Union notes from Union / Management Meeting

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Present – Michael Abraham, Prince Charles Alexander,Peggy Codding, Peter Cokkinias, Marti Epstein, Helen Lewis, Margaret McAllister, Jeff Perry, Stephanie Reich, Wendy Rolfe, Jackson Schultz, David Scott, Elizabeth Seitz, Andrew Shryock, Will Silvio, and Jeri Sykes. Guests: Michael Johnson and Ani Johnson.

Management – Larry Simpson, Jay Kennedy, Matthew Nicholl, Bill Whitney, Jeff Klug, Chris Kandus-Fischer, Stephen Riggs, Lori Johnson, Scott Trach, Kevin Anderson, Joe Bennett, Liz Tomlin, Andrew Murphy, Dave Ransom.

  1. Larry opened the meeting. We introduced ourselves.

  2. Jackson brought up accessibility issues for some of our buildings. Mac – some buildings are grandfathered and therefore in compliance even though they are not in compliance – ADA, etc. Berklee takes this very seriously overall, the college has invested millions for the 150 conversion for accessibility.

  3. Bill Whitney went over the history of compliance and Berklee’s response over time. 30% upgrades to buildings require updated compliance. Vision for 2025.

  4. We are specifically talking about the Counseling Center and the Health and Wellness Center. Can we look at alternatives for location?

    Mac: we want to take this away and ponder and come back with solutions. Many issues to cover going forward. We always bring in an outside consultant to make sure we are compliant – we take this very seriously.

    We discussed a bullet list of issues and locations, ramp accessibility, Professional Music Dept., accessible ID card readers at building entrances, updates to Braille signage, loss of handicapped parking spaces.

    Jackson: as we discuss relocation one thought would be to bring them to a more central location. We are looking for a resolution before the end of the semester.

    The diversity statements by the college don’t always include people with disabilities.

    Larry: just want to underscore that the executive committee, the faculty, and the college share the same values to make this institution accessible on every level. We agreed to have four meetings in a row to go over these very important issues and are hoping to come to a resolution as soon as possible.