Thread by @yarrowaxford

1/n I love academia, but it's rife w/inequities. COVID is making so many inequities worse, including for faculty who care for others at home & at work. @NorthwesternU's Org. of Women Faculty calls for action today, offering 11 concrete steps to take ASAP:
cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/sites.northwes…

2/n Among our suggestions: Policies on teaching that give faculty flexibility to protect their health and care for their families -- AND the ability to plan ahead.

3/n Create a university-wide goal of reducing non-essential activities during this historic “all hands on deck” moment. (Ask yourself, "Is that meeting or form really necessary during a global pandemic?")

4/n Provide meaningful support for childcare. Prioritize faculty, staff and student wellness as we all struggle through this time. (The burden of worry is so uneven. We highlight inequities for non-tenure-eligible faculty, faculty of color, and lower paid faculty especially.)

5/n When you make hard choices now, make sure they do not exacerbate existing pay inequities. Meanwhile, also make a long-term plan to remedy the known pay inequities in academia.

6/7 “Tenure clock delays are helpful, but it may also be necessary to realign tenure standards to reflect pandemic realities, and faculty want clear communication about how extenuating circumstances will be considered in promotion decisions.”

7/7 We need to be talking about this stuff now, proactively, as the pandemic unfolds and before its full impacts start to compound themselves over years. Same goes for safeguarding & promoting equity for students and staff. Let’s keep getting better and not slide backwards.