By WMBD-TV

NORMAL – The newly formed teachers union has many unresolved issues as they negotiate their first contract with the university.

It was a full room at the Bone Student Center on Friday as United Faculty of ISU members shared their concerns about bullying and unsafe working conditions during the last ISU Board of Trustees meeting of the school year.

“Our working conditions are students learning conditions, so we want to best for ourselves so our students get the best experience across the board,” said Mark Zablocki, associate professor of education at ISU.

Culture of bullying

The union accused the university of endorsing a widespread culture of bullying, especially at the Mennonite College of Nursing. Associate professor of nursing Sheryl Henry said more than 30 Mennonite faculty members have felt bullied, disrespected, intimidated and thrown under the bus.

“Faculty in general were belittled, casting doubt on our abilities to progress in our programs,” she said. “Faculty describe feeling isolated, shamed, anxious. They describe physical complaints, headaches, sleeplessness, shakiness, unable to stop ruminating.”

The bullying is so pervasive, Henry said, that none of those faculty members were willing to share their stories at the meeting.

“They say they fear retaliation in the current culture by being assigned to multiple new preps, not being supported for tenure, not being considered for honors or sabbatical leave,” she said.

Due to the low morale among faculty, associate professor of geography Reecia Orzeck said bullied members are also more likely to leave, creating low retention and high turnover.

“A lot of ISU faculty, in this case bullying, are considering leaving ISU earlier than they would have because of the poor morale and unhealthy working conditions, both physically and socially,” said Orzeck.

Unsafe working conditions

Another issue raised by the teachers union was poor working conditions in Cook Hall and Centennial Hall East, which house the university’s music and arts programs.

“It’s been an ongoing issue for at least 20 years. We have mold in the walls, we have water in the stairways, in the hallways,” said Zablocki.

Students also echoed the teachers’ sentiments. Music major Noah Lanpel, who plays the trombone, told WMBD the basement in Cook Hall makes for a less-than-ideal location for students to practice.

“It’s also not good for us musicians to play in an environment that’s really humid and sticky and hot. It makes us uncomfortable and affects intonation. Sometimes the room is so unbearable to the point where I feel a little lightheaded,” he said.

Centennial Hall East is plagued with water and air issues, making it especially difficult for art students.

“If you are, say an artist working on oils and paints, and there is no ventilation, that’s a health issue,” said Zablocki.

The building sits across from the State Farm College of Business, a state-of-the-art building. Orzeck said the disparities show the university values certain departments over others.

“The State Farm College of Business is in such good shape and so brand new and so excellent in terms of its facilities, whereas Centennial East is a building that is besotted with all kinds of problems, including problems with its water systems which leads to a lot of the art in the building being damaged. But it also has a lot of problems in terms of the quality of the air in the building. A lot of the faculty have gotten sick from the air in the building. People have to wear masks in the building. So that’s been a constant problem,” she said.

Ongoing contract negotiations

United Faculty of ISU has been negotiating their first contract with the university since January, but Orzeck said they haven’t gotten very far.

“So far, all we have gotten are Band-Aid solutions. The big environmental issues that a lot of our faculty have been facing have not been addressed adequately at all,” she said.

Orzeck said they want a commitment from the university to meet them halfway. More than half the room emptied after the public comments from faculty.

“We wanted to have a big turnout today, to really let the Board of Trustees know that we want a fair contract and we don’t want to wait years for it,” she said. “I hope it sends a strong message that the faculty are paying attention to what’s happening at bargaining and that we’re motivated and we’re committed to doing what we have to do to get a good, first, fair contract.”

In a statement, ISU said ‘workplace culture and safety are top priorities at the university.’ It went on to say:

‘In these negotiations, the union has put forth proposals on both workplace bullying and workplace health and safety. University representatives participate in each bargaining session in good faith, and we expect the parties will continue to discuss these proposals in future negotiation meetings.’

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