Faculty want Green River College president removed

Green River College President Eileen Ely needs to go.

Such was the message of more than 100 Green River students and faculty during a rally on the college’s main campus Wednesday.

Earlier in the week, faculty had written a letter to the college’s Board of Trustees, supporting a Vote of No Confidence against Ely and calling for her removal.

“We are gravely troubled about the future of our college, an institution to which most of us have devoted our life’s work,” faculty wrote in the letter. “The negative trends under the presidency of Dr. Ely have intensified over the past two years. We no longer believe that this trend will reverse under Dr. Ely’s leadership and we are asking the Board of Trustees to take the necessary action so that we can begin to heal.”

On May 7, faculty filed an Unfair Labor Practice complaint with the Washington State Public Employees Relations Commission, citing “the administration’s failure to bargain in good faith, having to go to mediation yet circumventing the mediation process, intentional retaliation against union leaders, among other destructive management practices,” according to a press release from members of the faculty.

The actions come after more than a year of unsuccessful contract negotiations and a recent announcement by college officials that four programs could be eliminated. Faculty members claim the potential cuts target members of the Union Faculty and are an act of retaliation. College officials said the possible program cuts are necessitated by a budget shortfall and do not target specific employees.

College officials cited low enrollment in auto body technology and geographic information systems, and the high cost to the college of offering carpentry and parent-child education as reasons for the potential cuts.

Per contract stipulations, faculty members have 30 days to propose solutions to save the programs from elimination.

Faculty from the parent-child education program came up with a solution to spare the program by reducing the number of course sections and faculty while still serving the same number of students.

Allison Friedly, executive director of college relations, said the administration was aware of the Vote of No Confidence.

“The board will take their recommendation under consideration,” Friedly said.

Friedly said historically the board has been supportive of Ely’s vision for the college.

“The board directed President Ely to do whatever was necessary to bring up enrollment and fix this budget crisis,” Friedly said.

Faculty and students in the affected programs have had several rallies over the past few weeks, including Wednesday’s, and many attended an Auburn City Council meeting May 4 to raise awareness and garner support.

Attending Wednesday’s rally in support of faculty were: Karen Strickland, president of the American Federation of Teachers in Washington; Lynne Dodson, secretary and treasurer, Washington State Labor Council; and Adam Ziemkowski, legislative assistant to Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant.

“We are in solidarity and Kshama is in solidarity with you students and faculty in your struggle,” Ziemkowski said, noting that Sawant couldn’t attend the rally because she was at an energy committee meeting.

Holding signs and chanting, students and faculty later marched across campus and through the administration building past Ely’s office.

Ely was not in her office Wednesday afternoon because she and the Board of Trustees were in Spokane. Ely could not be reached for comment.

Faculty submitted a Vote of No Confidence in Ely in 2013, with 92 percent of the college’s 112 tenured faculty in support of it. College officials vowed to improve communication with faculty at that time.

“We certainly found no real authentic progress,” said Jamie Fitzgerald, an English instructor at Green River. “The fact that this is still ongoing is deeply troubling to us.”

Ely has been Green River’s president ever since 2010.