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Kutztown University

Aug. 31, 2021

Welcome back.*

The normal mix of excitement and anxiety that arrives with each fall semester comes with a giant asterisk this year: COVID is still here, and it is still dominating the campus experience for faculty, staff, and students.

For about a month at the beginning of the summer, like many of you, I was feeling very optimistic about the direction of the pandemic. After a long year-plus, things were looking up. Everybody in my immediate and extended family was fully vaccinated, and we were able to put the masks away and enjoy the summer. Early this summer, I was at an Adidas store buying some shirts for my teen son, and the store was giving away a set of branded masks with the purchase. I remember thinking that was nice, but we would probably never use them.

That feeling of being post-COVID lasted for about a month. Then, as the vaccination rate stalled, the delta variant began spreading, and case numbers kept rising, we dug out those Adidas masks and started being more strategic about where we planned to go and what events we would attend. The level of breakthrough infections has also been worrisome.

This is the anxiety-filled environment we occupy as faculty right now. Many of you have seen the powerful messages from our colleague, Steve Oross, about his struggles to be accommodated in spite of a life-threatening medical situation. He is not the only one, either.

At APSCUF-KU, we are committed to supporting every faculty member in such a situation, but we have encountered many challenges. Through the Emergency Management Team, we argued all summer for a mask mandate, but it took the CDC’s changing of the status of Berks county to make it happen. Frustrating. The reality is that COVID is not going away anytime soon, so we must work together to ensure that we have as safe of an environment as possible so we can do our work with students. Stay healthy.

Tom Stewart
President, APSCUF-KU

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Welcome to the Kutztown University Chapter site!

Come, and be social with us. We would love to get to know you: Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, & IG

You can find APSCUF-KU newsletters HERE.

Check out the PA Faculty Health & Welfare Fund for your Vision and Dental information. Please contact our Health & Welfare Specialist for further info: Ju Zhou | 484.646.4142 | zhou@kutztown.edu

Please bookmark our APSCUF-KU Calendar. Committee meetings will be listed, with necessary information provided within each event. Committee chairs, please send notice for meetings you would like published to the APSCUF-KU office for inclusion. Additional events, and notices of significance will also be included in our calendar.

APSCUF-KU documents, listing of standing committees and committee members, as well as a ton of other information can also be found on our members only Kutztown University website. Access is available to full APSCUF-KU members through a non-KU email. Please email the APSCUF-KU office manager to request access to the site.

APSCUF-KU:

Know Your Contract:

CBA (including side letters)

Retirement Information

International Faculty Resources:

OFFICERS

DELEGATES

ALTERNATE DELEGATES

Contractual Committees

Fall 2021 Meetings

Executive Committee
September 7Zoom3:15-5:15pm
October 5Zoom3:15-5:15pm
November 2Zoom3:15-5:15pm
November 30Zoom3:15-5:15pm
Representative Council
September 16Zoom3:15-5:15pm
October 14Zoom3:15-5:15pm
November 11Zoom3:15-5:15pm
December 9Zoom3:15-5:15pm
Pre M&D
September 2OM 322A3:15-5:15pm
October 7OM 322A3:15-5:15pm
November 4OM 322A3:15-5:15pm
December 2OM 322A3:15-5:15pm
M&D
September 14Stratton 3173:15-5:15pm
October 12Stratton 3173:15-5:15pm
November 9Stratton 3173:15-5:15pm
December 7Stratton 3173:15-5:15pm

APSCURF

Contact KU

Phone: 610-683-4277
Fax: 610-683-4694
Address: Old Main 203A
Kutztown University
Kutztown, PA 19530

Chapter President
Thomas Stewart

Office Manager
Annie Hungaski