Menu
Log in
Log in

Member
Login


NEVADA FACULTY ALLIANCE


ESTABLISHED 1983


NFA News & Opinion

  • 10 Aug 2022 2:29 PM | Kent Ervin (Administrator)

    UPDATE: 2022 NFA Endorsements

    • Heather Brown (RD 6)
    • Susan Brager (RD 7)
    • John Patrick Rice (RD 8)
    • John Moran (RD 13)
    • (No endorsement in RD 11. Both candidates are qualified, but have different views on topics of importance to faculty. We encourage members to view their questionnaire responses or view the candidate forum video, links below.)

    ***

    The NFA gave each candidate for the Board of Regents in the general election an opportunity to revise or update their responses to our questionnaire for the primary election.  

    Look up your Regent District here

    Questionnaire Responses:

    Regent District 6,  Heather Brown and Jeanine Dakduk (Henderson and southern Clark County)

    Regent District 7, Susan Brager and David “Coach" Crete (western Las Vegas area, Summerlin) 

    Regent District 8, Michelee "Shelly" Crawford and John Patrick Rice (Elko, Esmeralda, Lincoln, Nye, White Pine, and northern Clark counties)

    Regent District 11, Jeffrey Downs and Steve Laden (Sparks, northern Reno, northern Washoe, Humboldt, and Pershing counties)

    Regent District 13, Stephanie Goodman and John Moran (west Las Vegas, Red Rock Canyon)

    Videos of forums with the candidates prior to the primary election are available at: https://www.nevadafacultyalliance.org/NewsArchive/12768874

  • 05 May 2022 11:02 AM | Kent Ervin (Administrator)

    The Nevada Faculty Alliance invited all candidates for the Board of Regents to candidate forums to hear from them about their qualifications and positions on issues of importance to faculty, students, and NSHE institutions.

    Look up your Regent District here

    Videos of the forums and written questionnaire responses are available here:

    Regent District 6 Forum Video with Heather Brown and Karl Catarata (Henderson and southern Clark County) RD6 Questionnaire Responses

    Regent District 7 Forum Video  with Susan Brager, David “Coach" Crete, M.J. Ivy, Hieu Le, Aury Nagy (western Las Vegas area, Summerlin) RD7 Questionnaire Responses

    Regent District 8 Forum Video  with Jonathan Baltera, Michelee "Shelly" Crawford, Aaron Manfredi, Elmer Porter, John Patrick Rice, and Stacy Smith  (Elko, Esmeralda, Lincoln, Nye, White Pine, and northern Clark counties) RD8 Questionnaire Responses

    Regent District 11 Forum Video with Jeffrey Downs, John Gwaltney,* and Steve Laden (Sparks, northern Reno, northern Washoe, Humboldt, and Pershing counties) RD11 Questionnaire Responses

    Regent District 13--no forum (west Las Vegas, Red Rock Canyon). RD13 Questionnaire Responses (updated 5/24)

    *Candidate Gwaltney's audio level is very low--raise your speaker volume to listen to his responses.


  • 17 Apr 2022 12:10 PM | Kent Ervin (Administrator)

    There are five seats on the Board of Regents up for election in 2022. The primary election is on June 14 with early voting starting May 28. The primary will narrow the field to two candidates for each race going forward to the general election in November--unless one candidate receives >50% of the vote in primary in which case that candidate is declared elected and there is no general election.

    The Nevada Faculty Alliance Political Action Committee (NFA-PAC) sent a questionnaire regarding NSHE and faculty issues to each candidate's email address.  Sixteen of the 21 candidates have responded. Candidates' answers to our questions are provided in the documents linked below:

    District 6 – southern Clark County

    District 7 – western Las Vegas area, Summerlin

    District 8 – Elko, Esmeralda, Eureka, Lincoln, Nye, White Pine, and northern Clark

    District 11 – North Reno, Sparks, northern Washoe, Humboldt, Pershing 

    District 13  (updated 5/24)– western Las Vegas area, Red Rock Canyon 

    The NFA-PAC plans to conduct candidate forums and may choose to endorse candidates for regent. If you have questions you would like to ask at the forums or you have feedback on candidates for the NFA-PAC, please email Kent Ervin at kent.ervin@nevadafacultyalliance.org.

