Faculty support letter

Remain Neutral and Bargain in Good Faith with the United Student Workers of Berea

To: President Nixon and Berea Board of Trustees,

We, the undersigned Berea College faculty, find the efforts of the United Student Workers of Berea (USWB-CWA) consistent with Berean principles and values, past and present. We are calling on you to remain neutral leading up to and during the union election and bargaining in good faith.

As President Cheryl Nixon has stated, “At Berea College, our Great Commitments are our North Star, our inspirational principles. Through the Great Commitments, we know who we are and the ideals we serve—and this sense of greater purpose guides us every day.” As Berea College faculty, we align with President Nixon’s articulation and agree with her description of the importance of these principles for Berea College’s identity and actions, both on and off campus.

One commitment in particular addresses the dignity of labor, stating: “Berea College commits itself to promote the learning and serving in community through the student Labor Program, honoring the dignity and utility of all work, mental and manual, and taking pride in work well done.” Our view is that the principle of dignity of labor must also correspond to an equal dignity of the laborers.

While the vital importance of student labor for operating the institution is unquestionable, there is reason to question the individual and collective treatment of labor students concerning equity, safety, and fairness. As an institution of higher education, we admit that even work done well always has room for improvement (as evidenced by regular assessment, curricular revisions, accreditation, etc.). Our Labor Program is no exception.

While we express our support and gratitude to the Labor Office staff and labor supervisors around campus, we acknowledge the need for reasonable improvement. Dignity of the laborers arises from their sense of agency, inclusion in decision-making, and the institution demonstrating that it values them collectively and individually in the workplace.

We also believe this outcome aligns with the Berean principles and values expressed in our other Great Commitments as well. The ideals of impartial love, human dignity, equal opportunity, gender equality, service to Appalachians, the welfare and wellness of one another, racial equality, interracial community, along with the engagement in and application of a liberal arts education—all of which are found in the other seven Great Commitments—fit appropriately well with the egalitarian foundation of unionized labor. Our hope and intent are to collaborate with students and the administration to see these efforts come to fruition frictionlessly for their benefit, the good of the Labor Program, and the betterment of our campus community and unique educational institution as a whole.

We look forward to you arriving at the correct decision to remain neutral leading to the union election, and negotiate in good faith, setting an example for what honoring and respecting the dignity of labor looks like in practice.

Rochelle Arms Almengor, Assistant Professor, Peace and Social Justice Studies

Shamell Bell, Teacher-Scholar in Residence, the bell hooks center, Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies

Teresa Clifton, Assistant Professor, Spanish

Beth Crachiolo, Chair, Associate Professor, English

Adam Edelman, Professor, General Studies

Megan Feifer, Teacher-Scholar in Residence, the bell hooks center

Dan Feinberg, Associate Professor, Design and Sculpture

Gwendolyn Ferreti, Assistant Professor, Latinx Studies, Peace and Social Justice

Steve Gowler, Professor, General Studies

Chris Green, Associate Professor, Appalachian Studies

Scott Heggen, Associate Professor, Chair, Computer Science

Silas House, NEH Chair, Appalachian Studies, Honorary Alumnus

Jessica Klanderud, Associate Professor, African and African American Studies

LeAnna Luney, Assistant Professor, African and African American Studies, Berea Class of 2016

Shadee Malaklou, Chair, Associate Professor, Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies

Richard Meadows, Associate Professor of French, Chair, Foreign Languages

Amrita Mishra, Assistant Professor, English

dp Patrick, Assistant Professor, Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies

Shannon Phelps, Associate Professor, Health and Human Performance

Tyler Sergent, Associate Professor, General Studies

Lucy Sirianni, Assistant Professor, English

Bobby Starnes, Chair, Appalachian Studies, Professor, General Studies

Jason Strange, Associate Professor, Peace and Social Justice

Gary Thornsberry, Assistant Professor, Theatre, Design/Tech/Management, Berea Class of 2014

Philip Wiggs, Assistant Professor, Director, Art/Student Crafts, Berea College Class of 1991

Grace Ward, Visiting Assistant Professor, Archaeology

Andrea Woodward, Associate Professor, Sociology