and email address(es) of the person to whom the email was sent Audrey Truschke audrey.truschke@gmail.com PRESIDENT_ALLSTAFF@rams.rutgers.edu PRESIDENT_ALLSTUDENTS@rams.rutgers.edu Number of Attachments The number of attachments to the email Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rutgers University-Wide Email March 10, 2020 Subject The topic of the resource The Rutgers University administration announces a slew of responses to the novel coronavirus outbreak. Description An account of the resource Rutgers University-Wide email on March 10, 2020, from Rutgers President Robert Barchi, that announced a slew of responses to the novel coronavirus outbreak, including the cancellation of class and, post-Spring Break, that classes would move online until April 3, 2020. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Robert Barchi, Rutgers University President Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource March 10, 2020 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource digital Language A language of the resource English Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Rutgers University First Days March 2020 pandemic Rutgers University https://archivingcovid19.libraries.rutgers.edu/files/original/9916c3ee10bf158d2c70ff98c37586f8.png b2af43e41d9c646588d863965b31495c Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rutgers Responds Subject The topic of the resource Rutgers University responses to the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic, beginning in March 2020 Language A language of the resource English Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Audrey Truschke Description An account of the resource This archive collects some key moments in the responses of Rutgers University, especially the Rutgers administration, to the COVID-19 pandemic, from March 2020 through Fall 2020. This has been a period of unprecedented austerity measures from Rutgers, prioritizing the wealthy and advantaged while laying off hundreds of the most vulnerable of the Rutgers community. Rutgers has faced criticism for its decisions from many corners, including from its own faculty and students, many of whom argue that the administration's approach to the pandemic is heartless, lacking in leadership, and inappropriate for a state university that is supposed to prioritize education. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Return to Research at Rutgers Plan as of May 29, 2020 Subject The topic of the resource Graphic summarizing Rutgers University Return to Research Plan, circulated on May 29, 2020 Description An account of the resource Graphic summarizing Rutgers University Return to Research Plan, written by the Research Team of the University Emergency Operations Committee and circulated to Rutgers Researchers on May 29, 2020. The plan culminated, in August 2020, with a full return to in-person research at Rutgers University with no protective equipment, no social distancing protocols, and no enhanced hygiene. This plan was not followed. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Research Team of the University Emergency Operations Committee at Rutgers University Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available S. David Kimball, Senior Vice President, Research & Economic Development, Rutgers University Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource May 29, 2020 Language A language of the resource English https://archivingcovid19.libraries.rutgers.edu/files/original/bc88ede6b4dfe9ce9850fddbdebb1c2d.pdf 9b5c66f4d555f17a78fc4e6e36d535b6 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rutgers Responds Subject The topic of the resource Rutgers University responses to the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic, beginning in March 2020 Language A language of the resource English Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Audrey Truschke Description An account of the resource This archive collects some key moments in the responses of Rutgers University, especially the Rutgers administration, to the COVID-19 pandemic, from March 2020 through Fall 2020. This has been a period of unprecedented austerity measures from Rutgers, prioritizing the wealthy and advantaged while laying off hundreds of the most vulnerable of the Rutgers community. Rutgers has faced criticism for its decisions from many corners, including from its own faculty and students, many of whom argue that the administration's approach to the pandemic is heartless, lacking in leadership, and inappropriate for a state university that is supposed to prioritize education. Email A resource containing textual messages and binary attachments sent electronically from one person to another or one person to many people. Email Body The main body of the email, including all replied and forwarded text and headers Takeaway: We expect that you will receive an email from Vivian Fernández, Senior Vice President for Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness, telling you that the university will break our union contract and “withhold” the pay increases we fought so hard last year to achieve in our new contract. We’re writing to you today to give you the facts about the salary freeze—and talk about what we, as a union of faculty and grads and part of the Coalition of Rutgers Unions, can do. Dear Audrey, Today is the last day of the Barchi Administration, with faculty and staff salary increases cancelled and grad workers’ raises frozen unilaterally across the university during the most challenging of times. It didn’t have to end this way. For faculty, the cancelling of increases based on merit (up to 10%) will lead to significant income losses over a lifetime of earnings. For grad workers, frozen salaries when other work is not reasonably available is an insult added to the injury of lost research productivity and no guarantees of extended funding. Other staff are losing the first decent wage increases they have seen since the 2008 financial crisis, the last time Rutgers declared a fiscal emergency. Others have been laid off entirely, leaving them without necessary income and health insurance during a pandemic and leaving some of their children without tuition remission they depend on. Many of you may have seen that Rutgers has imposed a furlough program on not-yet-unionized Rutgers employees, known as “non-aligned” employees. The Coalition of Rutgers Unions has been attempting for more than a month now to negotiate a work-sharing program that would have saved the University more than $100 million if enacted in a timely manner while keeping all faculty and staff whole via enhanced unemployment benefits provided by the CARES Act. Rutgers' unilateral action toward nonunion workers is particularly egregious given that the University took too long to act. If they had