[mpen-dayton] MPEN Special Issue on STEM Ed. in the Greater Miami Valley with FWs: "Mini-letter: Good Sam & "News and request from AAUP-WSU"
FYI. Best, Munsup
P.S. Please reply back to me with 'unsubscribe' added to the subject line if you no longer want to receive my e-Newsletters. The convenient link to unsubscribe is no longer available due to security reasons to protect my email servers.
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- Help needed at OMC for Educating Importance of Mathematics in STEM Careers
GMVCSC class today (and 1st & 3rd Saturdays)
GMVMC class next Saturday (and 2nd & 4th Saturdays) - Engineering Innovation at Clark State Community College
- FW: Mini-letter: Good Sam
- FW: News and request from AAUP-WSU
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Soliciting for Speakers at Ohio Mathematics Contest (OMC)
The annual Ohio Mathematics Contest will be held on Saturday, April 7, 2018 at the Sinclair Community College (NOT at Wright State University anymore) in Dayton, Ohio.
During the time when students take the test from 2:00 pm, their parents are free until students finish their exams (at 3:00 pm for grades 4 through 8, and at 3:30 pm for grades 9 through 11). And then, students and parents will wait --- for the period when we score students' answers, record their scores and determine winners --- until the Award Ceremony which will begin at 5:00 pm.
As you may be aware of, the Mathematical skills form a backbone knowledge on pursuing careers in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. The purpose of the OMC is to stimulate interests in mathematics among upper elementary, middle and high school students and to recognize those who exhibit exceptional talents in Mathematical skills. To enrich these students of highly talented in Mathematics, as well as to enlightening their parents' knowledge and interests, we have been offering seminars, workshops and/or demonstrations related to the STEM fields.
For this end, we need highly motivated persons to give:
1. a 50-minite presentation to the parents between 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
2. a few presentations to lower-grade (possibly to upper-grade) students
3. a few presentations to upper-grade (possibly to lower-grade) students.
We also need many volunteers to do these tasks to: (1) Greet and check-in students before the test (12:30 pm– 1:50 pm, (2) Proctor exams and grade papers (1:30 pm -4:30 pm) and (3) Help Award Ceremony (5:00 pm – 6:00pm). As far as concerning topics, you may choose any topic to promote parents' knowledges and interests to guide their children to go into STEM fields and promote students' enthusiasm in learning Mathematics. The time duration would be in 20, 30, 45 and 50 minutes depending on your preparations.
If you are interested in, please email me with (1) title, (2) a short abstract, (3) target audience among (i) parents, (ii) upper-level students and (iii) lower-level students.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions.
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Greater Miami Valley Computer Science Circle (GMVCSC, Registration Form)
The Greater Miami Valley Computer Science Circle had its first class this morning (10: 1m – noon) at 170 MM on WSU campus.
There were roomful of students who are enthusiastic on learning and developing their skills with eloquent speaker with a few hands on helpers.
There is still room to accommodate a few students more (Application Form).
If you have questions, please feel free to contact Mr. Ken Nelson at ken.nelson@wright.edu
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Greater Miami Valley Math Circle (GMVMC, Registration Form)
The Greater Miami Valley Math Circle planned its first class last Saturday, January 13, but cancelled due to the incremental weather.
Thus it will have its first class next Saturday, January 27, of Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced classes.
You may still want to send your children to these enrichment classes (Application Form), except the Beginning class (It's now full.)
If you have questions, please feel free to contact Mr. Erik Potts at erik.potts@wright.edu
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From: Erik Potts, Co-Manager of GMVMC
Subject: Summer Engineering Program from Johns Hopkins University (completed at Clark State Community College with full scholarship if accepted)
Here is information on the summer engineering program from Johns Hopkins University (facilitated at Clark State Community College). Please share this information with anyone you think would be interested.
If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Kanesha Hall, STEM Programming Manager at Clark State, at hallk@clarkstate.edu. Remember, students who apply and are accepted by Clark State get to attend on a full scholarship!
https://www.clarkstate.edu/about-clark-state/youth-outreach-programs/johns-hopkins-summer-programs/engineering-innovation/
Engineering Innovation at Clark State Community College
Engineering Innovation (EI) is an intensive four-week summer course created by Johns Hopkins University-Whiting School of Engineering (JHU) that offers students in ...
