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AAUP Updates

The AAUP joined gun violence prevention organizations Brady and Team Enough in filing an amicus brief in support of the University of Michigan’s ordinance prohibiting the possession of firearms and other dangerous weapons on university property, citing that the university's prohibition protects the free speech rights of students and faculty, safeguards academic freedom, promotes the free exchange of ideas on campus, and furthers the university’s core educational goals.

On Saturday, the governing Council of the AAUP voted unanimously to add Indiana University Northwest to the Association’s list of censured administrations after an investigation found that the administration acted against Dr. Mark McPhail in a way that violated AAUP-supported standards of academic due process. The committee further concluded that conditions for academic governance at the institution are unsound and its racial climate is unwelcoming to faculty members of color.

AAUP president Irene Mulvey submitted public comments to the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI), urging the body responsible for making recommendations to the US Department of Education on issues related to accreditation and educational quality to uphold principles of academic freedom as political interference increases.

With the introduction of HB 999, the Florida legislature—at Governor DeSantis’s urging—has doubled down on its attacks on academic freedom with a bill that would effectively silence faculty and students across the ideological spectrum and purge whole fields of study from public universities.

The AAUP joined the AFT in submitting two public comments on proposals made by the US Department of Education. We support the administration’s efforts to lower monthly payments for borrowers, decrease the time to forgiveness for many borrowers, increase the income threshold to qualify for $0 monthly payments, and stop negative amortization for borrowers who are on income driven repayment. But we urge the department to lower the discretionary income cap to 5 percent for all borrowers, including graduate and undergraduate borrowers, and to work to include Parent PLUS borrowers in their proposals.

AAUP in the News

Thu, 03/16/2023  |  The Columbus Dispatch

Ohio Senate Bill 83, just introduced in the Ohio Senate, brings Florida to Ohio in terms of the vicious attacks on higher ed: bans on public university strikes, elimination of academic freedom, and restrictions on/prohibitions of ethnic studies, gender studies curricula.

Thu, 03/09/2023  |  Nature

“When you see elected leaders demonizing educators and weaponizing education, it’s a five-alarm fire for democracy,” says Irene Mulvey, president of the AAUP in Washington DC. “It important to understand that when governors attack DEI efforts, they completely mischaracterize them to create a straw-man demon that they now have to do away with."

Tue, 03/07/2023  |  Truthout

Over the last decade at Rutgers, intensive rank-and-file organizing translated into significant gains for our non-tenure-track faculty, who are part of the Rutgers AAUP-AFT along with tenured and tenured-track faculty. They won a decent base salary, a promotion process with corresponding salary increases, long-term contracts of up to seven years, and a robust grievance process. Now we are fighting for tenure to become accessible to non-tenure-track teaching faculty.

Sun, 03/05/2023  |  Washington Post

Irene Mulvey, president of the AAUP, warned that the legislation — especially the bill that would prevent students from majoring in certain topics — threatens to undermine academic freedom.

“The state telling you what you can and cannot learn, that is inconsistent with democracy,” Mulvey said. “It silences debate, stifles ideas and limits the autonomy of educational institutions which made American higher education the envy of the world.”

Upcoming Events

March 23, 2023

A session for stewards, grievance officers, or staff looking for a refresher or an introduction to the legal framework of a grievance, as well as how to investigate a case, write a grievance, and p

April 4, 2023

An informal discussion for members or staff of collective bargaining chapters about ways to use AAUP financial analysis reports strategically at the table and in media during bargaining.

April 12, 2023

In this workshop, participants will look at proposal packaging and other bargaining strategies for avoiding impasse and map out an end game and timeline.

April 20, 2023

A session for chapter bargaining team members and staff interested in an introduction to working with a mediator, the fact finding process, and preparing for arbitration.

April 26, 2023

A session for stewards, grievance officers, or staff looking for a refresher or an introduction to the legal framework of a grievance, as well as how to investigate a case, write a grievance, and p

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