http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/IULaborStudies/ BACKGROUND: The Division of Labor Studies (DLS) is a statewide academic unit with tenure through IUPUI, reporting to the IUPUI Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs. In spring 2005 the Indiana State Legislature ended a $358,000 annual special appropriation for the Division of Labor Studies. IUPUI Chancellor Bantz appointed a nine-member Budgetary Affairs Committee to resolve Labor Studies’ budgetary situation, which included Vice-Chancellor for Financial Administration Bob Martin, IUPUI administrator James Johnson, two senior tenured IUPUI faculty, and five elected DLS faculty. In October 2005 the DLS BAC produced a five-year balanced budget. Since last summer DLS faculty have cut expenditures, increased their teaching load, and radically increased income. As a result, in the just concluded 2005-06 fiscal year Labor Studies: * Enrolled 3,600 students in Labor Studies credit courses across the state; * Exceeded all expectations with $2 million in income, doubling the income goal set by the Administration; * Broke records on enrollment and income for the fourth straight year, while cutting expenditures 25%; and * Continued to expand its popular and innovative online program, which IU officials had previously hailed as a model. Chancellor Bantz also requested that Labor Studies begin discussions with schools and regional campuses to find a new reporting line. The DLS faculty support Chancellor Bantz’s request that Labor Studies merge with another academic unit. However, as the faculty have sought to find a merger partner they have run into roadblocks. Incorrect information has been continually distributed by IUPUI spokespersons, stating that Labor Studies is in a dire financial crisis, with the result that no academic unit has expressed interest in taking in the DLS. In June 2006 Chancellor Bantz appointed Mark Sothmann, Dean of the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, to oversee what the Administration calls “reorganization” or “decentralization.” It is clear from documents Dean Sothmann has given to members of the DLS faculty leadership committee that over the next three years the Administration plans to downsize and phase out the program – to close Labor Studies offices on most of the six campuses where it is based, fire all non-tenured faculty and support staff, and shrink the online initiative. There is no financial basis for the Administration’s actions. There have been similar attempts to eliminate labor studies departments at universities across the country which have been initiated by Republican state governments as a result of corporate lobbying efforts. Because the IU Labor Studies crisis was set in motion by the Republican legislature and Governor, the DLS faculty believe that Indiana business interests have successfully pressured the Administration to eliminate the Division of Labor Studies because it teaches students about worker rights. Labor Studies majors and alumni, unions across the state, and a group of Indiana State Legislators have petitioned Chancellor Bantz to cease the dismantling of the DLS. PETITION: Labor Studies provides courses with a unique analysis of the workplace, workers’ issues, and the changing world of work in a global economy. While Labor Studies experienced a brief financial crisis in mid-2005, that crisis has passed and Labor Studies is now solidly in the black. The effort underway to dismantle the Division of Labor Studies is a violation of academic freedom and university policy. * Threats to terminate non-tenured Labor Studies faculty should come to an end and a block on the tenure process should be removed. * Accurate financial information regarding Labor Studies' sound financial footing should be presented to the press and to all campus Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors. * IUPUI Administration should assist Labor Studies faculty in finding a new home within an IU academic unit or regional campus, and cease efforts to dismantle the program under the guise of "reorganization." * Labor Studies should be given ample time – three or four years – to find a merger partner within the university. Sat, 15 Jul 2006 16:1:23 CDT en-us 3 http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/IULaborStudies/#sig5310301 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST I support this petition. http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/IULaborStudies/#sig4394595 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST I support this petition. http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/IULaborStudies/#sig3855989 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST The U.S. economy is undergoing a fundamental shift that will see a decline in the FIRE (Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate) and the reemergence of the manufacturing sector due to the unstoppable decline of the U.S. dollar. Labor unions are poised to grow in the new economy and educational institutions that support this growth with appropriate training and educational programs will benefit from increased enrollment and engagement with a lively movement that is vital to the creation of a new and sustainable economic future for the U.S. Failure to do so when such a program already exists is shortsighted at best and perhaps even negligent. Support and increase labor education programs! http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/IULaborStudies/#sig3494386 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/IULaborStudies/#sig3462684 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/IULaborStudies/#sig3265906 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/IULaborStudies/#sig3261268 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST Please save the Indiana University Labor Studies program. This program is very valuable for the study in labor history. I am signing this petition to promote total funding for the IU Labor Studies Program. http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/IULaborStudies/#sig3141728 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST Save this labor education program. Labor studies and education programs help working class students and universities both. http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/IULaborStudies/#sig3130295 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/IULaborStudies/#sig3083115 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST I'm appalled that the I.U. administration would consider destroying the university's Department of Labor Studies, the largest and one of the most respected programs of its type in the country. As an I.U. alumnus (B.A. '71; M.S. '72) I urge the administration to keep and strengthen this productive department. http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/IULaborStudies/#sig3031331 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST Since one of the ideas is to split strings not into words, but hopefully into phrases more semantically informative than the words they are made of, doing that better should mean better suggestions, and avoiding what essentially are word n-tuples should make for smaller data and slightly faster querying. http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/IULaborStudies/#sig3029376 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST Since one of the ideas is to split strings not into words, but hopefully into phrases more semantically informative than the words they are made of, doing that better should mean better suggestions, and avoiding what essentially are word n-tuples should make for smaller data and slightly faster querying. http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/IULaborStudies/#sig3011781 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST Bonjour! What a super websight! Very refreshing to peruse from where we live in Paris (France). I eat frogs and drink wine. Woold like more informatons on this. Best regards! Mikael. http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/IULaborStudies/#sig3011175 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST Bonjour! What a super websight! Very refreshing to peruse from where we live in Paris (France). I eat frogs and drink wine. Woold like more informatons on this. Best regards! Mikael. http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/IULaborStudies/#sig3010852 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST I got the same tramadol attack... well, not the same, because it was only about 20 comments instead of 90, and i t have any filtering set up, and I just deleted them one at a time... hmm.. the only thing really in common was that it was about tramadol... what filter do you have set up that caught them all? http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/IULaborStudies/#sig3006251 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST I always have terrible trouble with comment-related plugins that require me to put some line in the comment loop; I can never seem to find the right spot. Can anyone tell me where I should put the php line in my comments loop? I haven not modified anything much, and I would be very grateful. Thanks! http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/IULaborStudies/#sig2988740 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/IULaborStudies/#sig2977800 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST Labor Studies programs should be increasing across Indiana and across the globe. http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/IULaborStudies/#sig2971214 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/IULaborStudies/#sig2968860 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST