03/30/2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Brian Alloway, Hocking College Education Association president
[email protected]
Hocking College Education Association president reinstated after position found to be wrongfully eliminated
NELSONVILLE, OH – March 29, 2021— Hocking College Education Association president and art faculty member Brian Alloway has been reinstated to his position at Hocking College effective March 8, 2021, after an arbitrator determined his position was wrongfully eliminated.
Alloway was incorrectly notified July 1, 2020 that his position would be eliminated due to no full-time workload in his programmatic area. The arbitrator determined the college had violated the terms of its Collective Bargaining Agreement with the faculty in doing so. Alloway was notified of the arbitrator’s decision on February 21.
“I am grateful for the arbitrator’s full and impartial consideration of the facts of my situation,” Alloway said. “The contract is clear about the circumstances under which positions may be eliminated, and I am pleased the contract was upheld, allowing me to continue serving students and helping to carry out the important educational mission of Hocking College.”
The elimination of Alloway’s position, as well as that of fellow natural resources faculty member Scott Kreps at the same time, continues the trend of ongoing reductions in the full-time faculty workforce at Hocking College, replacing experienced faculty with an increased use of adjunct part-time instructors and administrators. Only 29 full-time faculty remain of 158 professional bargaining unit positions that were in place January 2015, when Dr. Betty Young was first named president of Hocking College. As a result, Hocking College students are not provided the quality education that should be funded by their tuition dollars.
Although full-time faculty are held to a minimum standard due to Hocking College’s Higher Learning Commission accreditation, the same is not true for part-time adjunct faculty and administrators. For example, some administrators who have no substantive credentials have been teaching classes to lower payroll costs for the college. Although the Hocking College Board of Trustees handed Young a $70,000 bonus and a four-year contract extension in June 2020, a 33% drop in full-time student enrollment since 2015 and significant employee turnover are leading to serious concerns about the longevity and solvency of Hocking College.
Hocking College will be undergoing a focused evaluation and visit from their HLC accreditor in May 2021, with the expectation that they will assess these issues.
https://www.athensmessenger.com/news/hocking-college-president-receives-70-000-bonus/article_c633d895-9e30-55a4-97ea-1102aa799d63.html
https://drive.google.com/file/d/15JgT4lWjU6K7fO8sGJj8taZbwc6TPVXB/view?usp=sharing
https://www.hlcommission.org/component/directory/?Itemid=&Action=ShowBasic&instid=1840
