Wright State faculty and students need your support. Right now, the stakes at Wright State have never been higher— over the past several years, our students, the local workforce, and the region’s economy have been harmed by the administration’s poor stewardship. And now that this administration has exhausted the financial resources of the university on initiatives unrelated to its educational mission, it intends to recapture this lost money through cuts to faculty and programs. The one thing standing in their way is a faculty contract that protects the educational mission of the university.

You may have heard that the faculty union, AAUP-WSU, is moving toward a strike.  The faculty at Wright State do not want to strike, but feel that they may have no other option. The situation is indeed that dire. What you might not know is that the base salaries and benefits of the WSU faculty—who generate almost all of the university’s revenue—account for just 17% of the university’s budget. But, since early 2016, we’ve suffered a net loss of 92 full-time teaching positions. We cannot allow our students to suffer from the inevitable decline in quality if faculty are forced to teach more and even larger classes, if critical courses are offered much less frequently, and if WSU is unable to recruit and retain the best educators and researchers.

There's still time to avoid a strike. Sign your name and send President Schrader and the WSU Board of Trustees a clear message: the students, alumni, and the community are standing behind the faculty. We will not allow the administration's poor stewardship of the University fall on the backs of faculty and students. End this contract impasse now, and return to the table to negotiate a fair contract with faculty.