  • 28 Dec 2021 12:01 PM | Kent Ervin (Administrator)

    Petition for Safe NSHE Campuses

    This is an open petition by faculty, staff, students, and family members of the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE), sponsored by the Nevada Faculty Alliance (www.NevadaFacultyAlliance.org).

    PETITION TO Governor Sisolak, NSHE Chancellor Rose, Presidents Helens (GBC), Hilgersom (TMCC), Pollard (NSC), Sandoval (UNR), Whitfield (UNLV), and Zaragoza (CSN), Officer-in-Charge Dalpe (WNC), and members of the Legislative Commission of the 81st Legislature of the State of Nevada, the NSHE Board of Regents, the Nevada State Board of Health, and the NSHE COVID-19 Task Force:

    BECAUSE the shared goals of students, faculty, and staff of NSHE colleges and universities are to teach in person in a safe manner and to avoid another transition to remote instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic;

    BECAUSE in August 2021 the Board of Health issued an emergency regulation to require proof of vaccination against COVID-19 for students registering for Spring 2022 classes; and subsequently the Board of Regents of the state of Nevada approved mandatory vaccinations for all NSHE employees as a condition of continued employment after December 31, 2021;

    BECAUSE on December 21, 2021, the Legislative Commission failed by a 6–6 vote to approve the Board of Health’s permanent regulation on vaccinations as a requirement for student attendance at NSHE institutions and thus allowed the student COVID-19 vaccination mandate to expire;

    BECAUSE widespread vaccination is the most effective way to prevent serious illness and death and to reduce transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and because the available vaccines are remarkably safe and effective against all current variants, including the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine which has received full FDA approval (bit.ly/3enwNM9) and is thus no longer experimental;

    BECAUSE NSHE university students have long been required to show proof of immunization for other infectious diseases (with medical and religious exemptions), and, additionally, NSHE students who are not vaccinated are able to register for online or remote classes;

    BECAUSE 1,125 universities and colleges nationally as of 12/22/2021 (bit.ly/32nGxDR) are requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccinations for students and/or employees, many requiring boosters and robust testing protocols; 

    AND BECAUSE we are outraged that six legislators on the Legislative Commission put political considerations ahead of the sound advice of medical experts and ignored the clear statutory authority of the Board of Health over public health regulations, and have put the health and safety of NSHE students, faculty, and staff at increased risk of COVID-19 infection and have made our campuses less safe as workplaces and for in-person instruction.

    Therefore, WE, the undersigned faculty, staff, students, and family members of the Nevada System of Higher Education:

    DEMAND that the student vaccination mandate be immediately reinstated for Spring 2022 classes, under the emergency powers of the Governor if necessary, following the advice of the Board of Health of the state of Nevada and the Governor’s medical team;

    DEMAND that the Legislative Commission reconvene to vote to accept the authority and the public health recommendations of the Board of Health in the interests of the increased health and safety of our NSHE campuses and the health and safety of the greater community of our state;

    DEMAND that the Board of Regents independently adopt the recommendations of the NSHE COVID-19 Task Force and the Board of Health to require vaccinations of all NSHE employees and of all NSHE students taking in-person classes (with allowances for medical and religious exemptions), and that the Board of Regents allow the colleges and universities to take all other appropriate public health measures;

    AND DEMAND that the Chancellor and Presidents implement strong, science-based measures against infection from COVID-19—including free surveillance and diagnostic testing, face-coverings, and permitting remote or online instruction and work—and that these measures be continued until the community risk from COVID-19 has been deemed by public health authorities to have subsided.

