AAUP
Southern Connecticut State University
American Association of University Professors
501 Crescent St. EN C111  New Haven, CT 06515  (203)392-5975  Fax, (203)392-5976  Email, AAUP@southernct.edu
November 6, 2013
Dear Colleagues,
At the beginning of the semester there seemed to be conflicting information on the use of overload credits. I
am writing to help clarify any confusion and inform you of your rights and responsibilities regarding credit
overload.
Article 10.5 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement states:
Full-time members having workloads in excess of twelve (12) load
credits in any semester shall have an appropriately reduced load within
the next three (3) semesters to assure an average workload of twelve (12)
load credits. Similarly, full-time members having workloads of less than
twelve (12) load credits in any semester that is not due to compensation
for prior overloads can have an appropriately increased workload
within the next three (3) semesters. A full-time member may not be
provided a modified load within three (3) semesters until at least three
(3) excess load credits have been accumulated…At the time of scheduling for
each semester, department chairpersons shall submit all proposed overloads
for the approval of the appropriate academic Dean.
Some full-time faculty whose fall 2013 classes were cancelled due to low enrollment were informed that
they had to pick up classes scheduled for part-time members, thereby “bumping” part-time members from
the schedule. In these cases, full-time members who had an accumulated overload of at least three credits
for three semesters or more, which that they wanted to use to compensate for the cancelled classes, were
told they could not do so because this use of their overload had not been previously approved by the Dean.
SCSU-AAUP recognizes the importance of the administration's need to plan ahead and strongly suggests
that faculty members who have accumulated significant overloads work with their department to create a
workable schedule that allows them to work down their overload. SCSU-AAUP also asks that members
consider a Dean's request not to use accumulated overload in a given semester. However, the contract does
not state that Deans have approval over using accumulated overload in any given semester; rather it states
that Deans have approval over assigning a proposed overload in any given semester.
SCSU-AAUP wants faculty to know that if, after a course schedule has been approved by the Dean, a
member’s class is cancelled and that same member has an accumulated overload of 3 credits or more
for 3 semesters or more, that member must be allowed to use his/her overload rather than “bumping”
an adjunct. Members are not allowed to use more than 6 accumulated overload credits in any one
semester.
This interpretation is consistent with the January 2012 memo to SCSU faculty from Provost Marianne
Kennedy (found on the SCSU-AAUP web site: www.scsuaaup.org). It is important, however, that the
following statement in that document not be misunderstood or misinterpreted: "As such, going forward, a
faculty member must be assigned a reduced workload within 3 semesters of a semester in which s/he
worked in excess of 12 credits."
While that statement is true and is consistent with the contract, the statement is not to be inferred to mean
that in the future accumulated overload not worked off within 3 semesters will be "lost" credits, as some
Deans seem to be suggesting. In fact, the administration, not the member, is in violation of the contract if
the "must" in that sentence (echoing the “shall” in the contract, as quoted at the beginning of this email) is
not heeded. Our Memo of Understanding from 1991 (found on the SCSU-AAUP web site:
www.scsuaaup.org) is still in effect and guarantees that only underloads are lost if not accounted for with an
adjusted teaching load within three semesters. Overloads remain until they are used--members can neither
lose accumulated overload nor have it taken away. Only if a member retires with accumulated overload is it
lost--we are not paid for overload we have at the time of retirement.
I apologize for its length, but I hope you find this missive helpful. Please keep the SCSU-AAUP office
informed if you think your rights and responsibilities regarding overload are being misunderstood.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Mike Shea
SCSU-AAUP President