New Contract Ratified

June 2005 AAUP Newsletter

Faculty Accepts Collective Bargaining Agreement

The AAUP announced the ratification of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) on Thursday, May 19.

The contract was approved by 92.6 percent of the 394 faculty members who voted. 6.9 percent voted against the contract and 0.5 percent abstained.

Although acceptance of the occurred at a slightly higher rate among AAUP members than non-members (94.4 percent compared to 88.8 percent), both groups ratified the contract by high margins.

Four of the contract’s major improvements suggest why the CBA was so strongly supported.

1. Just Cause. The new Collective Bargaining Agreement’s just cause provision clarifies the reasons for which a tenured faculty member may be terminated and binds the Administration to adhering to those reasons. The provision also expands the AAUP’s power to protect faculty members from arbitrary or unjust termination.

2. Salary. The new contract’s salary gains exceed those in our current contract and will bring us to or above the median salary for our comparative institutions at all ranks.

3.Parental Leave. An improved parental leave policy now permits administered loads, which allow a one semester relief from teaching, to faculty members who declare themselves the primary caregiver. This benefit applies to faculty members who adopt children under five as well as to biological parents.

4. Vision Plan . The ratified contract establishes a vision plan for eye examinations, glasses and contact lenses in place of the $175 allowance for the annual physical exams (physical exams are typically covered by the faculty member’s health insurance). There is no cost to the faculty member for this benefit. Faculty members’ families can participate in the plan.

We want to address a final, but important, note to the many non-members who participated in the contract vote. We thank you for your participation but also would like to remind you of what we have stated previously: since you benefit from the union’s successes as much as AAUP members do, support the union by joining it. The more members we have, the better able we are to protect faculty rights, bargain effectively on a wide range of issues, and establish the AAUP as the premier campus voice on how best to create and sustain updated methods for insuring academic excellence during these changing times.

Please note: If a dues deduction card is enclosed with this newsletter, you are NOTlisted on our roster as an AAUP member. If this is the case, please consider filling out the enrollment card and sending it to the AAUP office before you leave for summer break.

Fall Election of New AAUP Officers

As stipulated in Article III A-4 of our AAUP chapter’s Constitution and Bylaws, contract ratification is to be followed by the election of new Executive Council officers. The officers to be elected are president, vice president, treasurer and secretary. These elections will be held during the upcoming fall semester.

In keeping with the union’s bylaws, the current Executive Council will circulate a slate of candidates by October 17, 2005 . Other candidates may be nominated by themselves or by chapter members. Nominations must be submitted to the AAUP office on or before October 24, 2005 and must be accompanied by ten signatures of AAUP members.

If you are thinking of nominating yourself or another AAUP member for a position, please follow the procedures detailed in the Constitution and Bylaws.

New officers’ terms will begin on January 1, 2006 .

AAUP Steering Committee Openings

As a result of many Steering Committee members’ terms expiring and also recent bylaws changes that expanded the Steering Committee, numerous Steering Committee positions will be open in the spring of 2006. If you want to serve on the Steering Committee, contact the union’s office. Article IV A-2 of the chapter’s Constitution and Bylaws specifies the procedures for electing new Steering Committee members.

Not only does the Steering Committee have major responsibilities during contract negotiations, it also plays a vital role in the AAUP’s governing structure. The Steering Committee, which functions as a crucial forum for analyzing faculty concerns and establishing chapter priorities, meets at least once each academic semester to discuss AAUP activities, needs and policies. Steering Committee positions opening up in the spring semester of 2006 include: six in Arts and Sciences, one for Agriculture and Natural Resources, one for Business and Economics, one for Marine Studies, two for Health Sciences, and one for Human Services, Education and Public Policy.

National AAUP Condemns Boycott

Against Israeli Scholars by British Higher Education Union

In keeping with its commitment to academic freedom, the AAUP recently issued a statement condemning and calling for the repeal of resolutions supported by the British Association of University Teachers (AUT). The concerned resolutions urge AUT members to refrain from academic cooperation with two Israeli universities.

The text of the AAUP statement follows:

Delegates to a recent meeting of the British Association of University Teachers (AUT) approved resolutions that damage academic freedom. The resolutions call on all members of AUT to “refrain from participation in any form of academic and cultural cooperation, collaboration, or joint projects” with two universities in Israel , Haifa University and Bar Ilan University . Excluded from the ban are “conscientious Israeli academics and intellectuals opposed to their state’s colonial and racist policies,” an exclusion which, because it requires compliance with a political or ideological test in order for an academic relationship to continue, deepens the injury to academic freedom rather than mitigates it.

These resolutions have been met with strong condemnation and calls for repeal within the United Kingdom and elsewhere. The American Association of University Professors joins in condemning these resolutions and in calling for their repeal. Since its founding in 1915, the AAUP has been committed to preserving and advancing the free exchange of ideas among academics irrespective of governmental policies and however unpalatable those policies may be viewed. We reject proposals that curtail the freedom of teachers and researchers to engage in work with academic colleagues, and we reaffirm the paramount importance of the freest possible international movement of scholars and ideas. The AAUP urges the AUT to support the right of all in the academic community to communicate freely with other academics on matters of professional interest.

Academic Freedom and National Security:

AAUP 91st Annual Meeting

The National AAUP’s upcoming annual meeting will be held June 9-12 at the Washington Court Hotel , 525 New Jersey Avenue, NW , Washington , DC . University of Delaware AAUP members are fortunate to have the meeting so close by making it convenient for us to attend.

Among many other activities, the annual meeting will include a prescreening of the PBS Documentary Special — Declining by Degrees: Higher Education at Risk and also workshops on (1) Lobbying Against Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing: ‘Academic Bill of Rights’ Proposals and (2) The Faculty’s Role in Accreditation: Making the Process Work for You.

Additionally, plenary speakers at this year’s Annual Meeting will address threats and challenges to academic freedom during a time of heightened national security. Speakers will include Lisa Anderson, Dean of the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University and author of The State and Social Transformation in Tunisia and Libya,Allan E. Goodman, the sixth President of the Institute of International Education and author of A Brief History of the Future: The United States in a Changing World Order.

The meeting will feature Tariq Ramadan, formerly Professor of Philosophy at the College of Geneva and Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Fribourg . A Swiss national, Professor Ramadan was appointed Henry R. Luce Professor of Religion, Conflict and Peacebuilding at the Kroc Institute of the University of Notre Dame, but was unable to assume his position after his work visa was revoked by the U.S. State Department. When Professor Tariq's visa was denied, the AAUP sent a letter to then Secretary of State Powell and Attorney General Ashcroft asking them to reconsider the revocation. The AAUP's request was not fulfilled by the U.S. government.

Further information about the meeting, directions and hotel accommodations can be found at http://www.aaup.org/events/05am.htm.

Farewell to Judy Van Name, A Much Respected Colleague

After three decades at the University and many years of dedicated service to the AAUP, Judy Van Name is retiring and also stepping down as the union’s Executive Council Secretary. In addition to her union activities, Judy also served as President of the University Faculty Senate and as chairperson of the Department of Consumer Studies. She has been a valued colleague both as a proponent of academic freedom and a committed faculty member who served her students and department with dignity and a sharp mind. Although we will miss Judy, we respect her decision to retire and wish her every future happiness.

Kevin Kerrane will serve as Interim Secretary until the fall election. Kevin is a Professor in the English Department, has served on the AAUP Steering Committee and is currently a member of the Collective Bargaining Committee that negotiated the new contract.