acted six weeks ago, when we first proposed work-sharing, nonunion workers could have been furloughed during a time when they were fully eligible for CARES Act support. When the CARES Act expires at the end of July, these workers will be lucky to get any additional support. Rutgers said in their communication yesterday that they “have already entered a work-share furlough program with two of our unions, and hope that other unions will follow suit.” The Coalition of Rutgers Unions would like to ask: What has Rutgers been waiting for? Why has it left tens of millions of dollars in CARES Act funding on the table by delaying an agreement with our unions? Why did it refuse to meet with our Coalition collectively to negotiate an agreement after its fiscal emergency declaration, opting instead to have substanceless meetings with 19 unions in 21 days? Why did it waste valuable time attacking some Coalition unions and threatening layoffs, instead of negotiating an agreement that was beneficial to all involved? At a time when the Barchi Administration should have been protecting the most vulnerable among us—grad workers, part-time lecturers, custodians, dining service and other low-wage workers, researchers, health care providers, international students, and scholars—they instead were looking after their own bottom line. When we should have been working together to protect our communities, they were too busy protecting credit ratings and hoarding the rainy-day funds accumulated through our labor and increasing tuition. Not one among us would have faulted President Barchi for expressing compassion and choosing progressive spending to help us all through this pandemic. The State University of New Jersey, which is still the Rutgers moniker, should be at the forefront of progressivism in aiding our communities and our economy. Instead, layoffs, funding cuts, and wage freezes have ruled the final days of this callous administration. The lawyers and accountants who dominate Rutgers management have shown themselves unfit to lead and must go. The “responsibility center management” budget model that punished the Camden campus for admitting and supporting the poorest students of New Jersey must also go. Board of Governors chair Mark Angelson promised at the last governors’ meeting that “a new day is coming.” Let us all hope so. On the last day of the Barchi administration, Rutgers AAUP-AFT has filed grievances against the current management’s inaction on ANY of the 100-plus pay equity cases filed by members dating back to the start of this academic year in September 2019. Not one of us has received a final decision. We do know that Jackson Lewis, a notorious anti-union law firm, is advising the administration on the pay equity program. AAUP-AFT will also be grieving management’s inaction regarding the completion of the merit evaluation process that should have led to a raise for faculty tomorrow. Department Peer Evaluation Committees completed their part, as did Department Chairs, in a timely manner. After that, management told Deans and Chancellors to hold up on making any further decisions on our merit raises. That was two months ago. Management’s defense is that we don’t need to know the amount of the raise if they intend to never pay it! Finally, we are joining with all of our partners in the Coalition of Rutgers Unions in filing separate grievances on the withholding of raises due to our members July 1st. These grievances will go directly to arbitration, and a neutral party will determine if President Barchi and his team were technically justified in withholding the raises. We are all ready for a new day and hope to work with Chairperson Angelson and the new administration to realize a more progressive and equitable Rutgers for our students, our colleagues, and our state. In solidarity, Todd and Becky Rutgers AAUP-AFT and the Coalition of Rutgers Unions Todd Wolfson, President, Rutgers AAUP-AFT Rebecca Givan, Vice President, Rutgers AAUP-AFT Rutgers AAUP-AFT Facebook page: https://facebook.com/RUaaup/ Follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @ruaaup Subject Line The content of the subject line of the email Barchi Regime Ends in Disgrace From The name and email address of the person sending the email Todd and Becky, Rutgers AAUP-AFT aaup@rutgersaaup.org To The name(s) and email address(es) of the person to whom the email was sent Audrey.truschke@gmail.com Number of Attachments The number of attachments to the email Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Barchi Regime Ends in Disgrace Subject The topic of the resource Rutgers AAUP-AFT email on the last day of Robert Barchi's tenure at president of Rutgers University. Description An account of the resource Rutgers AAUP-AFT email on the last day of Robert Barchi's tenure at president of Rutgers University. The email outlines the Barchi administration's steps to deny faculty contract-negotiated raises, lay-off hundreds of workers, and refuse to agree to a union-proposed furlough program that would alleviate pressure on the most vulnerable in the Rutgers community. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Todd Wolfson, President, Rutgers AAUP-AFT, Rebecca Givan, Vice President, Rutgers AAUP-AFT Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Audrey Truschke Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource June 30, 2020 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource email Language A language of the resource English Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant New Jersey Barchi finances layoffs Rutgers University https://archivingcovid19.libraries.rutgers.edu/files/original/af311d79abf14e15003f2f5fad4e41a3.pdf ce96b968056b743e5c60b0d93a7b3d41 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rutgers Responds Subject The topic of the resource Rutgers University responses to the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic, beginning in March 2020 Language A language of the resource English Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Audrey Truschke Description An account of the resource This archive collects some key moments in the responses of Rutgers University, especially the Rutgers administration, to the COVID-19 pandemic, from March 2020 through Fall 2020. This has been a period of unprecedented austerity measures from Rutgers, prioritizing the wealthy and advantaged while laying off hundreds of the most vulnerable of the Rutgers community. Rutgers has faced criticism for its decisions from many corners, including from its own faculty and students, many of whom argue that the administration's approach to the pandemic is heartless, lacking in leadership, and inappropriate for a state university that is supposed to prioritize education. