St. Charles Community College: Adjunct Faculty Barred from Gathering Petition Signatures

On February 19, 2015, an administrator at St. Charles Community College (SCC) sent an email to student group advisors stating that adjunct faculty “are not permitted to ask for petition signatures” relating to a unionization effort. At the time, certain SCC adjunct faculty members were seeking to unionize in order to address their professional challenges. As part of that effort, the faculty members drafted a petition explaining their challenges and asking the SCC administration to remain neutral toward their cause. On March 25, 2015, FIRE wrote to SCC President Ronald Chesbrough, urging the administration to allow members of the St. Charles Community College Organizing Committee to gather signatures for their petition. On April 8, Chesbrough responded to FIRE’s letter, agreeing to clarify to the SCC community the college’s stance on petitioning and distributing literature. Chesbrough also informed FIRE that SCC had begun reviewing its policies to ensure compliance with the First Amendment.