BY HANK REICHMAN Last year the AAUP’s Committee on Government Relations released a report, “Campus Free-Speech Legislation: History, Progress, and Problems,” which concluded that campus free-speech laws and academic freedom are “false friends.” Nevertheless, such legislation continues to advance in several states. Especially troubling is a proposal that has moved out of committee in the…
POSTED BY MARTIN KICH Last Tuesday, April 9, Ohio State professor and OCAAUP member Lisa Voigt testified on House Bill 88, the “Forming Open and Robust University Minds” or FORUM Act, also called the “Campus Free Speech” bill. Calling the bill unnecessary, Voigt stated in her tstimony that the First Amendment already protects free speech…
POSTED BY MARTIN KICH Last Thursday, April 11, OCAAUP President John McNay testified to the Ohio House Finance Subcommittee on Higher Education on House Bill 166, the biennial state budget bill. In his testimony, McNay advocated for greater State Share of Instruction funding, encouraging the committee members to seek new revenue, if need be, in…
BY GERARD O’SULLIVAN with BRIAN C. MITCHELL, co-author Twelve small colleges have closed in Massachusetts in the past five years. They have begun to address the issue, but it’s time for elected state officials to make changes that protect college and university students from the disruptive effects of catastrophic closure. The Governor, Attorney General…
BY ROBERT A. SCOTT Every state requires hairstylists to receive certifications before they serve the public. There are certification programs for hospital trustees and education programs for corporate directors. Yet few states require training for college and university trustees, individuals who are fiduciaries for the more than $1.2 trillion in operating funds and endowments held…
BY JOHN K. WILSON Stanley Kurtz is at it again: He has another bad idea for unnecessary and counterproductive legislation. In the past, he’s sought to impose mandatory penalties on disruptive protesters and rules for institutional neutrality. This time, it’s an attempt to force public colleges to have more debates and conservative speakers by enacting…
BY THE FREDONIA UNIVERSITY SENATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE The following is the text of a resolution issued today by the Executive Committee of the State University of New York at Fredonia Senate Executive Committee on behalf of the Fredonia University Senate. Resolution in Support of a New Deal for SUNY and CUNY Fredonia University Senate Executive…
BY LISA MINNICK On the sixth anniversary of anti-union “right to work” legislation being signed into law in Michigan, we share this letter to Western Michigan University faculty from WMU-AAUP president Lisa Minnick, who is stepping down after serving in the role since 2013. The letter originally appeared on the chapter’s website, where there is…
BY MARTIN KICH This resolution was passed unanimously by the chapter leaders and members attending this year’s annual meeting in the Columbus suburb of Westerville. Whereas the Ohio College Opportunity Grant (OCOG) provides funding to low-income students to attend a four-year university, public or private, Whereas OCOG is not available to students who attend two-year…
BY MARTIN KICH Early last summer, Sherrod Brown’s senatorial campaign contacted the leadership of the Ohio Conference about what he could provide to us on his positions. The OCAAUP tries to limit its focus to issues related to higher-education and collective-bargaining rights. Senator Brown’s positions on labor issues are very well known, and after some…