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Reddit Thread on Rutgers program of giving iPads to new undergraduate students Subject The topic of the resource Reddit Thread begun in August 2020 in which Rutgers community members, students and others, respond to the administration's program of sending new iPads to new undergraduate students, both freshman and transfer students. Description An account of the resource On August 12, 2020, the Rutgers administration announced that they would be sending new Apple iPads Air 256GB to all incoming undergraduate freshman and transfer students. This sparked many responses, including happiness, skepticism, and anger. Many of the responses are best understood in the context of larger fiscal austerity measures imposed by the Rutgers administration, including the elimination of hundreds of jobs at the university. This Reddit thread is one way of seeing those responses. Because Reddit is largely used anonymously, the responses are perhaps more unfiltered than when Rutgers community members speak under their own names. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Reddit users; Rutgers community members Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Reddit Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Audrey Truschke Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource August 2020 Language A language of the resource English Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant New Jersey ipad reddit Rutgers https://archivingcovid19.libraries.rutgers.edu/files/original/256a8ccbf7ee663de0d3d892111b529d.pdf dfe5c930c99cf1c20eda54cead86d828 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rutgers Responds Subject The topic of the resource Rutgers University responses to the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic, beginning in March 2020 Language A language of the resource English Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Audrey Truschke Description An account of the resource This archive collects some key moments in the responses of Rutgers University, especially the Rutgers administration, to the COVID-19 pandemic, from March 2020 through Fall 2020. This has been a period of unprecedented austerity measures from Rutgers, prioritizing the wealthy and advantaged while laying off hundreds of the most vulnerable of the Rutgers community. Rutgers has faced criticism for its decisions from many corners, including from its own faculty and students, many of whom argue that the administration's approach to the pandemic is heartless, lacking in leadership, and inappropriate for a state university that is supposed to prioritize education. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Rutgers to lay off all writing adjunct professors in 2021 Bob Makin Bridgewater Courier News President Jonathan Holloway called for a new way forward on labor-management negotiations during his first address to the Rutgers University Senate on Friday, the same day the writing department on the New Brunswick campus announced the lay off all adjunct professors. While Holloway said he has made it clear to his senior management team to approach negotiations from the standpoint of collaboration, near full state appropriations recently granted have not compensated for a significant drop in revenue lost to the pandemic, according to the university. “Although the restoration of the proposed cut to the state appropriation is helpful, our fiscal situation is still dire with the dramatic loss of tuition, housing, dining and other revenues,” university spokesperson Dory Devlin said. David Letwin, center, of the Part-Time Lecturers Faculty Council-AAUP-AFT spoke at the March4RLivesRJobsRSchools through downtown New Brunswick on Saturday in opposition of the forthcoming layoffs of 100 more adjunct professors at Rutgers University. Throughout the spring, the university also lost significant revenue from stalled scientific research and canceled elective medical procedures, according to financial records. As a result, most university staff members have been furloughed monthly since July. Since April, the university also has cut about 1,000 jobs, including more than 300 adjuncts across its three campuses. David Winters, vice president of PTLFC-AAUP-AFT Local 6324, the Rutgers union representing about a third of the university's 3,000 part-time lecturers, said Holloway addressing collaborative labor negotiations the same day 100 more layoffs were announced was not surprising. “Holloway appears to be acting consistently with his history as provost at Northwestern, where he was part of the core strategic group that fought successfully against an adjunct organizing drive by SEIU local 73 in Chicago,” Winters said. On Saturday, several hundred Rutgers faculty, staff, students, and other community members participated in a protest of the layoffs and several other issues for which the university recently has come under fire. At a rally that preceded a march, David Letwin of the Part-Time Lecturers Faculty Council-AAUP-AFT said, “The administration decided to throw out of work as many as 100 dedicated, underpaid, vulnerable teaching faculty who are carrying out the core mission of this university under extraordinary circumstances at a time when finding similar employment is nearly impossible. And PTLs are not the only ones facing this situation. Other vulnerable Rutgers employees, often of color, have already lost their jobs.” “President Holloway is this how you treat what you have called your ‘beloved community?’” Letwin continued. “We are angered, but we are not surprised. This summary termination reflects the administration’s top-down, you-are-disposable, we-are-all-powerful, and we-can-do-what-we-want-when-we-want-to-anyone-we-want-without-any-consequences attitude.” March4RLivesRJobsRSchools through downtown New Brunswick also aimed to reduce university tuition and fees, stand for racial equity, stand for climate justice, settle all union contracts, and save Lincoln Annex School. The elementary school of predominantly Latino students is slated for demolition soon to make way for an $805 million expansion for the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey that includes a tax-free replacement school on Jersey Avenue. Despite the protests, Holloway does deliver hope, members of the university community said. In his senate address, he also said, “Any negotiator who is driven by a desire to win is not paying attention to the fact that we are all on the same team. In my conversations with labor leaders, I have said the same thing: we need to find ways to work together.” Email: bmakin@gannettnj.com Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data newspaper article Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rutgers to lay off all writing adjunct professors in 2021 Subject The topic of the resource Rutgers-New Brunswick to lay off all writing adjunct professors in 2021 Description An account of the resource Newspaper article about the announcement that the Rutgers-New Brunswick writing program will lay off 100% of their adjunct professors in Spring 2021 term. Rutgers-NB later pulled back from this decision, under union pressure and perhaps due to practical considerations about who, absent adjuncts, would teach all of these writing classes. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Bob Makin Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived my central jersey Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available my central jerseyS Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource September 29, 2020 Language A language of the resource English Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant New Brunswick, New Jersey layoffs New Brunswick Rutgers University https://archivingcovid19.libraries.rutgers.edu/files/original/133b57490768d724f8b79f64f8a88e64.pdf a122c2127c640f8d050422eb0abaab3c Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rutgers Responds Subject The topic of the resource Rutgers University responses to the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic, beginning in March 2020 Language A language of the resource English Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Audrey Truschke Description An account of the resource This archive collects some key moments in the responses of Rutgers University, especially the Rutgers administration, to the COVID-19 pandemic, from March 2020 through Fall 2020. This has been a period of unprecedented austerity measures from Rutgers, prioritizing the wealthy and advantaged while laying off hundreds of the most vulnerable of the Rutgers community. Rutgers has faced criticism for its decisions from many corners, including from its own faculty and students, many of whom argue that the administration's approach to the pandemic is heartless, lacking in leadership, and inappropriate for a state university that is supposed to prioritize education. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document 5 Professors Sue Rutgers, Saying It Shortchanges Women on Pay The five women say they are paid tens of thousands of dollars less than men with similar qualifications. The university says it is “committed to pay equity.” “We should know that within our academic community, principles of economic justice will be safeguarded,” said Nancy Wolff, a professor at Rutgers University. She and other women at the school claim they have been paid less than their male counterparts. “We should know that within our academic community, principles of economic justice will be safeguarded,” said Nancy Wolff, a professor at Rutgers University. She and other women at the school claim they have been paid less than their male counterparts.Credit...Bryan Anselm for The New York Times By Jillian Kramer Oct. 15, 2020 Ruth Bader Ginsburg joined the faculty of Rutgers Law School in 1963, the same year federal legislation aimed at abolishing wage disparity between women and men became law. But Justice Ginsburg, who was the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court and who died last month, was paid much less than her male peers. So, she and other female faculty members mounted a legal challenge against Rutgers, New Jersey’s flagship university, winning a settlement that earned the women substantial raises. More than 50 years later, some women claim they are still being shortchanged. On Wednesday night, in the latest battle over equal pay in higher education, five female tenured professors accused Rutgers in a lawsuit, filed in State Superior Court, of paying them far less than their male counterparts. Two of the plaintiffs are distinguished professors, a title given only to faculty members who have achieved the highest levels of scholarship. One, Nancy Wolff, has published two books and written more than 100 peer-reviewed articles. Another, Judith Storch, has presented at more than 150 research seminars and won multiple awards. And a third, Deepa Kumar, is a world-renowned scholar of Islamophobia and race. All of them say they are paid tens of thousands of dollars a year less than male peers with similar qualifications. “We as professors are working so hard to inspire our students, to expand the knowledge base, and to work with our communities and policymakers to solve social problems,” said Professor Wolff, who teaches public policy, “and we should know that within our academic community, principles of economic justice will be safeguarded.” University officials said that they would not comment on the lawsuit. But the school, in a statement, said it was “committed to pay equity” and was reviewing the way it paid professors but had been hampered by the pandemic. “Creating a new and complex faculty pay equity program that accounts for the variety of disciplines, individual schools, and titles at a university is challenging even in the best of times,” the school said. The complaint comes days after Princeton University agreed to pay more than $1.2 million to women on the faculty after a federal investigation revealed that they were being paid less than male professors. Similar equal pay challenges have been lodged recently against universities across the country, including Northern Michigan University, the University of Arizona and the University of Denver. Professor Kumar, who teaches journalism and media studies, was hired in 2004 along with four white men and women who, at the time, earned about the same — and in some cases, lower — salaries than her. ImageProfessor Deepa Kumar said it was “emotionally draining to keep having to prove that you are equivalent to your white peers and your male peers.” Professor Deepa Kumar said it was “emotionally draining to keep having to prove that you are equivalent to your white peers and your male peers.”Credit...Lauren Justice for The New York Times Over time, they were given bigger raises and today, according to the lawsuit, Professor Kumar earns about $25,000 less than other full professors in her department. She said she had tried repeatedly to negotiate pay raises, but it had been “very difficult and very time consuming.” “It is also emotionally draining to keep having to prove that you are equivalent to your white peers and your male peers only to be told that you are not on grounds that are at best flimsy,” she added. Professor Storch, a distinguished professor of nutritional sciences, said she earned more than $46,000 less on average than all the distinguished professors in biomedical science. “I was stunned when I saw the data,” she said. Donna Ginther, an economist at the University of Kansas who studies wage inequity, says her research shows that the pay disparity between women and men grows as women move up the ranks in academia. “The longer women are in their careers, the more the gap grows,” Dr. Ginther said, “and that suggests something is happening with respect to how their contributions are valued.” At Rutgers, a study commissioned in 2018 by the university’s faculty union showed that when adjusted for rank, women who are tenured earned on average about 2 percent less than men. Because women make up only 30 percent of full professors and 20 percent of distinguished professors, the study also examined pay discrepancies among faculty members of different ranks. When rank was eliminated, women’s pay lagged more than 7 percent on average to men’s salaries, according to the study. As a result of the findings, Rutgers and its faculty last year reached a pay equity agreement that established a formal process to allow any faculty member to request a salary adjustment. Reviews are supposed to be completed within 90 working days and the university must notify applicants of any delay. Professor Storch, citing her pay discrepancy, made her request last Nov. 18. On Aug. 19, she was told that her case was still under review. She said she had not heard anything since. The other four plaintiffs have also filed pay equity requests but have not had their cases resolved, according to the suit. The faculty union formed a committee, in part to help professors concerned about their pay make their cases to the university. Of 81 requests the committee confirms have been submitted to Rutgers, none has been decided. Women made 48 of those requests; men submitted 33. The lawsuit comes amid a pandemic that has ravaged university budgets and caused faculty and staff members to rejigger their work schedules. Some of the plaintiffs in the Rutgers case said the school had blamed the outbreak for its inability to respond to pay equity requests. The university, in its statement, said the challenges in addressing the pay issues were “magnified after having to divert our personnel resources to responding to the immediate issues presented by the Covid crisis, including preserving jobs and benefits after the shutdown was ordered and telecommuting for employees, as well as a variety of health and safety concerns for everyone who works at Rutgers.” Image A study by the Rutgers faculty union found that women faculty members earned on average two percent less than male colleagues with similar credentials. Credit...Bryan Anselm for The New York Times Professor Kumar said she estimated that she would have earned more than $300,000 in additional salary at Rutgers if she had been paid at the same rate as colleagues with similar credentials. Professor Wolff said she would have earned $500,000 more in wages. “What that means is that I have indirectly given a half a million dollar subsidy to the university to pay higher wages to my faculty equivalents, who are primarily white males,” she said. Kim Churches, the chief executive of the nonprofit American Association of University Women, said the issue of pay equity was even more urgent during the outbreak, with studies showing women in academia bearing more household responsibilities than their male peers. “This issue of where we are in higher education is just bursting into public view,” Ms. Churches said. The Rutgers professors challenging the university’s pay structure said they hoped to achieve systemic changes. “When I was asked to join this, I said that the only reason I was willing to do it is because it would advantage people who do not have the job security to do what I am doing,” Professor Wolff said. “And that is exactly why we have tenure: So that when we see wrongdoing, that we can stand up and say that this is not right.” Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 5 Professors Sue Rutgers, Saying It Shortchanges Women on Pay Subject The topic of the resource New York Times newspaper article on how 5 female professors have filed suit against Rutgers University, seeking equal pay for women. Description An account of the resource New York Times newspaper article on how 5 female professors have followed in the footsteps of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in suing Rutgers University for equal pay for women. Rutgers is in severe breach of a contract provision by which the administration is required to consider pay adjustments based on equity. The lawsuit also alleges that Rutgers is in violation of New Jersey state law because of pay inequities. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Jillian Kramer Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available New York Times Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 15, 2020 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource online newspaper article Language A language of the resource English Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant New Jersey discrimination equity lawsuit Rutgers sexism University https://archivingcovid19.libraries.rutgers.edu/files/original/2b78afd8c181e9f80a92b667a46443cc.pdf 730d6b22f9fb535347fed62892da3a5a Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rutgers Responds Subject The topic of the resource Rutgers University responses to the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic, beginning in March 2020 Language A language of the resource English Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Audrey Truschke Description An account of the resource This archive collects some key moments in the responses of Rutgers University, especially the Rutgers administration, to the COVID-19 pandemic, from March 2020 through Fall 2020. This has been a period of unprecedented austerity measures from Rutgers, prioritizing the wealthy and advantaged while laying off hundreds of the most vulnerable of the Rutgers community. Rutgers has faced criticism for its decisions from many corners, including from its own faculty and students, many of whom argue that the administration's approach to the pandemic is heartless, lacking in leadership, and inappropriate for a state university that is supposed to prioritize education. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document SAS Faculty Resolution on Layoffs and Cuts, Oct. 15, 2020 WHEREAS the Rutgers administration is proposing to cut part-time faculty and eliminate staff positions in the School of Arts and Sciences; and Whereas 15–20 staff members’ positions are being eliminated, causing incalculable damage to individual lives and to the School’s research, teaching, and public service missions; and Whereas the English Department’s Writing Program, the largest employer of part-time lecturers, has been permitted to plan spring courses for only 26 out of its current staff of 70 PTLs, with any further PTL assignments subject to an onerous “exception request” process supervised by the Provost and Chancellor; and Whereas all departments and programs have been pressured to reassign courses to full-time faculty (tenure-track and non-tenure-track) and to eliminate small courses without regard for faculty expertise and governance in matters of curriculum; and Whereas the State of New Jersey recently restored funding at 2020 levels to Rutgers, which relieves the financial pressure that has been presented as an excuse for this staff reduction; and Whereas Executive Dean Peter March has exhorted chairs and program directors in a September 30 letter to “devote ourselves to providing a high quality, interactive educational experience”; and Whereas high-quality remote education demands smaller classes, the retention of experienced instructors, and the support of staff, in a working environment free from the threat of arbitrary layoffs during a pandemic; and Whereas Rutgers University possesses ample and growing unrestricted reserves, a “rainy day” fund withheld from the School of Arts and Sciences through the RCM budget model and other harmful financial policies; BE IT RESOLVED, 1. all eliminated staff positions will be reinstated immediately; and 2. an ad hoc committee of faculty and staff will be charged with studying the Executive Dean’s staffing plan and formulating alternatives; and 3. PTLs will be offered courses for spring 2021 at similar levels to spring 2020, as deemed appropriate by faculty officers responsible for curricula in the various departments and programs; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, 4. the faculty deplores these unjustified attacks on the faculty and staff of the School; and 5. the faculty charges the Executive Dean to convey the text of this resolution directly to the Provost and Chancellor of Rutgers–New Brunswick and to the University President. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource SAS Faculty Resolution on Layoffs and Cuts, Oct. 15, 2020 Subject The topic of the resource Faculty Resolution adopted by faculty in the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers New Brunswick. Description An account of the resource Faculty Resolution adopted by faculty in the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers New Brunswick opposing the elimination of faculty positions (and, by extension, deep cutting of class offerings). Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Faculty in the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers-New Brunswick Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Audrey Truschke Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 15, 2020 Language A language of the resource English Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant New Brunswick, NJ faculty layoffs New Brunswick resolution Rutgers https://archivingcovid19.libraries.rutgers.edu/files/original/d8e9577561ae47cb142cdf5b45be8cf1.pdf 79b22dedaeb497d4e62a24027aec418f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rutgers Responds Subject The topic of the resource Rutgers University responses to the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic, beginning in March 2020 Language A language of the resource English Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Audrey Truschke Description An account of the resource This archive collects some key moments in the responses of Rutgers University, especially the Rutgers administration, to the COVID-19 pandemic, from March 2020 through Fall 2020. This has been a period of unprecedented austerity measures from Rutgers, prioritizing the wealthy and advantaged while laying off hundreds of the most vulnerable of the Rutgers community. Rutgers has faced criticism for its decisions from many corners, including from its own faculty and students, many of whom argue that the administration's approach to the pandemic is heartless, lacking in leadership, and inappropriate for a state university that is supposed to prioritize education. Email A resource containing textual messages and binary attachments sent electronically from one person to another or one person to many people. Email Body The main body of the email, including all replied and forwarded text and headers Dear Colleagues, COVID continues to impact SAS and Rutgers in many ways, including this year’s budget. The pandemic has put us in a very difficult position where we must find a way to use diminished resources to support our traditional missions of teaching, research, and service. Faculty concern about part of the SAS strategy to deal with this year’s budget resulted in passage of the SAS Faculty Resolution on Layoffs and Cuts, Oct. 15, 2020. I write to convey my decision not to act on the terms of the resolution and share my reasoning with you. Every dean has a fiduciary responsibility to advance their school’s mission within a budget approved by the Board of Governors. The approved SAS FY 2021 budget has a deficit of approximately $9M if state funding to SAS is fully restored. The approved budget is predicated on the range of steps outlined in my letter of September 30, including elimination of some staff positions and reduction of employment opportunities for some part-time lecturers. In developing a strategy to deal with the deficit, I consulted regularly with department chairs and program directors, the Executive Committee, and school deans. I benefitted greatly from their ideas and input. I think this level of on-going faculty engagement on budget matters is both appropriate and sufficient. Before sending this message, I discussed my decision not to act on the terms of the resolution with the Chancellor, the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, and the President. Please know that I conveyed to them how the budget strategy was formulated, the passion and arguments that faculty advanced in support of the resolution, and the reasoning behind my decision. This was an extremely difficult decision to make. I assure you it was not taken lightly or rashly but thoughtfully and advisedly. As I said at the faculty meeting, there are no easy solutions or painless decisions. While I am grateful for the leadership demonstrated by chairs, directors, and deans in SAS over the past several months, please know that responsibility for implementing the strategy rests only with me. Sincerely, Peter March Subject Line The content of the subject line of the email Response to Resolution From The name and email address of the person sending the email SAS-Assist-To-Chair <sas-assist-to-chair-bounces@lists.sas.rutgers.edu> on behalf of Office of the Executive Dean <oed@sas.rutgers.edu> To The name(s) and email address(es) of the person to whom the email was sent sas-all-faculty@lists.sas.rutgers.edu <sas-all-faculty@lists.sas.rutgers.edu>; sas-affiliates@lists.sas.rutgers.edu <sas-affiliates@lists.sas.rutgers.edu>; sas-ptl@lists.sas.rutgers.edu <sas-ptl@lists.sas.rutgers.edu>; sas-chairs-announce@lists.sas.rutgers.edu <sas-chairs-announce@lists.sas.rutgers.edu>; sas-annuals-teaching (sas-annuals-teaching@lists.sas.rutgers.edu) <sas-annuals-teaching@lists.sas.rutgers.edu>; sas-annuals-research (sas-annuals-research@lists.sas.rutgers.edu) <sas-annuals-research@lists.sas.rutgers.edu> CC The name(s) and email address(es) of the person to whom the email was carbon copied sas-senior-staff <sas-senior-staff@lists.sas.rutgers.edu>; sas-assist-to-chair <sas-assist-to-chair@lists.sas.rutgers.edu>; sas-assist-to-senior-staff@lists.sas.rutgers.edu <sas-assist-to-senior-staff@lists.sas.rutgers.edu> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Dean Peter March to Faculty: Fuck You! Subject The topic of the resource Dean Peter March's Response to SAS Oct 15, 2020 Faculty Resolution Description An account of the resource Dean Peter March's Response to SAS Oct 15, 2020 Faculty Resolution. March dismissed the faculty resolution and resolved to proceed with eliminating faculty positions and reducing Rutgers course offerings in New Brunswick during the pandemic. March attests that he has the support of the Rutgers administration in this matter, up to and including President Jonathan Holloway. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Peter March Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Audrey Truschke Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 22, 2020 Language A language of the resource English Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant New Brunswick, NJ faculty Holloway layoffs New Brunswick resolution Rutgers university administration https://archivingcovid19.libraries.rutgers.edu/files/original/6a0db84727e228911a9c933bc51aace3.pdf 6aa7c994a41f5713df319cb9e5fcb7d6 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rutgers Responds Subject The topic of the resource Rutgers University responses to the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic, beginning in March 2020 Language A language of the resource English Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Audrey Truschke Description An account of the resource This archive collects some key moments in the responses of Rutgers University, especially the Rutgers administration, to the COVID-19 pandemic, from March 2020 through Fall 2020. This has been a period of unprecedented austerity measures from Rutgers, prioritizing the wealthy and advantaged while laying off hundreds of the most vulnerable of the Rutgers community. Rutgers has faced criticism for its decisions from many corners, including from its own faculty and students, many of whom argue that the administration's approach to the pandemic is heartless, lacking in leadership, and inappropriate for a state university that is supposed to prioritize education. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document <h4>How to have School Spirit: Unions, Solidarity, and Creative Writing</h4> I remember being a senior in high school and reading Marina Keegan’s essay, <a href="https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2012/05/27/keegan-the-opposite-of-loneliness/">“The Opposite of Loneliness</a>”. I had heard people’s nostalgia about their “college days” or the “college experience” but Keegan’s idea of what she had felt at Yale was the first that I really aspired to. “We don’t have a word for the opposite of loneliness, but if we did, I could say that’s what I want in life. What I’m grateful and thankful to have found at Yale, and what I’m scared of losing when we wake up tomorrow and leave this place. It’s not quite love and it’s not quite community; it’s just this feeling that there are people, an abundance of people, who are in this together. Who are on your team. When the check is paid and you stay at the table. When it’s four a.m. and no one goes to bed. That night with the guitar. That night we can’t remember. That time we did, we went, we saw, we laughed, we felt. ” -Marina Keegan, The Opposite of Loneliness We spend a relatively brief amount of time as undergraduates yet for many of us it can be a space of transformation and momentum. Our “college experience” is a part of our lives through which we grow, learn, and actively share collective energy that we acquire in a nuanced way. So what actually makes a University feel like the opposite of loneliness? Undergraduate students, graduate students, professors, staff, dining hall workers, janitorial staff, and of course the towns that Universities exist in, do the actual work of cultivating the college experience and creating a meaningful environment. Without the work of students and faculty who consistently build vibrant communities and student organizations, it would be impossible to attract prospective students and donations. When people visit campus to determine if they want to come here, you give them a tour of student activities, the dining halls, the nearby city, and academics- you don’t simply have them meet an administrator to talk about the endowment. But if students, faculty, workers, and surrounding cities are what sustain a university’s reputation and profit, then why are administrators given free rein to contribute to gentrification, use the endowment for unethical investments, and fail to provide adequate benefits or salaries for faculty and workers? No matter how affectionately we wear our school spirit, university administrative decisions are increasingly determined by accountants and lawyers (rather than faculty governance boards, worker councils, student representatives, or long term university members). Administrators and Board of Governors members seem to only see assets or expenses instead of an actual community that deserves a voice in university matters and recognition as stakeholders. And while the corporatization of the public university has been a major issue that unions and students have been pushing back against for decades, the pandemic has only made it worse. At Rutgers University, where I am a senior, our administration has the money to not need to make departmental cuts due to Covid. As a state university, we did not see drastic changes in enrollment or government funding. We also have a $1.5 billion endowment, and this is the exact type of crisis that calls for tapping into it. Yet, Rutgers has announced over 1,000 layoffs including dining hall staff, mental health professionals, librarians, part-time lecturers, and departmental-level administrators. Graduate students are facing threats that the administration will not be extending their research, which effectively acts as a layoff by stopping their funding and benefits. Ultimately, students (many of whom are experiencing financial crises) are being asked to pay the same tuition while the classes