Today, the Faculty Senate is urging the SIUC administration and the Faculty Association union to resume bargaining. Next week, the FA will vote on whether to call a strike on Feb. 3 of next year if a contractual ageement isn't reached. In addition to a substantial salary increase, other FA issues include workloads, layoffs and academic freedom.

According to Associate Professor, James Kelly, the FA information chief (speaking from the SIU campus, not the Taj Mahal, pictured here), no matter what the Senate says, The Faculty Association alone has power to negotiate working conditions and its primary focus must be on exercising that power, as quoted in today's Daily Egyptian.

You can read what the other issues are at the FAQ section of the FA website.