Engineering Innovation
What is EI? Engineering Innovation is an exciting college-level summer program for motivated high school students with an aptitude in math and science and an ... find more information here https://ei.jhu.edu/
P.S. The Greater Miami Valley Math Circle (GMVMC) begins its Spring Semester on Saturday, January 13 (2nd & 4th Saturdays afterwards); while the Greater Miami Valley Computer Science Circle (GMVCSC) on Saturday, January 20 (1st & 3rd Saturdays afterwards, except April 7 due to OMC). Please email Mr. Erik Potts at erik.potts@wright.edu for more information about the Math Circle; while Mr. Ken Nelson at ken.nelson@wright.edu for the Computer Science Circle.
From: David K. Greer
Subject: FW: Mini-letter: Good Sam
I'm working on an e-letter, but wanted to get this out right away! Please be aware that part about Good Sam is somewhat preliminary (the news is only about 30 hours old) and a rather personal take based on what data I have at present (far from complete).
But first I want to start with a plea for community involvement with your neighborhood association NOW! We are having a meeting next Tuesday (the 23rd) at 7 PM at Omega Baptist (at Salem and Emerson) to talk about where the Federation is going from here. It seems to me that we need to have a formal organization – if only to apply for grants! – but we need not so much people called "trustees" who attend a meeting occasionally, but community members who will take on a particular responsibility, or lead a project to benefit the community. Supporting members whose dues give us some money to work with are greatly appreciated, but we really need people to pick up some of the monthly tasks and/or to spearhead some of the small improvements that would benefit us all (and our property values). You may have better ideas than mine – bring them to the meeting!
You who came to the Community Meeting last fall know that if we all work together we can make our voice heard at the City level, and can also accomplish things that are too much for any of us to take on singlehanded! Please take a look at the attached list, come up with some inspirations of your own, and join us next Tuesday!
Now, about Good Sam: For anyone who hasn't had a chance to Google for Good Sam news, here are the two articles on the closing I thought most useful (of what I've seen so far).
http://www.mydaytondailynews.com/business/good-samaritan-hospital-closing-what-know-now/6lCbRP9y4xn1P7S9xDBSgL/
A better explanation of why Premier is doing this is in this article:
https://www.bizjournals.com/dayton/news/2018/01/17/good-samaritan-hospital-to-close.html
Today I attended the monthly meeting of the Board of Omega's Community Development Corporation. Rev. Vanessa Ward had called Mary Boosalis of Premier Health to ask whether she could possibly brief the OCDC board on the closing, and Ms. Boosalis sent Tom Parker and Adrian Taylor (who are mostly engaged in talking with the doctors who will be affected by the closure of Good Sam and its combination with Miami Valley).
Mr. Parker reiterated a good deal of the data you see above: Both hospitals are now utilizing a little under 50% of their bed capacity, which keeps costs at both institutions high. Premier has seen this coming for some time, because the percentages just kept falling each year. This is not just a matter of Dayton's shrinkage or loss to the suburbs; it is in large part the result of medical advances. (Mr. Parker himself had a hip replacement last year; he spent NOT ONE NIGHT in the hospital!) Because the bed demand can be handled at one hospital these days, Premier believes that now is the time to consolidate. Mr. Parker said that he'd been a little taken aback by the high emotions he'd encountered, and apologized for the missed opportunities over the past couple of years that Premier could have used to warn people about the trend and its likely result.
There has already been talk in the community of what can be done with the current Good Sam facility. The answer, alas, appears to be "very little." Premier had a bunch of experts come in and asses the buildings. Except for the Heart Center, all the buildings are between 30 and almost 65 years old. Their layout and construction are such that it would be very expensive to try to convert them to modern apartments or office space – significantly more expensive than razing them and starting fresh. So it looks as though the only questions will be who will pay for razing them, and whether it makes any sense to leave the garage for the use of future developers. (It could take several years to find developers and the funding for something new, by which time the garage could have become something between unattractive and a hazard.) TBD.
Premier says it's committed to involving the City and surrounding communities in planning for a new occupant of the property, and Mr. Parker reinforced that. He might have been a little surprised that several of us said no, it's equally important for Premier to tell us who has been using the non-bed facilities at Good Sam – how many people, and what sorts of uses – because it's that loss that worries people almost as much the jobs and the loss of our anchor on Salem! There's an ER at Grandview, but that's a different insurance family. Do we need some sort of emergency treatment and triage in the neighborhood? How about the labs and X-ray facilities – how many people use them and couldn't easily get to Good Sam North? What about the doctors' offices that are currently within the hospital? Are there some needs that the Five Rivers Center could handle with some expansion, or will there actually be the need to construct something freestanding? Get us some data to work with!
Mr. Parker said that the operating and utility costs for Good Sam run close to $20 million a year (that's just to keep the place open and running, however many or few the patients), so closing it will free up a good deal of money. Premier promises to use some of that to mitigate the effect of their closing the hospital, and help ensure that a reasonable level of health care (other than beds) is still available for the people for whom Miami Valley Hospital and Good Sam North are an awfully long way away. We'll be holding them to that!