that they love and the employees that are essential to the university are being cut. And yes, education as a whole in this country is underfunded—we see this with both K-12 schools and universities— but administrators can protect themselves while unions have to consistently advocate for the bare minimum. In fact, as unions pushed back against layoffs, Rutgers administration hired Jackson-Lewis, a notorious union-busting law firm, which cost millions of dollars that they simply could have spent on sustaining the actual livelihood of Rutgers community members. They continue to now hire administrators and managers while declaring a hiring freeze for faculty and staff. To lay off adjunct faculty while prioritizing administrators feels like false advertising for the value of education that Rutgers is projecting to students. Part-Time Lecturers (Adjunct/Contingent faculty) teach over one-third of undergraduate classes at Rutgers but are paid as little as $5,500 per class without benefits. You may not realize which of your professors are adjuncts because they put in the same amount of work and are asked to perform at the same level as non-adjunct faculty. Lindsay Zafir explains the historical trajectory of adjunctification in her article “<a href="https://forgeorganizing.org/article/organizing-neoliberal-university">Organizing the Neoliberal University”.</a> “It’s a well-worn line in the rap for any academic union: three-fourths of all faculty in the United States are contingent laborers. And well-worn for a reason. It’s an astounding number, especially when compared to the number of contingent faculty fifty years ago — roughly<a href="https://prospect.org/labor/adjuncts-go-union/"> three percent</a>. This remarkable reconfiguration of labor in higher education coincided with the influx of more diverse groups of students and workers on college campuses in the latter half of the 20th century. At the same time, state disinvestment and subsequent privatization of public universities transformed higher education into a private commodity rather than a public good. As a result, women and people of color<a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/08/22/study-finds-gains-faculty-diversity-not-tenure-track"> disproportionately fill the ranks of contingent faculty</a> while the makeup of the tenured faculty (largely white, majority male) has remained relatively unchanged since 1969. “ -Lindsay Zafir, The Forge Fighting the privatization of public universities, along with calls for making Academia equitable and fair to more diverse faculty who previously were not represented by the university, entails a large quantity of work. Adding a broader discussion of how universities like Rutgers push contracts that create luxury apartments for students in surrounding cities or displace local middle school students to warehouses (read about the Defend Lincoln Annex Coalition in the references below), is an even more extensive conversation. For students, these conversations may require redefining how we show school spirit by using our voices to advocate for faculty and worker unions and the cities that we have entered and taken up space in. It also means fighting for our own voice in the Board of Governors/Trustee meetings and decision-making processes, as we are the biggest population at the university and we have a real ability to determine the reputation of the school. We should be vocal in defending the people and spaces that make us feel the opposite of loneliness, especially when they are made vulnerable by the university that is funded by our tuition and school spirit. The Creative Writing Department at Rutgers is a space that is truly vital to my experience here and it is currently being threatened by a 20% budget cut. Getting to know strangers through their creative work is one of the most underrated ways of experiencing connection and community. I’ve met my best friends in my writing classes and have felt seen as a person in ways that will always stick with me. The department is mostly taught by PTLs whose salaries only take up 0.8% of the school’s total budget, yet somehow cutting PTL classes for Creative Writing was chosen as the best way to deal with the pandemic. By treating this department as sacrificial, it feels like the work of Creative Writing and Creativity is being deeply underrated by the university. But you don’t have to take just my word for it- I’ve created a <a href="https://forms.gle/bm1qfWHK9krSnrX76">google form</a> asking for testimonials from Creative Writing students at Rutgers which received 72 responses in one day, and then passed 150 responses within five days. Many students talked about creative writing as one of the ways they were able to cope with personal traumas and mental health. They also, regardless of their academic discipline, described the creative writing classes as their favorite courses that they truly looked forward to and felt the most engaged in. All of the responses signaled that Creative Writing classes should not only be saved, but given more recognition and funding. We should be honest about what creative writing sustains at Rutgers and what it empowers students to do whether it be through improved writing skills or overall community connection. We should value PTLs for how they are inspiring students to be creative despite the state of the world and the bleakness of corporatization and climate crisis. We should safeguard these wonderful parts of the university because without them many students would have no place to believe that creativity is important to academia and that their thoughts matter. I encourage everyone to read the anonymous responses <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vzmcTPgObKTNLTi2qrpm8iE92UiWa-uwQssbTR1J_S8/edit?usp=sharing">here</a> and to follow the campaign on Twitter: @norulayoffs! Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource How to have School Spirit: Unions, Solidarity, and Creative Writing Subject The topic of the resource A Rutgers-New Brunswick Creative Writing student responds to the Rutgers administrations' lay-offs and other anti-people ways of responding to the pandemic. Description An account of the resource A Rutgers-New Brunswick Creative Writing student responds to the Rutgers administrations' lay-offs and other anti-people ways of responding to the pandemic. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Anjali Madgula Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Unpublished Magazine Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource November 18, 2020 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Anjali Madgula Language A language of the resource English Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant New Jersey creative writing layoffs New Brunswick Rutgers students Teachers