The two most important components of the fight to save Westminster Choir
College on its current historic Princeton campus are the students and the
faculty.
For now I am going to focus on the beloved faculty of Westminster Choir College and Rider University.
For those who can remember issues beyond the current annual Rider University crisis (third major administration created crisis in as many years) – back to last year – let’s be clear:
The beloved faculty and staff of Rider AAUP SAVED Westminster Choir College in 2015!
For now I am going to focus on the beloved faculty of Westminster Choir College and Rider University.
For those who can remember issues beyond the current annual Rider University crisis (third major administration created crisis in as many years) – back to last year – let’s be clear:
The beloved faculty and staff of Rider AAUP SAVED Westminster Choir College in 2015!
Dell Omo had basically just arrived at Rider and immediately
went to work with a broadside attack on Westminster Choir College – by attempting
to tear out the Piano Department – an instrument and discipline so important to
Choral development. While many opposed
the attempt – that definitely was an indicator of the hostility of Dell Omo and
his administration toward Westminster. In
addition he had launched an attack on about a dozen majors on the Rider
Lawrenceville campus.
As the administration currently is working to undermine student
dissent from its plan to sell off the Princeton campus, last year a Westminster
Choir College Dean pressured the student that started the first piano petition
to totally change the language of the CHANGE DOT ORG petition – rendering it to
barely understandable gibberish – after 1100 had signed!
The beginning of the story of the reckless assault on
Westminster and Rider by Dell Omo in 2015 goes back another year to 2014. Like this year – Rider administration was
doing its chicken little routine claiming that if the University does not take
severe action to undercut the quality of education and the quality of faculty –
it was in danger of going under. The
administration was pulling out all stops and attempting to force a strike –
even reaching out to potential “rent-a-scab-prof” agencies with the idea that
classes would be held anyway once they force the strike. The administration thought process was no
doubt that such a forced strike would unite parents and students (with the help
of administration friendly student groups) against faculty causing it to
crumble.
However – the AAUP – Rider Chapter showed impeccable unity. For my part – I sent the administration a letter supporting AAUP which was quickly put up as a petition garnering around 700 signers – including many parents and students. My son Robert Colby-Witanek and I organized a teach-in with leaders of faculty in the Seabrook Lounge, gave picketing lessons on the Lawrenceville campus and distributed 100s of fliers on both campuses calling for a Student Strike of scab classes should the administration succeed in forcing a strike.
On the way to Lawrenceville with 500 printed fliers – we received notice that the administration had blinked and it was pulling back on the most dreadful parts of what it was trying to force faculty to accept – AAUP – Rider had basically for the most part won the challenge.
Fast forward to 2015 – with all of the tremendous anxiety and tension imposed by the fledgling Dell Omo administration – it was the AAUP – Rider that literally SAVED Westminster Choir College – by saving the Piano Department and the other majors. Dell Omo – the clever wrecking ball that he is – was able to leverage his nuclear threat against Piano and the other majors to force AAUP to grant concessions on many of the issues it had protected through the unity the prior year. AAUP basically took the sword to save its positions – to save piano and essentially delay the downfall of Westminster – to save the other majors.
Most students, alumni and other observers are unaware of the tremendous sacrifices made by AAUP Rider. While many students celebrated the halt to the majors cuts – I am told that the AAUP meeting hall was not celebratory – it was basically a morgue – when it voted to give up so much of its contract – a contract that literally protects quality education at Rider. Rider AAUP members are the unsung heroes of the Piano and other majors battle of 2015.
However – the AAUP – Rider Chapter showed impeccable unity. For my part – I sent the administration a letter supporting AAUP which was quickly put up as a petition garnering around 700 signers – including many parents and students. My son Robert Colby-Witanek and I organized a teach-in with leaders of faculty in the Seabrook Lounge, gave picketing lessons on the Lawrenceville campus and distributed 100s of fliers on both campuses calling for a Student Strike of scab classes should the administration succeed in forcing a strike.
On the way to Lawrenceville with 500 printed fliers – we received notice that the administration had blinked and it was pulling back on the most dreadful parts of what it was trying to force faculty to accept – AAUP – Rider had basically for the most part won the challenge.
Fast forward to 2015 – with all of the tremendous anxiety and tension imposed by the fledgling Dell Omo administration – it was the AAUP – Rider that literally SAVED Westminster Choir College – by saving the Piano Department and the other majors. Dell Omo – the clever wrecking ball that he is – was able to leverage his nuclear threat against Piano and the other majors to force AAUP to grant concessions on many of the issues it had protected through the unity the prior year. AAUP basically took the sword to save its positions – to save piano and essentially delay the downfall of Westminster – to save the other majors.
