Excerpt from the Dayton Daily News
Wright State University’s faculty union is encouraging students to contact a regional college accrediting agency if they are concerned about the quality of their education during a strike.
Members of the Wright State chapter of the American Association of University Professors filed a notice Monday with the State Employment Relations Board that they may strike beginning at 8 a.m. Jan. 22. The WSU administration has said that classes will continue in the event of a strike and that they could be staffed with substitutes, including administrators such as president Cheryl Schrader or provost Sue Edwards.
In a letter to students on the AAUP-WSU Facebook page today, the union encouraged students to contact The Higher Learning Commission if they are worried their substitutes are not of the same quality as their striking professors. The letter also includes a list of frequently asked questions.
“You should immediately contact the Higher Learning Commission, the accrediting body that assesses Wright State … if you have concerns about the qualifications of any replacement teacher,” the letter states.
The Higher Learning Commission, based in Chicago, a regional agency that issues accreditation to degree-granting institutions in 19 states. The organization is able to place schools on probation for issues as it did with Wilberforce University in 2018 for financial problems and a lack of strategic planning.
This news organization has reached out to a spokesman for the HLC to see if the agency is monitoring the possible strike and whether it would consider taking any action if a strike actually takes place.
Despite the possible strike, WSU spokesman Seth Bauguess said via email Tuesday that the university’s state and federal qualifications and funding will not be impacted. Like the AAUP-WSU, the administration has posted its own list of frequently asked questions online.
