Due to a state-budget shortfall, Bellevue College needs to cut $4.7 million to balance its budget. The recent dissolvement of the School of Business and Technology and the termination of the Parent Education program has not been without its fair share of challenges. While the dissolvement ensures that no classes are removed through redistributing classes throughout other programs, the jobs of faculty are a different story.
On Wednesday Nov. 5th, the faculty union held a protest in the A building. When asked what they were protesting, Renee Nejo, Program Chair of the Digital Media Arts program, explained that the union is “Holding our leadership accountable. They are saying they have some values but are not living up to those values. They haven’t come to the table to have discussions with us.”
They further went on to say, “They were very clear that the faculty jobs would not be affected, but all the people that supported our program, their jobs are endangered, half of them are gonna lose their jobs. To suggest that all I really need to worry about is my own job or the job of faculty, says to me that they don’t really see us as humans. That all I would care about is my own job and not the people that have been supporting me or this program.”
When asked about what they wanted from the administration, Alicia DeHart, an Associate Professor of Mathematics and secretary of the faculty union, answered that “We are fighting for an equitable process where faculty have a voice. There is contract language that says we have to be included, and the administration is not doing that. I would like to see more collaboration between the administration and the faculty association and the greater faculty body.”
Faculty and staff alike are coming together to protest against what they feel is an unfair process. As Bellevue College deals with managing budget cuts, it seems that communication and discussion are important aspects to smooth transitions and changes on campus.
