Byron Dobson

Democrat senior writer

Now that Tallahassee Community College faculty is being represented by a union, President Jim Murdaugh says there's no longer any need for a faculty senate.

Murdaugh is disbanding the faculty senate as of March 31 despite the concerns of veteran faculty members who say that the union and the senate have separate missions.

Murdaugh, in an email dated March 10, encouraged faculty to look at restructuring under some other entity to address issues not handled by the new United Faculty of Florida-TCC chapter. With the union addressing issues such as salaries and work schedules, the new entity can focus on areas such as academic affairs, curriculum, campus initiatives and other issues.

“As a result of the vote by full-time teaching faculty, librarians and counselors to be represented by the United Faculty of Florida as their certified bargaining agent, the role of the faculty senate at TCC was called into question,” Murdaugh said in his memo.

“Under Florida law, the college is now required to deal exclusively with the UFF on all matters relating to wages, hours and working conditions. Inasmuch as the UFF is now the official voice of faculty on those matters, the continuation of Faculty Senate and the reassigned time afforded to and stipends paid to the chair and chair-elect are no longer necessary.”

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Jen Robinson, a professor of art history and the TCC United Faculty of Florida president, disagrees with the move. Robinson said most schools operate with a union and a faculty senate. The faculty body provides a forum to addressing issues other than those now handled by the union.

“You’re basically cutting off an avenue for any kind of academic discussion,” she said. “He’s taking away the voice of our adjuncts. I don’t know where they would go to address their issues.”

Murdaugh was traveling Wednesday from Washington where he received the Association of College Unions International President of the Year award and was not immediately available for comment.

Angered by the administration's move to change longstanding work arrangements and frustrated with low salaries, TCC faculty, librarians and counselors voted last August to be represented in collective bargaining by the UFF-TCC. About 66 percent of the 185 full-time faculty are dues-paying union members, Robinson said.

All faculty can attend faculty senate meetings, where they get updates from the administration, address academic and campus issues and have open forums. The senate also has a compensation committee that addressed compensation and other issues now handled being handled by the union.

Robinson said the senate’s compensation committee has been a voice for the hundreds of adjunct instructors in seeking pay increases.

In moving to disband the faculty senate, Murdaugh urged Chairman Patrick McDermott to work with Provost Feleccia Moore-Davis “to find an alternate structure” that allows for discussion on ways to improve learning at TCC.

"My primary focus is to ensure that faculty continues to have a voice in shared governance— if not through a faculty senate then another avenue MUST be established," McDermott said in an email to the Tallahassee Democrat. "Dr. Murdaugh’s email seems to be in support of this, but it is too early to know how things will pan out. At the end of the day, my priority is making sure all faculty will have a voice."

Robinson said during collective bargaining last fall, the administration suggested disbanding the faculty senate and asked the union to take the lead in dissolving the body.

“We were not interested; we believe in the senate, but it’s a management right (to have a faculty senate),” she said. “But in my opinion, he wanted us to sign it and take the blame for it. He’s been about this for a long time.”

In his memo, Murdaugh said that when the issue arose twice during collective bargaining, union representatives "affirmed the College’s discretion."

Robinson said UFF rejected the proposal with the understanding that having the faculty senate was not an issue the union would be bargaining about.

Contact senior writer Byron Dobson at bdobson@tallahassee.com or on Twitter @byrondobson.