Dozens of faculty and
supporters including students packed the meeting room to express their displeasure at recently announced
cuts of 30 non-tenure track faculty with another 10 teachers with terminal contracts also not expecting to
return in fall.The protest was mostly silent except for some boos when visitor Ohio Speaker of the House
William Batchelder said that the state was struggling to get its finances set because of the Affordable Care
Act. Then he thanked the trustees for "their sacrifices" in working for BGSU, a remark that was
met with derisive laughter.They enthusiastically cheered after the Sheri Wells-Jensen president of the
Faculty Senate addressed the board .Wells-Jensen said that non-tenure track faculty are "on the
frontline" of providing a quality education. "They are going beyond the call making a difference
for our students," she said.In reporting about what happened at the Faculty Senate meeting earlier this
week, she said, that some of those being cut had worked for the university for more than 10 years."They
are not people we can trim away and still be a great university," Wells-Jensen said. The faculty want
the trustees to share their concern about the direction the university is heading. The faculty does not want
BGSU to be "just an average university.""They want to find another way to be fiscally
responsible," Wells-Jensen said. "We cannot manage cuts to who we are."The faculty, including
those present at the meeting are "ready to work with you," she concluded.The faculty came with two
kinds of signs. One set was orange and bore the message "Stop the Cuts."The other set, hand drawn,
gave specific facts about specific faculty members who were going to lose their jobs. One on display
declared "taught 342 students spring 12 to fall 13."The idea said David Jackson, the president of
the BGSU Faculty Association, was "let the administration see the impact of the cuts."Jackson said
the union is taking a two-pronged strategy to combat the faculty cuts.The faculty would be taking political
actions like the demonstration at the trustees meeting and an informational presence at today’s Preview
Day.

The union is
also looking at whether some of the non-renewals are a violation of either the union contract or state
law.Jackson said "we’re always hopeful" that the cuts can be reversed, that somehow "we can
convince the trustees to do the right thing.""We have made some very difficult decisions and will
continue to make difficult decisions," Mazey said. The goal is "to make sure this is an affordable
education for our students."She reiterated that when she arrived she found as looking at similar
campuses that BGSU had "more faculty and we don’t pay them as well."Since she arrived she noted an
additional $5.57 million has been put toward increasing the pay of faculty.While faculty contended that the
cuts will increase the size of classes and reduce the number of courses offered, Mazey contended that was
not the case."I don’t think any of our academic programs are jeopardized because of the cuts."Some
of the non-tenure track faculty have gone through this before, only to be rehired.Mazey said she couldn’t
promise that would happen this year. The size of the faculty depends completely on enrollment. "It’s
always about how many students you recruit and retain and graduate."Some faculty have complained that
she received a $50,000 bonus, more than some of those whose contracts were not renewed made a year, as the
cuts were being made. She said that was something that was an agreed part of her contract if she met certain
goals.Those goals included: a satisfactory accreditation report from the Higher Education Commission;
increasing university-community partnerships such as the new forensics science building and health center;
improving the academic quality of the incoming students; and negotiating a faculty union contract.She
achieved those goals so the bonus was given. She said she has given that bonus back to the university to
create scholarships for students.Asked why she had not said as much when the bonus was granted, Mazey said
she didn’t like talking about it and would prefer it not be publicized.