Where do Indiana University trustee candidates stand on grad worker union?

Indiana University alumni are voting through the end of the month for who they want to fill an open spot on the Board of Trustees.

None of the three Indiana University alumni seeking to fill the board seat was clear on the defining issue of this election season: graduate student worker unionization.

The trustees are the legal owner of the university, holding the power to set tuition and fees, control IU-owned property and appoint senior campus executives. They also determine codes of conduct and disciplinary measures for students, faculty and staff.

More: IU Board of Trustees says no to a student labor union, grad workers prepare for fall strike

Recently, the board used its influence to adamantly reject a graduate student labor union on Bloomington's IU campus, despite the faculty's support of union recognition and graduate workers' threat to strike again in the fall.

With several of the 2,500 Bloomington graduate workers holding IU degrees and being active members of the labor rights coalition, many are interested in how they could elect a new trustee who is more open to unionization.

The board has nine trustees, who each serve a three-year term. While most of the board is appointed by the state governor, three trustees are elected by alumni. A trustee is not a paid position, but members of the board are compensated a small per diem when fulfilling their responsibilities and all expenses related to board activities are covered.

Since MaryEllen Bishop, who has served as an elected trustee for more than a decade, will not run for re-election, a spot on the board is now up for grabs.

The three alumni running for the open position all hail from different campuses and have individualized areas of focus. But they all agree on one thing: Something must be done to resolve the IU graduate worker labor dispute. However, none of the candidates believe they have enough information to take a formal stance.

Voting is open now through 10 a.m. June 30 for anyone who holds an IU degree.

Retired Kelley School professor's plan to improve affordability, make immediate changes for grad workers

Vivian Winston has spent most of her adult life on Bloomington's campus, first as a student and later as an educator. With that much institutional knowledge, she's confident she could be a voice for the IU student body.

Winston earned a bachelor's degree in business and master's degree of business administration from IU Bloomington. Before her teaching role at the Kelley School of Business, she worked as an internal auditor and a business manager of WTIU-TV and WFIU-FM.

As a professor, Winston estimates she's taught around 26,000 students — a mixture of upper- and underclassmen. For over a decade, she taught an introductory accounting course, where she connected with multiple generations of students to hear about their issues and concerns. She retired in 2021.

More on : IU graduate student group votes no confidence in provost, withdraws from campus committees

According to Winston, the biggest challenge IU is facing right now is the graduate worker labor dispute.

In April, many student graduate workers went on a labor strike for four weeks, requesting union recognition from the IU administration and an official process to discuss benefits, higher wages and fee reduction.

In response, Provost Rahul Shrivastav announced a series of changes and new initiatives, including a higher stipend and a specialized task force, but administrators and the board of trustees have been steadfast in rejecting unionization efforts.

As a longtime member of the Bloomington faculty, Winston noted this labor dispute has been brewing for several years, and it should have been resolved way before it recently came to a head.

According to Winston, there needs to be immediate action and negotiation on both sides, but a union isn't the only way to go.

"I'm not pro-union. I'm not totally opposed to a union," Winston said. "This could be worked out so that unions don't have to be involved."

Winston said she isn't a fan of unions because it puts a third party in between students and administrators. She also said the IU graduate workers should have assembled under an academic union rather than the United Electrical Workers, an independent democratic labor union.

"The reason the graduate students that are very pro-union are that way is because they have been let down in the past," Winston said. "I think that we're at the point now where action needs to replace promises."

Winston noted all of the administrators' long-term plans to update the gradate experience are good, but "the students want to see something done now."

After reading the trustees' letter, Winston "can't foresee how they're planning to get to a fair and expeditious solution."

If she is elected to the board, Winston said she'd like to talk to IU's peer universities in the Big Ten Academic Alliance, some of whom have a graduate student union, and meet directly with Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition's bargaining committee.

"I feel strongly that everybody should be paid fairly," Winston said.

In her platform, Winston has a three-pronged initiative: increase student services, keep costs down and build on IU's inclusivity commitment.

On her campaign page, Winston references a report by the Chronicle of Higher Education that listed IU in the bottom third of spending on student services at four-year public universities.

Student services enables easy access to advisers, academic support, multicultural programs, resident life, disability services and other types of support. Winston specifically pointed toward mental health care access as especially important for students, faculty and staff.

Leaning on her background as a certified public accountant, Winston said she'd be able to keep a close eye on IU's budget and ensure IU remains a good steward of resources while also promoting affordability. Winston also wants to focus on the university's inclusive excellence.

Former Indiana Pacers team doctor wants to represent the student athlete

Eagle-eyed sports fans might recognize Sanford S. Kunkel from his time spent on the sidelines of various Indiana sports teams' games. From 1987 to 2004, Kunkel served as a team physician for the Indiana Pacers, Indiana Fever, DePauw University and Brebeuf Jesuit Prep School. He also served as the team physician for the 2002 International Basketball Federation World Championship Games.

Now, he's hoping to return to his alma mater to serve in a different role.

Kunkel earned both his bachelor's degree and medical degree from Indiana University and its medical school, respectively. After his residency, he had two separate fellowships, one in sports medicine knee reconstruction and another in shoulder reconstruction, in Ontario, Canada.

In addition to teaching younger medical students during his time in medical school and residency, Kunkel was an affiliate professor at the IU School of Medicine and the Butler University Physician Assistant Program. He served on the board of directors at Orthopaedics Indianapolis in addition to formerly being their director of the Sports Medicine Fellowship.

Kunkel is also a co-founder of re+PLAY, a performance-based CBD wellness brand, alongside former professional basketball player Al Harrington and trainer Joe Abunassar.

Since IU's School of Medicine is responsible for two-thirds of the university's entire research funding, it is crucial to have a trustee who is a physician, according to Kunkel.

"The financial impact of the University school of medicine and IU health on the future success of Indiana University is critically intertwined," Kunkel wrote on his campaign page.

More: Indiana House speaker: $416M 'gift' from IU Health to IU 'raises eyebrows and speculation'

When it comes to the topic of graduate student unionization, Kunkel said he would look deeper at their concerns after he is elected.

"It will be our job to find an equitable solution to those issues whether it is unionization or some other solution. I will become more acquainted with the unresolved issues when the time comes," Kunkel said via email.

Kunkel noted one of the large challenges IU will face in the coming years is balancing its budget, with the goal of keeping tuition at the same level.

Kunkel intends to create a more level playing field for all students, particularly those who "aren’t necessarily great test takers but have the potential to be tremendous participants in our society."

With his longtime involvement with sports, Kunkel said he wants to represent student athletes. As Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals become more prominent within IU Athletics, collegiate athletics will become a complex issue.

According to Kunkel, the board needs an advocate for the student athlete who is also considerate of how the NIL will impact women's and minority sports.

"Athletes have a unique commitment of time and energy and deserve strong representation. Their specific needs must be recognized and respected," Kunkel wrote on his campaign page.

Grant foundation director advocates for learning flexibility, calls grad labor dispute 'complex'

As a longtime education director and steward, Josh Kornberg thinks his past experiences have readied him for a role on the IU Board of Trustees.

Kornberg earned a bachelor's degree in communications from Indiana University Southeast. He received a master's degree in business communication and a Doctor of Education from Spalding University.

Kornberg was the executive director of development at Ivy Tech Community College from 2018 to 2021. He is currently the executive director of the Caesars Foundation of Floyd County, which disburses funds for nonprofit grants, scholarships and small business loans.

He serves as the national chair of the board of managers for the Indiana University Alumni Association. Additionally, he was named the 2020 Young Professional of the Year by One Southern Indiana.

Kornberg called the IU graduate labor dispute a "complicated, very complex topic."

"I will always support the rights for individuals to organize, period," Kornberg said.

According to Kornberg, the labor dispute may reveal workers' rights problems within the university.

"Are all of our faculty and staff at every campus being compensated adequately and fairly for the work that we are asking each person to do?" Kornberg posited.

Kornberg declined to extend full support of a graduate worker union. He said he doesn't have all the information necessary and he is open to further conversations with graduate workers.

"I can commit to listening and to being incredibly empathetic. I want to know the stories. I want to know more of the information," Kornberg said.

He encouraged students to not lose faith in IU as an institution.

"I encourage those graduate students to continue moving on and to continue speaking out and then organizing and representing for themselves. All these changes don't just happen overnight," Kornberg said.

As part of his platform, Kornberg wants to expand internships, apprenticeships and study abroad programs.

"We have some world-renowned instructors, but the education alone is not going to prepare our students for the workforce. They will not prepare students to move outside of the classroom," Kornberg said.

Affordability within a top-tier university is a major focus as well. According to his platform, Kornberg plans to prioritize expanding alternative learning options. He's interested in reworking the traditional 16-week model of course delivery to ensure students can reach their goals quicker and more efficiently. This could mean shortened terms, expanding winter or summer curriculum or implementing a year-round study option.

"We have these beautiful facilities that sit vacant for, let's call it, four months out of the year during summer and winter," Kornberg said.

Above all else, Kornberg said he understands IU's impact reaches far beyond the university itself.

"I want to do everything I can to ensure that we leave the university and, ultimately, the state and our nation in a better place. That starts at IU," Kornberg said.

How to vote in IU trustees election

For more information on the candidates, or to vote online, alumni can visit the trustee election website. To request a paper ballot, they can contact Amy Cope at truselec@indiana.edu or 812-855-6610.

Contact Rachel Smith at rksmith@heraldt.com or @RachelSmithNews on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Indiana University alumni to vote for Board of Trustees member