March 26, 2001

On Friday, March 23, the parties met in negotiations for 10 hours at Worcester State College. The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 26, also at Worcester State. Your patience and understanding about our continued need to conduct negotiations in confidence are very much appreciated.

On Saturday, I attended the Higher Education Leadership Council Retreat, sponsored by MTA and held at Sturbridge, Massachusetts. In the morning we worked with a superb NEA consultant on communications, Michael Pons, on the message to be incorporated in an MTA-sponsored radio campaign for public higher education, planned for this spring. Ken Swopes, the advertising consultant for the MTA public relations campaign, was present to hear the discussion, our wishes about the message and some suggested tactics to be used in the upcoming campaign.

On April 2nd, I plan to attend the monthly meeting of the Framingham Chapter of the MSCA. I regret that the need to schedule as many bargaining sessions as possible, combined with the disruptions caused by this winter's severe weather, has prevented me from meeting directly with the MSCA membership on the campuses. I hope to remedy that situation in the upcoming months and next fall.

Pat Markunas
MSCA President

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3/26/01