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10.20.2011
RAMAPO NEWS
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THE
A Publication by the Students for the Ramapo College Community
Teachers, Students Rally Near Arch
SPORTS
XLII No. 6
Protesters Voice Contract, Salary Concerns
By ALEXIS LOPEZ and JULIE CANDIO SEKEL Staff Writers
Members of the Ramapo teaching community rallied at the Arch on Monday to gain support for the reinstitution of their contracts. The American Federation of Teachers organized the protest -which consisted of professors, students and staff -- to demonstrate against what the union says are unfair wages, a decline in benefits, the discontinuation of sabbaticals and the perception of adjuncts as inferior to full-time faculty. Chants and drums sounded in the background as faculty voiced their concerns about working without an agreement since July. “This is our Ghandian moment,” Wayne Hayes said. “Let us seize it.” Hayes, 10-year union member, suggested that professors strive to rework their contracts and stop providing free services, such as attendance at open houses and extracurricular activities. He stressed the continuance of faculty and staff serving the students, but said this is the time for people to rise up and create
change. In this educational environment, according to President Peter Mercer, satisfying all parties’ economic needs is difficult and people become frustrated. “When people are frustrated,” Mercer said. “They look at ways of acting out that frustration.” Ramapo has 220 adjuncts and 236 full-time faculty. Kathleen Shannon, vice president for adjuncts, spoke out against what she said was poor pay for adjuncts. Some professors pursue higher education for eight or more years only to be paid low starting salaries with little increases, she said. In past contract, from September 2007, adjuncts were paid $1,050 per credit. Those who were at Ramapo for 16 or more semesters received an additional $50 per credit. By the end of the contract, in June 2011, adjuncts were making about $1200 per credit, and it has been the same since then. “For four classes a year, it totals a little over $19,000 per year,” Shannon said. “That’s how I live such a lavish lifestyle.” For freshman Jason Tancer, this came as a surprise.
“The people actually helping students and the people making a difference are making hardly anything,” Tancer said. Shannon spoke about the struggle of professors trying keep their heads above water. “Most of us are scrambling to make a living wage, and on top of that we’re getting nothing,” Shannon said. Shannon asked students in attendance if they would accept less than $20,000 as a starting salary post-graduation. As laughter coursed through the crowd, Shannon said these issues will affect students as they enter the workforce. Rachel Wintermute, a junior, said she was impressed by the support of students who attended the rally. Previously, she was not aware these issues significantly impact students. “I know that my past professors have been unhappy with their pay here,” Wintermute said, “but I didn’t know these were the conditions.” Mercer said the situation was not unusual following the expiration
see EDUCATION page 5
Student Hit by Car on Campus, Hospitalized By THE RAMAPO NEWS STAFF
photo by Stefanie Mauro
The windshield of a Papa Johnʼs delivery car was shattered after the driver struck a Ramapo student crossing the street.
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photo by Dan OʼLeary
Faculty members demonstrate on campus on Monday to express grievances with the Collegeʼs administration.
A 23-year-old Ramapo student was struck by a Papa John’s delivery vehicle while using the crosswalk near the Anisfield School of Business building shortly after 10 p.m. Wednesday, police said. The Mahwah Police Department did not release the name of the male commuter student who was struck. The student sustained serious injuries and was taken by ambulance to Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern, police said. It was the victim’s birthday, police said. The student has undergone tests and is in stable condition, said Debra Marshall, public relations representative for Good Samaritan Hospital. He is being kept for 24 hours for observation, she said. Mahwah Police did not identify the driver, who was charged with careless driving and failure to
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yield at a crosswalk, police said. The student was struck while crossing the crosswalk towards the ASB building. A car coming from the direction of the security gate stopped at the crosswalk to let him pass. While the student was crossing, the Papa John’s delivery car -- coming from the opposite direction -- struck him, police said. The driver stopped the vehicle when he felt the impact, and the student rolled off the windshield 86 feet from where he was initially hit, police said. The driver told police that he never saw the student, said Sergeant Tim O’Hara. O’Hara also said that the student was wearing dark clothes and walking in the rain. There are streetlights and signs posted to yield to pedestrians at the crosswalk. Public Safety declined to comment.
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