Show of Support for Laid Off Faculty Planned for Thursday

ST. CLOUD -- Supporters of eight St. Cloud State University faculty members, laid off at the beginning of the academic year, are again gathering to oppose the university's decision.

The layoffs, formally known as retrenchments, were announced on Sept. 16. They were issued to four members of the university library, three from the Philosophy department and one from the Theater program.

A protest is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 5 at 10 a.m. outside the SCSU Office of Admissions - the same time and place as a meeting between a faculty union representative and SCSU President Robbyn Wacker over a recently-filed grievance.

The Inter Faculty Organization, the union for professors, filed the grievance, claiming SCSU did not follow Minnesota State policy during the retrenchment process. The meeting between the union rep and President Wacker is part of what could be a drawn-out grievance process, possibly leading to arbitration, according to a protest organizer.

Organizers are asking the campus community to support affected faculty by taking pictures of themselves wearing the color blue and posting them on social media with the hashtag #scsublueout.

"We need the President to see your support of these faculty," a sign promoting the event reads.

The layoffs are estimated to save SCSU about $840,000. Retrenched faculty are expected to leave the university by the end of the academic year.