Meeting of the Truman State University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP)
September 16, 2019, 4:30-5:30 PM, BH100
Present: Marc Rice (president), Marc Becker (secretary), Kathryn Brammall (treasurer), Mark Hatala (vice-president), Bill Alexander, Anton Daughters, Sergio Escobar, Matt Tornatore, Audrey Viguier
- Question of AAUP membership and why it is important to be a member. Sergio: I receive nothing from my national membership. Audrey: I contacted them and they didn’t provide any useful help. Christine Harker will announce at her next department meeting the importance of joining AAUP. Sergio will also present pitch for AAUP to CML. Marc R. will write a paragraph (and Marcks will edit) with a pitch for joining AAUP. Problem that people want representation but don’t want to pay for it. Bill: start with question of what problems do you have? How are you feeling? Survey to find out what people want or need. Start with questions rather than sales pitch. Mark: Do you know who can fire you? Existential angst. Get every department to designate a representative to AAUP (would provide service credit).
- Officers: Mark H. is willing to step down from VP and become member at large. Useful for junior faculty to be officers because it counts as service. Anton as new treasurer?
- Difficulties & importance of forming a union. We are not in a position to form a union—not sufficient members and too much faculty opposition. Problem of individualism—faculty are our own worst enemies. We need to present it as us helping ourselves rather than opposition to administration.
- Marc R.’s experiences with AAUP state and national meeting. State meeting in Springfield in March: other chapters reported declining AAUP membership. National meeting: Feeling lots of threats—freedom of speech. Collective bargaining chapters have been more successful at getting gains for faculty, but much more adversarial relationship with administration. Decided to bring collective bargaining and advocacy chapters together, and advocacy will receive as much support as collective.
- Anton talked to new faculty on Thursday. Maybe 7-8 out of 24 people attended (even though they are encouraged to attend). About three-quarters are adjuncts. Rare to hire someone for 1 class, but rather one-year contracts, emergency contacts. Move to online education.
- Question of accommodation for students with issues. We should just ask for documentation. Inappropriate for us to provide counseling.
- Issues of concern. Faculty tasked with recruitment—and tying it to salaries. Will low enrollment be tied to salaries? Faculty aren’t best at recruitment. University desperate to fill recruitment positions.