    View signature list at https://forms.gle/7rnBaLasT1Ztu7Mc8 


  • 07 Aug 2021 11:00 AM | Kent Ervin (Administrator)

    Members of the NSHE Community Petition for a Safe Fall Semester

    Open petition sponsored by the Nevada Faculty Alliance (www.NevadaFacultyAlliance.org)

    Update: Over 1270 members of the NSHE community have signed this petition. This petition has been closed to new signatures. To view the signatures, please go to  at https://forms.gle/MV761ZDk5EpnWpXP8 .  [December 2021: A new Petition for Safe NSHE Campuses has been started.] 

    To the members of the Nevada State Board of Health, the NSHE Board of Regents, Chancellor Melody Rose, and institutional Presidents:

    • Full in-person instruction resumes at the colleges and universities of the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) in August 2021 for the Fall semester.
    • The shared goals of faculty, students, and the NSHE administration are to teach in-person in a safe manner and to avoid another transition to remote instruction due to the pandemic.
    • The coronavirus delta variant has surged in Nevada leading to renewed indoor mask requirements for businesses and on NSHE campuses.
    • Widespread vaccination is the most effective way to prevent serious illness and reduce transmission from all current variants of the coronavirus. The available vaccines are remarkably safe and effective.
    • Over 650 universities and colleges nationally (https://bit.ly/3Ck5kFH), including large public education systems in many states experiencing lower transmission rates, are implementing mandatory vaccinations for students and/or faculty and staff, many under the Emergency Use Authorization without waiting for full FDA approval.
    • Governor Sisolak has ordered state employees including NSHE faculty and staff to show proof of vaccination or else undergo weekly COVID testing (https://bit.ly/2VspFIr).
    • As part of their employment duties, faculty and staff work with the much larger number of students in close quarters where social distancing is difficult and often impossible.
    • Although faculty and staff will all be vaccinated (or tested weekly), the vaccine is not 100% effective, nor are masks, so the presence of unvaccinated students on campus, even if masked, will result in an entirely preventable transmission of this deadly disease from students to other students, faculty, and staff.
    • The current spread of the delta variant has been described by the CDC as a pandemic of the unvaccinated (https://bit.ly/37kKfwG).
    • Students tend to be in age groups with lower vaccinations rates (https://bit.ly/2VAfRvP).
    • NSHE students are already required to show proof of immunizations for other diseases as a preventive public health measure (with exemptions for bona fide medical or religious reasons).
    • Chancellor Rose issued a statement on May 6, 2021, indicating that NSHE was planning for mandatory vaccinations and that "NSHE is asking all students and their families to be prepared for this possibility.” (https://bit.ly/3rTYd2a)
    • Full FDA approval of the Pfizer vaccine is reportedly expected imminently, within weeks.
    • On August 2, 2021, NSHE legal counsel advised that only the State Board of Health is authorized to require vaccinations for NSHE university students. (https://bit.ly/2VmaAbw)

    We, the undersigned members of the NSHE community, respectfully request the Nevada State Board of Health to consider mandatory vaccinations for college and university students based on sound medical evidence and to issue emergency regulations giving guidance and authorization to NSHE. We further request that NSHE and its institutions implement strong proven measures against the further spread of COVID-19 including mandatory student vaccinations until the community public health risk has subsided.

    View signatures at https://forms.gle/MV761ZDk5EpnWpXP8  

  • 28 Jul 2021 5:14 PM | Kent Ervin (Administrator)

    The state Nevada Faculty Alliance has released a statement advocating for mandatory COVID vaccinations and other strong measures for safe in-person instruction in the Fall Semester:

    NFA Statement on COVID Precautions

  • 08 Oct 2020 1:00 PM | Kent Ervin (Administrator)

    Nevada Faculty Alliance PAC

    2020 Election Endorsements

    Board of Regents

     

    Regent District 2

    Bret Whipple

     

