AAUP MINUTES

September 6, 2007

 

Members Present:  Paula Hinton, Kristin Pickering, Tom Saya, Tony Baker, Andy Smith, Sarah Seitzinger, Kelly Chambers, Elizabeth Lacy, Scott Christen, Wali Kharif, Holly Barbour, Summer Vertrees, Josie McQuail, Katherine Osburn, Mark Creter

 

I. Agenda and II. Minutes from previous meeting were approved. 

 

III. Elections: Spring 2007 election results reviewed—2007-2008 Officers:

            President—Andy Smith

            Vice President—Katherine Osburn

            Treasurer—Jon Jonakin

            Secretary—Paula Hinton

           

IV. Old Business—Committee Reports:

 

A. Membership—Kharif—We currently have 58 members.  33 are enrolled in payroll deduction so far.  3 are new members.

 

Smith: Encourages everyone to invite people to join, including adjuncts who get free membership

 

B. Treasurer’s Report—Jonakin—(via email of 8-27-07 and 8-29-07)—“2nd quarter dues have been paid.”  “Our balance as of 8-29-07 is $1,358.91.  I am carrying a check for $178.00.  Once cashed, we’ll have $1,536.91.”

 

C. Committee A—Nothing to Report

 

D. Committee R—Not Present—No Report

 

E. Committee W—McQuail— [Distributed 2 handouts: AAUP March-April 2007 Salary Report and “Gender Inequalities in Salaries and Their Impact on Women’s Retirement” from Attune.]  Handouts supplied information re: women’s salaries at TTU and throughout the U.S.  Women aren’t paid the same as men.  Committee has been looking at this issue since last Spring.  McQuail proposes that AAUP take action.  Glenn James [of Institutional Research at TTU] has reported that there is no discrepancy between men’s and women’s salaries at TTU.  The national AAUP study has found otherwise.  At TTU [according to the AAUP study]:

            Men outnumber women at the rank of professor

            Average salaries:

                        Full Prof.          Men = $75,800

                                                Women = 69,200

                        Assoc. Prof.     Men = 63,900

                                                Women = 58,700

                        Assist. Prof.      Men = 54,600

                                                Women = 47,900

                        Instructors        Men = 36,600

                                                Women = 38,300

 

Some of the numbers are shocking.  At TTU the number of Male Full Professors is 128, the number of Female Full Professors is 25.

 

Osburn—Some of the salary discrepancy may be because of Engineering salaries.

 

McQuail—That may be true but we need to research this.  Ada Haynes [Sociology and Political Science] is willing to research this for AAUP.

 

Baker—TTU did a study in 2002 or 2003 and published it.  Can’t they do it again and post the results?

 

McQuail—We are not getting satisfactory answers from the administration.

 

Baker—The old report is online.  It is 5 or 6 years old.  Figures are given by discipline, by gender, and (perhaps) by years of service.  It just needs to be updated with current statistics.

 

McQuail—Ada Haynes is willing to do the study for AAUP though she could probably use the help of a student worker if anyone knows of one.  Should we go to Faculty Senate with this?  Probably not—might be best if we just do it ourselves.

 

Smith—Why not let Glenn James of Institutional Research do this?  It would be easier.

 

Pickering—We did ask him last year.  He said he was working on other projects. 

 

McQuail—The impact of inequalities and salaries on women’s retirement must be considered, and the fact that women were not apparently considered for temporary administrative positions that just opened at TTU should be noted.  There are subtle inequalities and wide implications.  For example: Sick Leave has to be used for maternity leave—men will retire with more sick leave than women.

 

Made Motion—Would like to pursue the issue and get Haynes’s help obtaining data regarding salaries.  Committee W will issue a report when finished.

 

Osburn—Move to approve

 

Kharif—Seconded motion

 

Baker—The committee should obtain salary information while keeping the following variables in mind: disciplines, ranks, years of service, and gender. 

 

Kharif—Will also need to determine what an “equitable salary” is.

 

Saya—This matrix might already be determined by AAUP.

 

Osburn—Call the question

 

Baker—Seconded

 

[VOTE= unanimous “Yes”—motion passes.

 

F. Faculty Handbook—Smith—The Faculty Handbook for New Employees is currently available in electronic form only.  It needs updating.  The last revision was 7 years ago.  Pat Reagan [History] is maintaining the website and has twice asked that we address this.  No one has volunteered.  Is anyone interested in chairing a committee to update the handbook?   We will first need to review the current handbook and determine what needs to be done.

 

Baker—We’ll need the expertise of a faculty member and it would be best if it was a new one.

 

[Elizabeth Lacy volunteered to serve as co-chair and will recruit someone else to serve with her.]

 

V. New Business:

 

A. Fall Forum—Smith—A couple of weeks ago Smith sent out email query to several members regarding a topic for the Fall Forum.  There was an online discussion among those members about how to incorporate the issues highlighted by the tragedy at VA Tech.  Our administration has already taken a lot of action/leadership on this issue.  But the impact on professors hasn’t really been addressed.  Academic freedom and the academic culture need to be addressed.

 

Osburn—[volunteered to chair committee]

 

Smith—There are two main issues: How should faculty deal with problems in the classroom?  How does this impact our research and teaching?

 

Osburn—We need to remember our audience (primarily faculty) and what has already been addressed in TTU Fall Colloquia.  Also, if we want more students and more of the general public to attend we might consider focusing on How we identify and deal with difficult students and How this effects the classroom and student creative expression.

 

Smith—[Asks Baker to serve on the committee] [Committee members will be Osburn, Baker and Smith.  They will meet later and discuss the details.]

 

Creter—Says AAUP can use the Backdoor Playhouse.  [Also volunteers to serve on the committee.]

 

Osburn—The committee can set the date for the forum.

 

C. President Bell’s Annual Visit to AAUP—Smith—Pres. Bell will be attending the November 1 AAUP meeting.  We will send out an email to AAUP members in order to generate questions.  Those questions will then be sent to Pres. Bell prior to his visit.  Be thinking of some good questions.

 

D. Announcement of Fall Meeting of State Conference—Smith—The Fall Meeting of the State Conference will be October 6 in Memphis.  Smith and Osburn are planning to attend.  An issue has come up already though.  Please read up on the conference on the Tennessee State Conference Website.  There is information regarding this important issue and we can discuss it at the next meeting.

 

Osburn—[Smith asks her to summarize the issue]—The current State President is Tony Blasi.  He has generated a report concerning adjunct and contingent faculty issues.  Smith raised some questions about the report.  Blasi was not happy with this and not open to criticism.  A debate occurred.  Blasi has posted the report on the website as AAUP’s official position.  The report is problematic though.  We want to issue a counter document and ask that other opinions be allowed in the official report.  If anyone else would like to go to the meeting, please contact Osburn.

 

Smith—The state conference website is www.aaup-tn.org.  On the left hand side there is a link to publications.  The last link will take you to the report.  Blasi had very good intentions but his conclusions and recommendations at the end of the report don’t fit with the rest of the report in several people’s opinions.  A critical issue that we are looking at is: Should anyone/everyone teaching at Tennessee universities have a PhD?  The report seems to imply just that. 

 

Also, the TN AAUP has proposed that adjuncts receive a wage increase.  The Tennessee Board of Regents has not acted on it yet.

 

Osburn—Another issue is that a state level committee had been formed to look at part time and contingent employment issues.  Blasi disbanded it.  We plan to propose that the committee be re-energized. 

 

B. [Skipped earlier]—Campus Equity Week—Smith—This is a national AAUP event that occurs every other year.  Campus Equity Week is about education on the issue of contingent and part time employment.  AAUP sent suggestions, one of which was the creation of an Outstanding Teaching Award for part time instructors since they aren’t eligible for existing awards.  Perhaps we could do this here at Tech.  Perhaps the national office would provide some seed money for it.  We could also challenge other campus groups to help fund it.  It would be nice if the award was given at commencement with the other awards.  We will need a proposal though.  [Baker volunteers]  Anyone who wants to help Baker should contact him.

 

VI. Such other matters: None.

 

 

Meeting adjourned at 11:45 a.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Paula Hinton

TTU AAUP Secretary