"Billy,
It came as no surprise that the Board of
Trustees came out showing support for the Chancellor, albeit with
reluctance. Board Chairwoman made a point of saying the the Board does
not normally get involved in personnel matters. As point of fact,
according to the code outlining their powers and duties, Discharge or
Suspension falls under the will of the Chancellor. You'll recognize that
Board Chairwoman Safran's statement issued today and reported in the
News-Record echoes language in the The Board of Trustees Code (http://policy.uncg.edu/
"Discharge or Suspension.
Subject to regulations of the Board of Trustees and consistent with applicable policies of the Board of Governors, all discharges or suspensions of faculty members and administrative personnel, other than those subject to the State Personnel Act, shall be effected by the Chancellor. A discharged or suspended employee shall have such rights of appeal from the action of the Chancellor as may be prescribed by the University Code, policies of the Board of Governors, or regulations of the Board of Trustees. "
Subject to regulations of the Board of Trustees and consistent with applicable policies of the Board of Governors, all discharges or suspensions of faculty members and administrative personnel, other than those subject to the State Personnel Act, shall be effected by the Chancellor. A discharged or suspended employee shall have such rights of appeal from the action of the Chancellor as may be prescribed by the University Code, policies of the Board of Governors, or regulations of the Board of Trustees. "
The
matter of discharging employees Subject to the Personnel Act (including
those who are exempt from overtime) is not at all on their radar. This
matter is more in line with the Chancellor's relationship to the Board
of Governors and the President of the UNCG system.
"Subject
to policies prescribed by the Board of Governors and by the Board of
Trustees, the Chancellor shall make recommendations for the appointment
of personnel within The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. (See
G.S. 116-34(d)) With respect to all personnel matters, including
appointments, promotions, removals, and compensation for the
institution's academic, administrative, and other staffs, which are required to be acted upon by the Board of Governors, the Chancellor shall make recommendations to the President."
So
the removal of these workers actually is not something that the Board
of Trustees can say yea or nay to. They can serve in an advisory role to
the Board of Governors on behalf of the school and as adviser to the
Chancellor regarding the management and development of the institution.
Today
the Chancellor had the opportunity to set the direction that the
institution will be taking on this matter and that is educating the
community about secondary employment. This is the topic that will feed
their defense and no other topic will be addressed.
Unfortunately,
secondary employment is an excuse, not the issue. Today too many doors
were shut. There were fearful and hushed conversations. There were
silent moments as staff are concerned that anything that they say may be
used against them. Students are beginning to notice that employees are
shutting down. But not one of them is going to go to Human Resources to
complain about their work environment. That message, that speaking out
about harassment, intimidation, undermining of work performance,
hostility, or bullying will trigger a deep audit in search of any
excuse for dismissal."
And we can also tell you that Linda Brady is more concerned with her own personal success than she is with the morale and success of well over 10,000 students, teachers and staff members at the University of North Carolina-- Greensboro. It's time our elected representatives in Raleigh started calling for Linda Brady's resignation-- ASAP.
