Agenda Summary
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In support of a contract for Tufts University's full-time lecturers.
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Official Text
A Resolution in Support of a Contract Tufts University's Full-Time Lecturers
WHEREAS: The 125 Full-Time Lecturers (FTLs) in the School of Arts and Sciences at Tufts have been unionized with SEIU 509 since 2016 and have been bargaining for their 3rd contract since April 2024, seeking a fair contract that allows for both livable salaries and manageable workloads; and
WHEREAS: FTLs at Tufts create and teach classes, grade exams, advise and mentor students, and perform essential services that keep Tufts running, including in the case of many FTLs coordinating academic programs, directing graduate admissions and degrees, and supporting extra- and co-curricular activities; and
WHEREAS: Tufts University prides itself on the high-quality educational experience provided to students, and valuing a quality educational experience means investing in teachers; and
WHEREAS: Lecturers’ working conditions are students’ learning environments; and
WHEREAS: Cost of living has increased 21% since 2020 while the average FTL salary has increased only 13.1%, and salaries for FTLs at Tufts rank 12th out of the 13 universities among its institutional peers in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS); and
WHEREAS: From 2019-2023, undergraduate enrollment in the School of Arts and sciences grew by 12.4%, while full time faculty growth was only 6.4%, leading to FTLs increasingly being overworked; and
WHEREAS: Tufts promises a student-faculty ratio of 9:1 and an average class size of approximately 20, while in reality many entry-level courses taught by FTLs have enrollments between 100 and 400 students, in which FTLs often serve as formal and informal advisors; and
WHEREAS: Tufts University charges undergraduates the highest college tuition in Massachusetts and fifth-highest in the country, and reported a $34 million surplus in the School of Arts and Sciences...
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