    Regent District 3

    Swadeep Nigam

     

    Regent District 10

    Joe Arrascada

     

    Senate

     

    SD 1

    Patricia Spearman

    SD   7

    Roberta Lange

     

    SD 3

    Chris Brooks

    SD 11

    Dallas Harris

     

    SD 4

    Dina Neal

    SD 15

    Wendy Jauregui-Jackins

     

    SD 5

    Kristee Watson

    SD 18

    Elizabeth Becker

     

    SD 6

    Nicole Cannizzaro

     

    Assembly

     

    AD   1

    Daniele Monroe-Moreno

    AD 21

    Elaine Marzola

    AD   2

    Radhika Kunnel

    AD 23

    Brent Footz

    AD   3

    Selena Torres

    AD 24

    Sarah Peters

    AD   4

    Connie Munk

    AD 25

    Jill Tolles

    AD   6

    Shondra Summers-Armstrong

    AD 26

    Lisa Krasner

    AD   8

    Jason Frierson

    AD 26

    Teresa Benitez-Thompson

    AD   9

    Steve Yeager

    AD 28

    Edgar Flores

    AD 10

    Rochelle Nguyen

    AD 29

    Lesley Cohen

    AD 11

    Beatrice Duran

    AD 30

    Natha Anderson

    AD 12

    Susan Martinez

    AD 31

    Skip Daly

    AD 14

    Maggie Carlton

    AD 34

    Shannon Bilbray-Axelrod

    AD 15

    Howard Watts III

    AD 35

    Michelle Gorelow

    AD 16

    Cecelia González

    AD 37

    Shea Backus

    AD 17

    Clara Thomas

    AD 41

    Sandra Jauregui

    AD 18

    Veneicia Considine

    AD 42

    Alexander Assefa

    AD 20

    David Orrentlicher

    The Nevada Faculty Alliance (www.nevadafacultyalliance.org) is an affiliate of the American Association of University Professors (www.aaup.org), whose mission is to advance academic freedom, enhance shared governance, and promote the economic security of faculty and graduate students. The NFA membership includes academic and administrative faculty at all eight institutions of the Nevada System of Higher Education. The NFA Political Action Committee, which is comprised of NFA members in northern and southern Nevada, is proud to make these political endorsements. We will be encouraging the winning candidates to fight with us to address the various issues related to higher education in Nevada.


  • 13 Sep 2020 6:13 PM | Kent Ervin (Administrator)

    The Nevada Faculty Alliance has endorsed the following Northern Nevada candidates:

    NSHE Board of Regents:

    District 10 Joseph Arrascada (NP)

    Nevada State Senate:

    District 15 Wendy Jauregui-Jackins (D)

    Nevada State Assembly:

    Sarah Peters (D) (incumbent)

    Jill Tolles (R) (incumbent)

    Lisa Krasner (R) (incumbent)

    Teresa Benitez-Thompson (D) (incumbent)

    Natha Anderson (D)

    Skip Daly (D) (incumbent)

    -------------------------------------------

    Approved by the NFA State Political Action Committee on August 29, 2020. The Nevada Faculty Alliance (www.nevadafacultyalliance.org) is an affiliate of the American Association of University Professors (www.aaup.org), whose mission is to advance academic freedom, enhance shared governance, and promote the economic security of faculty and graduate students. The NFA membership includes academic and administrative faculty at all eight institutions of the Nevada System of Higher Education. The NFA Political Action Committee, which is comprised of NFA members in northern and southern Nevada, is proud to make these political endorsements. We will be encouraging the winning candidates to fight with us to address the various issues related to higher education in Nevada.

  • 14 Oct 2018 11:41 AM | Deleted user


Contact Us:

Office: 702-530-4NFA (4632)

stateboard©nevadafacultyalliance.org

Address:

840 S. Rancho Drive

Suite 4-571

Las Vegas, NV 89106

Powered by Wild Apricot Membership Software