AAUP Chapter at the University of Tennessee Knoxville Joins Pushback against Political Over-Reaction to Campus Holiday Guidelines
The following is a brief new item published on the website of WATE-16 [http://wjhl.com/2015/12/07/university-of-tennessee-faculty-support-cheek-hall-on-workplace-holiday-party-guidelines/]: “While lawmakers are calling for Chancellor Jimmy Cheek and Vice Chancellor Rickey Hall to resign amid controversy over University of Tennessee Office of Diversity and Inclusion’s workplace holiday party guidelines, the faculty senate said they support the chancellor and vice chancellor.…
More on Academic and Student Subsidizing of Intercollegiate Athletics
Writing for the Washington Post, Will Hobson and Steven Rich have provided a terrific investigative piece of the escalating practice of subsidizing intercollegiate athletics with student fees and monies previously allocated to academic programs: “At Texas A&M University, the president’s proposal to charge all 50,000 students $72 a year to help pay for a $450…
Working Families Party Endorses Bernie Sanders
Writing for Huffington Post, Samantha Lachman reports: “The Working Families Party endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) bid for the Democratic presidential nomination Tuesday, after an overwhelming majority of its members backed the progressive candidate. It is the first time the party has formally backed a candidate in a national election. “Over 87 percent of Working…
Asian-American Students and the Racial-Justice Movement
Writing for The Atlantic, Kevin Cheng has posed and has thoughtfully explored the question, “What Role Do Asian Americans Have in the Campus Protests?” Here are the opening paragraphs: “Last month, Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber signed a document agreeing to take measures against racial inequality on campus, most notably the possibility of removing…
Statements on Campus-Carry Legislation
In fall 2015, the Executive Council endorsed the MLA’s joining with twenty-eight other scholarly societies to oppose legislation that would facilitate carrying handguns on college campuses. It also issued its own statement on Texas’s campus carry law. Statement Condemning Texas SB11 (“Campus Carry Law”) The Modern Language Association joins other scholarly organizations in condemning Texas SB11,…
Speaking of Ill-Considered Decisions by Boards of Trustees—Despite Very Vocal Faculty and Student Concerns
The following “Breaking News” item was distributed today by the Detroit Free-Press: “Eastern Michigan University’s Board of Regents today stood with Gov. Snyder and declined to vote on the future of the Education Achievement Authority. That keeps the reform district running for now—at least until Snyder introduces legislation aimed at a new effort to improve education in…
Overhauling Our Boards of Trustees
John Zipp, the president of the AAUP chapter at the University of Akron, recently contributed an op-ed, titled “University Board Selection Process Needs Shake-Up,” to the Columbus Dispatch. After opening with a range of examples of how the Boards of Trustees of Ohio’s public universities have recently made ill-considered decisions–often despite very vocal concerns expressed…
Impoverishment among College Students Is a Very Real Issue
In today’s Community Colleges newsletter, Steve Kolowich interviews Hattie Elmore, who works with impoverished college students. The article, titled “’Sometimes I Cry’: A Ground-Level View of Student Poverty,” opens with the following overview of the problem: “Student hunger and homelessness can be hard to notice, but Hattie Elmore sees them up close, all the time. “Ms. Elmore is director…
Questioning Student Evaluations
Most colleges and universities are nearing the end of their fall terms. Hence it’s time not only for final examinations but also for collecting student evaluations of teaching (SET). Student ratings can be high-stakes. They’re used to evaluate teaching when faculty members are being considered for tenure or promotions. They’re also employed in decisions as…