Working without a contract, Kendall Faculty Association takes action to challenge Kendall College Board of Administrators

Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy

Earlier today, several dozen members of the Kendall College Faculty Association and 20 additional community supporters held an informational picket today. The action was called by the Kendall Faculty Association, which has been operating without a contract.

In addition, Kendall College faculty are amongst the lowest paid for a four-year public college in Michigan. This of course is all happening while the annual compensation for the four-person administration has a total cost in excess of $600,000.

We interviewed several of the faculty members about their action and what they are asking for. The first interview wis with the president of the faculty union, Adam.

There are more specific issues that the faculty at Kendall are dealing with such as the fact that they do not have a pension plan and they already pay for a portion of their health plan. These kinds of policies have historically been used to try…

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WGRD names bars after “girls” or how a radio station practices misogyny

Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy

The objectification of women is the norm within the media world, whether we are talking about films, TV shows, advertising or video games. Read or watch any of the videos produced by educator and feminist Jean Kilbourne and it is hard to argue this assertion.

The use of women’s bodies and their identities is also prevalent as a market gimmick. This is certainly the case with a recent effort by the Grand Rapids radio station WGRD.

On September 15, WGRD posted on their website this piece, which began by saying: 

There are plenty of places to go to enjoy the nightlife of Grand Rapids on a daily basis, and those of us who have lived here for a while know that we often have to explain the different bars to new people. So, we’ve come up with a comprehensive way to explain the bars in GR to your new-to-town…

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