Most students, alumni and other observers are unaware of the tremendous sacrifices made by AAUP Rider. While many students celebrated the halt to the majors cuts – I am told that the AAUP meeting hall was not celebratory – it was basically a morgue – when it voted to give up so much of its contract – a contract that literally protects quality education at Rider. Rider AAUP members are the unsung heroes of the Piano and other majors battle of 2015.
Now here we are again.
Dell Omo is once again swinging like a wrecking ball – this time even
more ominously – threatening to basically sell off the entire campus and once
again administration is playing its Chicken Little routine to try to convince
everyone that the destruction of Westminster is the only way to save
Rider. Unfortunately – as in prior years
– the administration refuses to release the data behind its dire predictions –
and working through student organizations is telling us to basically take their
word for it.
Right now we are in a position to recognize that an alliance
with AAUP Rider is THE ONLY WAY FORWARD for this fight – it is the most
important alliance for us to develop and protect.
This statement from Rider AAUP is probably one of the most
cohesive and informative and solidly pro Westminster Choir College statements.
As we oppose the Dell Omo wrecking ball assault on
Westminster – we need to recognize the toll this will likely take on the
faculty and staff of both campuses. We
need to do a better job in speaking to the real issues for our best allies the
AAUP and to incorporate a list of demands that recognizes the importance of
faculty of both campuses to our mission.
It is not just the WCC members of the Rider AAUP that are speaking out
loud and strong against the destruction of Westminster – it is the entire
membership through its Executive Committee.
As we said in 2014 when we rallied parents and students to oppose the administration attacks on the most important component of the education providing side of Rider and Westminster – we need to once again say loud and clear that WE SUPPORT OUR BELOVED FACULTY.
As we said in 2014 when we rallied parents and students to oppose the administration attacks on the most important component of the education providing side of Rider and Westminster – we need to once again say loud and clear that WE SUPPORT OUR BELOVED FACULTY.
Every chance it gets - AAUP Rider makes clear WHICH SIDE IT IS ON in this historic struggle - from a recent Rider News article:
Jeffrey Halpern, chief negotiator for Rider’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), said the administration has looked into a one-campus model three times previously; each time, it decided there would not be a significant enough net in profit. He also thinks the costs of replicating the facilities on that campus would outweigh any money saved.
“The Westminster program is the best program we have at Rider,” Halpern said in a Jan. 31 interview. “Our institution has a number of good programs, but you can only name one that has reached the highest level of international recognition. That’s Westminster.”
“These projections by the administration are not facts,” Halpern said. “When somebody gives me projections that turn out consistently wrong, when I look at the projected budgets, they are inflated based on the information we have. It just doesn’t jive.”
There are some that mistakenly try to blemish the good
programs of Rider Lawrenceville and the good work of the Lawrenceville faculty
in their rhetoric against this administration assault on Westminster – this must
end. It only plays into divisiveness and
serves only the interest of the administration that would love to see a rift between
the faculty and those fighting hard to save Westminster on its historic
Princeton campus.
So instead of supporting these divisive statements – let us
work on a set of demands that will work to build a united front against the
reckless wrecking ball approach of the Dell Omo administration that sees the legacy of Westminster
as the goose that lays the golden eggs and it is ready to gut the goose because it thinks it can harvest the gold that way.
These suggested demands are a proposal – and I appreciate feedback on them. You can provide feedback in this group under the posting of this article – which will be pinned for a day or two.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1820836201505158/
These suggested demands are a proposal – and I appreciate feedback on them. You can provide feedback in this group under the posting of this article – which will be pinned for a day or two.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1820836201505158/
LETS MAKE SOME DEMANDS!
NO TO ANY MOVEMENT OF THE WESTMINSTER CHOIR CAMPUS FROM ITS PRINCETON LOCATION
NO TO ANY CUTS OF ANY EDUCATIONAL POSITIONS OF WESTMINSTER CHOIR COLLEGE
NO CUTS TO ANY MAJOR, DEPARTMENT OR PROGRAM OR OTHER HIDDEN DOWNSIZING UNDER THE GUISE OF THE MOVE
PROTECT ALL JOBS OF THOSE WHO PROVIDE SERVICES AT WESTMINSTER CHOIR COLLEGE PRINCETON CAMPUS
FULL FUNDING AND FULL COMMITMENT TO ANY AND ALL GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIP PROGRAMS AT WESTMINSTER CHOIR COLLEGE IMMEDIATELY AND INTO THE FUTURE
FULL COMMITMENT TO THE PIANO, ORGAN AND SACRED MUSIC DEPARTMENTS AND ALL OTHER MAJORS
ALL STUDENT ACTIVITIES FEE FUNDS MUST BE RELEASED TO FUND THE ACTIVITIES OF THE STUDENTS THAT ARE OPPOSING THE DESTRUCTIVE MOVE OF WESTMINSTER
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