General Education upset about lack of privacy

By Joshua Rosario | Published by Oct. 25, 2018

General Education Studies faculty and staff are upset about a lack of privacy and other issues following a move to an open-concept office in a glass-enclosed space on the first floor of the Center for Academic Success.

According to two sources familiar with the General Education department, many of the faculty and staff feel “disrespected” and “demoralized” by the move made in September from private offices on the second floor in CAS. Sources requested anonymity over concerns about job security.

The sources also said that staff are uncomfortable with five security cameras located throughout the open space that they were told are not in use and were installed previously when the office  was a public tutoring center.

“We have no information about where the (camera) feed is going,” one source said. “Is it actually recording, or is it just somebody watching? We don’t know who’s watching; we don’t know if there’s sound which would be a FERPA violation.”

The sources added that there was no notification that cameras existed until recently when a sticker was posted on the front door noting the cameras.

FERPA stands for The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which gives students certain rights, privileges and protections relative to individually identifiable student education records maintained by universities. It prevents direct information from a student’s education record from being released without the student’s consent.

The football-field sized Room 111 in CAS was redesigned and now features open cubicles for GE staff. Also redesigned was the hallway, or lobby area directly in front of the glassed-in room and it is now a modular work and meeting area for students featuring long tables and café style arrangements.

The space is shared among General Education lecturers, math tutors and student workers. Also, the Veteran Services office entrance is located inside the space. All of this in one place has led to a “lot of traffic,” sources said.

A big issue is the distance between desk spaces, which make it easy to hear nearby conversations and difficult to talk to students who come in with sensitive topics, sources said.

They are especially concerned about the upcoming advisement period. While the staff trusts each other, the sources said the students shouldn’t have to feel forced to trust everyone in the room.

Another frequent issue are designated desks for faculty are being used by students. They have come in to find stuff on their desks being rearranged. This is building concern over leaving stuff behind on and in their desks.

“There’s no sensitivity for what we need,” said one source.

The staff complained to the Kean Federation of Teachers, the union that represents faculty and professional staff, and according to KFT President James Castiglione, the General Education staff has said the workplace situation is so bad the staff feels incapable of doing their jobs.

The union contacted Kean about the matter and was told the administration does not have to do anything because the union’s letter of agreement doesn’t require it, he said.

Castiglione said that response violates a letter of agreement made in 1974 between the KFT and Kean, that recommends work surroundings.

That agreement recommends the college set a goal of an average 100 square feet per faculty member and that faculty offices include floor to ceiling walls to allow faculty to hold private conferences, preparation of teaching materials, advisement of students, carry out research activates and consult with other professionals.

“Clearly, the situation is a privacy nightmare and it undermines student advisement,” said KFT President James Castiglione. “The question is does it also violate federal law.”

According to Kean Spokesperson Margaret McCorry, cameras are installed in critical locations throughout campus for security reasons. That is the case with the cameras in CAS 111. The cameras were installed in 2008 when the writing center and tutoring service occupied the space and are maintained to guarantee the safety of the General Education faculty and staff in the newly designed space.

“The cameras are used solely to assist the Department of Public Safety/Police when needed for active investigations,” said McCorry. “Updating and managing security cameras is an ongoing process across campus led by campus police with assistance from OCIS, and adjustments are made on a regular basis as the safety of our students and faculty is a top priority.”

CAS is the home to the College of Liberal Arts. When asked about the situation, CLA Dean Jonathan Mercantini said he was aware of General Education’s privacy concerns and that faculty advisors and students do have access to some of the private conference spaces in the event those are needed.

Dr. Mercantini said the idea behind the move to the first floor was to centralize the offices to give students faster service. He said the faculty were moved there along with offices such as “One Stop” to maintain student success and retention. General Education serves mostly first-year students, he said.

“Once the faculty and the students have lived in that space for a little while if we need to make additional adjustments then we are certainly open to that,” said Dr. Mercantini.

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