Mr. Parker said that community-engagement meetings will probably begin in early March. CityWide is compiling a list of the neighborhood organizations that want to be involved in talks with Planning NEXT, which Premier has chosen to manage the process. (The same group, you note, that is facilitating discussions of how to re-use the fairgrounds.) I'm already on the list as the Triangle contact, and I'll keep you posted. But I think the above is enough for today!
- Ellen
From: AAUP-WSU
Subject: News and request from AAUP-WSU
To Friends of AAUP-WSU: Please see below for a message just sent by Dr. Noeleen McIlvenna (Contract Administration Officer) to all RCMs — Bargaining Unit Faculty who have chosen to join AAUP-WSU (over 85% of all BUFMs). If you possibly can, please participate in the 10:30am rally and 11:30-1 forum next Wednesday, January 24 described below. Thank you!
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Colleagues,
I have an update. On Friday, the administration/board made a worse-than-zero economic offer for this and the next two years:
Raises: 0-0-0. Nothing.
Health benefits: reduced benefits and higher premiums, together the equivalent of a 4% cut in pay.
How could it get worse than taking 0-0-0 and a de facto 4% cut in pay imposed via health benefits? Well, Friday night, at the end of our bargaining session, they put a new proposal on the table to allow them to "furlough" faculty. They admitted that faculty would have to do all their work (teaching, research, etc.) anyway, so this would be just a pay cut! And the "furlough" could last up to two weeks, the equivalent of an additional 5% pay cut!
How could it get even worse? The admin/board has proposed CBA language to nullify our workload agreements! That would permit them to arbitrarily increase teaching loads -- to arbitrarily worsen both students' learning conditions and BUFMs' working conditions.
And that is certainly not all … gutted job security for TET and NTE BUFMs alike … total admin discretion over summer teaching assignments … total admin control over (1) changes in health insurance coverage and cost at any time including mid-year, (2) life and disability insurance, (3) tuition and fee remission, (4) parking fees, (5) fitness center fees, (6) wellness program, (7) adoption assistance, (8) any merit raises that might occur in the future, ad infinitum. The admin/board could give, and they could unilaterally take away.
In fact, the admin told us repeatedly that the board wants to treat BUFMs as if we were the same as all other employees -- in their words, "to take an 'enterprise' approach." Because the board believes that faculty and other employees are the same, the board/admin wants us to give up the right to bargain over key aspects of our working conditions, and to do to us what they can now freely do and have freely done to non-unionized employees.
Thus, what is at risk is whether Wright State will remain a University or be downgraded into a training enterprise with educational content deliverers instead of faculty.
The admin/board is exploiting the financial crisis they created by their own incompetence and negligence to ravage our CBA and devastate our working conditions. They have shown us absolutely no respect. As is partially described above, virtually everything we have fought for with our union is now at risk, e.g., compensation, benefits, workload, job security, summer teaching. All of this hurts our students, for our working conditions are their learning conditions. How can students succeed with fewer faculty, while those left are overworked, devalued, and demoralized?
We have one last chance before fact-finding to demonstrate our resolve, a chance to show the admin/board we are united, a chance to show them we will do whatever it takes to insure that our students get the education they deserve by demonstrating publicly that we will not submit to these attacks on the faculty and thus on the quality of education at Wright State. This chance is the President's Let's Talk Forum on the Budget -- with President Schrader, Board Chair Fecher, and Chief Business Officer Walt Branson in attendance -- at the Apollo Room in the Student Union on Wednesday, January 24, 11:30am-1pm.
We will rally in Millett Atrium starting at 10:30am Wednesday and then march together as One Faculty to the Apollo Room.
Rearrange your schedule now if you need to. Committee meetings can be rescheduled. If they furlough you, they'll have to wait for committee findings, so they can wait now! We will have a sign-making station in the Millett Atrium starting at about 10:30am, a speech by Rudy at about 11am with an up-to-the-minute update on negotiations, and then we'll March across campus together. Faculty who are teaching should appear whenever they can. EVERYONE ELSE commits to 11-1. If you have an AAUP T-shirt, wear it. If not, at least wear your button. Those will be in mailboxes soon. I'll have some at Millett, too.
I want to see every BUFM who does not teach on Wednesday lunchtimes gather at Millett. We are calling for media coverage. They need to see us all together. Commit to attending this Rally and the Forum on Wednesday.
Our strength is in our numbers and our unity. See you Wednesday morning.
Dr No; #DrNo4Students
End of MPEN e-Newsletter
posted by lucas at 5:57 PM
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