The monthly meeting of the Tennessee Tech chapter of AAUP is scheduled for
12:20 a.m., January 28, 2005, in room 342,
and visitors are welcome to attend.
AAUP Agenda for Meeting on January 28, 2005
1. Approval of minutes
2. Approval of agenda
3. Reports of executive members and other committee
chairs
4. Guest speakers--Introduction to Communication
Workers Association
members, Cameron Brooks and Hugh Wolfe
5. Tony Baker/Andy Smith: TBR squashes adjunct pay raise; what can
we do
about this?
AAUP
MINUTES, 12/02/04
Members and Guests Present: Kurt Eisen, Tony Baker, Jon Jonakin,
Kris Walker, Bill Fisk, Wali Kharif,
Josie McQuail, Colleen Hays, Marketta
Laurila, Katherine Osburn,
Paul Semmes, and Sharon Whitney.
Committee Reports
Program: Kris Walker reported that the Forum on Contingency
Faculty was well attended and went well. She has also heard from Cameron
Brooks, an organizer for Communications Workers of America, who would like to
meet with some of us as soon as possible to discuss the possibility of his
participation in a Spring Policy Forum that includes developing pro-active
strategies for AAUP's organizational goals. He
may come during finals week to begin this planning stage.
Further discussion deriving from the above
included the suggestion of contacting MTSU-AAUP president to see what they have
done along similar lines. One concern that was expressed was whether or
not our best strategy in relation to the perception of administrators is
coherent with a collective approach, or in terms of
"categorical issues" for all of us, as Kurt Eisen put it, or in a piecemeal way, one-on-one. The
general consensus was that from a managerial viewpoint, it is better to deal
with faculty in terms of their "categorical issues," and therefore
receiving the consultation of Cameron Brooks would be coherent with that.
Another issue that arose is that the term
"faculty" does not currently cover contingent teachers for purposes
of either academic freedom or shared governance, under TBR guidelines for campus
policies and procedures, but that for those purposes under AAUP statements of
guidelines contingent teachers (not graduate students) should be
included by the term faculty. Because other aspects of the revision
of guidelines emerged as more significant last Spring,
this inconsistency was over-looked. However, it was agreed that now
would be a good time to get this put on the agenda for TBR. Kurt Eisen agreed to raise it at the next Administrative Council
meeting.
Finally, with regard to influencing TBR,
they are reportedly going to take up the issue of adjunct pay increase at their
December meeting. The proposal is that the minimal rate of adjuncts be
increased by $100/credit hour. It is expected that this will pass, and
take effect immediately. At TTU, most adjuncts now receive $50/credit
hour over the minimum, so their increase will only be $50/credit hour.
Treasurer's Report: Jon Jonakin reported that
there is about $926 in the treasury
Maternity Leave: Josie McQuail reported the
results of her investigation into Maternity Leave and related issues.
Maternity Leave covers the parents of a newborn, but there is no policy that
covers leaves for grandparents to help a parent with issues arising
because of a difficult delivery of a newborn. The Bereavement Policy of
the campus, which is in compliance with federal and state laws, also is
not really very generous in the amount of time granted, although one can also
use Sick Leave to take additional time.
Membership: Wali Kharif
reported that membership stands at 57, and in January it will probably go down
to 56.
Katherine Osburn
reported that our low membership hurts us when we want to lobby the
legislature, and that affiliates of the NEA are better listened to because of
their higher membership numbers.
Another complaint that arose is how well
organized are those who resist the education-based organized interest groups,
blaming us for inefficiencies and other problems of values they feel exist in
the culture. The Chronicle of Higher Education is featuring articles
relevant to these points and as related to the November 2, 2004 election.