BY MARTHA MCCAUGHEY AND SCOTT WELSH In the fall 2021 issue of Academe we describe the problem of a “shadow curriculum” in the form of student-affairs programming that (re)shapes students’ education on campus, encroaching on the faculty’s role in governance of courses and curriculum. From our perspective as faculty members guided by AAUP principles, such…
BY DANIEL A. SEGAL On April 15 of this year, Pitzer College’s Title IX Coordinator informed me that a student had filed a complaint against me alleging both “harassment on the grounds of sex/gender” and “harassment on the grounds of ancestry.” The case ended with a determination that there were no violations of policy, no…
BY LOUIS HOWARD PORTER If carpenters are needed it is well and good to train men as carpenters. But to train men as carpenters, and then set them to teaching is wasteful and criminal; and to train men as teachers and then refuse them living wages, unless they become carpenters, is rank nonsense. ––W. E.…
BY ALICE FREIFELD After 27 years at the University of Florida, I retired on the first day of class this fall, effective immediately. This despite the fact that I flew back to Gainesville anxious to get back into the classroom. I love teaching. The delta variant was on the upswing, and I was delighted by…
BY DANYA LEEBAW The years since the 2016 election have prompted reckoning and reflection among academic librarians about the integration of our professional, academic, and civic responsibilities. We are educators focused on information literacy, stewards of research and archival collections, and hosts to essential public and learning spaces on our campuses. In recent years, many…
BY DARREN JOHNSON Originally published October 16, 2021; reprinted with permission of Campus News. It’s holiday time, and for those unfamiliar with large American family gatherings this time of year, let me tell you about the kiddie table. Most people who host big dinners in their homes have a big dining room table, usually something…
BY DANIELLE SLAUGHTER Miguel Cardona Secretary, US Department of Education Dear Secretary Cardona, My name is Danielle Slaughter, and I’m an independent scholar, digital organizer, and mother of two young children. In 2017, I made the difficult decision to transition out of academia. I was pregnant with my second child, and, after the struggles I…
BY THE COLORADO AAUP CONFERENCE A rumored 25 percent pay raise sounds fantastic until people learn administrators want to phase it in over five years, that a cost-of-living increase will not accompany it, and that the average base pay is only $2,500 per class. To showcase how the “raise” would shake out for impoverished adjuncts…
BY MARK DUCHARME AND MELINDA MYRICK For educators in the Colorado Community College System (CCCS), the word “equity” is a familiar buzzword. Though it’s an admirable goal, and one we very much share, the problem is that it can seem like empty rhetoric— or worse, a cynical marketing ploy— in light of actual labor practices…
BY ALICE BROWN Read the first in the series, “Who Cares about Small Colleges?” COVID-19 has reduced the autonomy faculty once had to choose their course content and teaching methods. Colleges across the country have reduced retirement benefits, sabbaticals, and tenure appointments to help balance budgets. Faculty are told whether to teach in person or…