A Resolution Reaffirming Shared Governance Principles and Expectations in the Campus Pandemic Response

Whereas, the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the emergency closure of Indiana university campuses to all but essential staff and a temporary switch to all-online instruction, and:

Whereas, President McRobbie has announced that Indiana University will be welcoming students back to campus for the 2020-21 academic year,

The Bloomington Faculty Council thanks the President, the Provost, and the 180 staff, students, and faculty serving on the campus restart committees for acting swiftly and thoughtfully in response to the emergency and for planning carefully for the campus restart; and

Affirms the following principles and expectations for reopening and, if necessary, reclosing the Bloomington campus for the 2020-2021 academic year:

1. That units will respect the usual rights of faculty and instructors of record to choose how they teach their courses whether on pedagogic or personal health grounds;
2. That the temporary amendment to the intellectual policy property (UA-05), in which Indiana University relinquished “rights in any and all forms of online instructional materials, including but not limited to class recordings in Kaltura and Zoom, created or used by IU faculty as a result of the temporary suspension of face-to-face classroom teaching due to COVID-19” be explicitly extended until the expected final revisions to that policy are presented within our shared governance structures;
3. Pay and benefit cuts shall be avoided at all costs.  If such cuts are necessary they shall be progressive and levied in greater share on the highest paid staff, faculty and administrators.
4. Reductions in force shall be avoided if at all possible. If reductions in force are necessary the University will endeavor to do them in in a way that minimizes impact on the functions of the University and minimizes impact on the income of the affected employees, for example through the replacement of any lost wages with unemployment compensation.
5. That criteria for an emergency shutting down of face-to-face teaching and/or on-campus activities be clearly articulated and publicized before the campus reopens for in-person activity.
6. That the faculty will rededicate themselves to active participation in shared governance at all levels and looks forward to similar dedication from the administration.