Monday Report Archives - Page 8 of 10 - University of Hawaii Professional Assembly

Will Self-Insurance Save EUTF millions?

The below letter was sent to the Editors of the Star Advertiser and publishes some financial facts in response to various voices claiming substantial EUTF liability savings if a "self-insurance" model is adopted. UHPA Executive Director Christian Fern serves as secretary-treasurer of the EUTF board of trustees. February 18, 2021 Honolulu Star-Advertiser To the editor: The SARS-CoV-2 virus has brought the world to its knees, sickening and killing millions. Not in a generation has the importance of health and sustainability been so [...]

UHPA2021-02-26T11:28:15-10:00March 1, 2021|Commentary, ERS/EUTF, Frontpage, Monday Report, Opinion|

UHPA Defends Tenure at the Legislature

Legislative Bill to Eliminate Academic Tenure for Non-Instructional Faculty Thwarted A legislative bill that would have adversely impacted the quality of education at the University of Hawai‘i — and affect the ability to attract and retain high quality faculty — has been put on hold. UH faculty can now breathe a sigh of relief — for now. SB 1328 proposed to eliminate academic tenure for all “non-instructional” faculty based on the premise that their primary duties and responsibilities do not involve instruction [...]

UHPA2021-02-20T13:43:07-10:00February 22, 2021|Academic, Contract negotiations, Frontpage, Legislative, Legislative News, Monday Report, Political|

Legislative update on measures that matter

Legislative update February 12, 2021 Aloha, We are in the midst of the 2021 Legislative Session, actively monitoring and testifying on a multitude of measures that impact our membership. Two bills in particular, SB1328 Relating to Academic Tenure at the University of Hawai‘i and SB1394 Relating to the University of Hawai‘i were particularly concerning and were introduced by Senator Donna Mercado Kim. There is a Legislative Hearing taking place on Tuesday, February 16, 2021 at 3:05 PM in the Senate Higher Education [...]

UHPA2021-02-12T17:32:21-10:00February 15, 2021|Frontpage, Legislative, Monday Report|

How We Navigate Our Future at UH

The Power of Collaboration: The Key to Navigating the University of Hawai‘i’s FutureBy Christian Fern, Karla Hayashi and David Duffy The pandemic, even with all of its devastating effects, has brought out the best in some organizations and its employees. Pivoting has become the watch word throughout the pandemic. We have seen a number of organizations successfully adapt to new constraints. Organizations that are flexible and innovative have welcomed change instead of wallowing in despair. Many of these entities have rapidly evolved [...]

UHPA2021-02-09T09:03:39-10:00February 8, 2021|Academic, Commentary, Frontpage, Monday Report, Opinion|

It Takes a Village to Provide Academic Excellence In and Outside the Classroom

Creating an environment of academic excellence in which students thrive and flourish, realize their fullest potential, and discover new opportunities for growth does not happen by accident. It takes a village of committed faculty to develop a supportive culture of learning, both in and outside of the classroom.Yet, we are aware non-instructional faculty are being attacked and may be regarded as administrative, professional and technical staff. This nothing new. We’ve been there before.That’s why your faculty collective bargaining agreement, negotiated by UHPA’s [...]

UHPA2021-02-07T14:24:47-10:00February 8, 2021|Academic, Commentary, Frontpage, Monday Report|

Attacking Tenure Threatens Democracy

Beware! A Threat to Tenure is a Threat to Democracy At a time when our nation is still reeling from witnessing brazen acts of insurgency, we must remain vigilant to any potential threats to our democracy, even in respected institutions of higher learning. Universities across our nation have always been beacons of democracy. Intellectual freedom has always been at the core of our nation’s higher education system. Free thought and free speech without reprisal are the norm and are the very qualities [...]

UHPA2021-01-29T14:03:18-10:00February 1, 2021|Commentary, Frontpage, Monday Report|

Governor confirms furloughs on hold

On Friday Jan 15, 2021, UHPA received the attached PDF and we’ve excerpted the key message from the State’s Chief Negotiator Ryker Wada: On December 29, 2020, Governor Ige sent a message to the entire Executive Branch notifying employees that due to the $900 Billion federal COVID-19 relief bill, there was enough direct support to programs in the State of Hawaii so that furloughs would bedelayed for Executive Branch employees until at least July 1, 2021. I understand that President Lassner sent [...]

UHPA2021-01-25T16:05:53-10:00January 19, 2021|Contract negotiations, Frontpage, Monday Report|

When will UH Faculty receive COVID-19 vaccinations?

UHPA has received a number of inquiries from Unit 7 Faculty Members about the State of Hawaii’s plans on the COVID-19 vaccination roll out and when Unit 7 Faculty Members can expect to be able to register and obtain a vaccination if they choose. Vaccine distribution is outside of our legal authority The State of Hawaii, Department of Health, has been put in charge of the Statewide effort and is the sole authority in making decisions on priority and vaccine distribution. Unfortunately, [...]

UHPA2021-01-15T11:58:55-10:00January 18, 2021|COVID19, Frontpage, Monday Report|

New Legislative Protocols

The State Legislature has instituted new protocols for the 2021 Legislative Session. Starting with their offices are officially closed to the public. All meetings, hearings, floor sessions will be conducted virtually. All House and Senate Hearings can be easily located on our webpage, UHPA At The Legislature, Hearings on Demand. These hearings are broadcast via YouTube and show previously held hearings. The Legislative calendar has been modified by one week, reducing recess days from thirteen to nine. For full details of new [...]

Sarah Beamer2022-01-28T18:05:56-10:00January 15, 2021|Frontpage, Legislative, Monday Report|