Does forming an AAUP chapter save faculty jobs?

[polly_mer]

Faculty at the University of Evansville are forming an AAUP chapter anticipating trustee action: https://www.courierpress.com/story/news/2020/09/21/ue-faculty-organizing-over-lack-input-rumored-job-cuts/5855977002/ .  It's not clear that will matter.

AAUP has launched recent investigations into several institutions regarding shared governance: https://www.aaup.org/media-release/aaup-launches-covid-19-governance-investigation#.X3o8ae1MF1w

Keuka College pointed out that they don't have an AAUP chapter and therefore are not subject to any cooperation with AAUP: https://www.keuka.edu/blog/keuka-college-responds-covid-19-academic-governance-crisis-aaup-investigation

[jimbogumbo]

WTH? Is it possible that Evansville's Board has 37 members?

[Aster]

"Saving jobs?" No, not... really.

Providing a Higher Ed institution with additional layers of transparency, accountability, communications, and shared governance, Yes.

Having the AAUP around is more like having an independent investigative news team on speed dial.

[Ruralguy]

If you already have strong governance a local chapter can be annoying, since they like to horn in on
decisions made by their own colleagues on duly elected committees. Then again, the more people
mentioning that the salaries are too low, even if they aren't, the more likely I am to get a higher salary,

They certainly can make noise during a crisis, but I doubt they have any more ability to save a job
than any other people in opposition to such moves.

[polly_mer]

Providing a Higher Ed institution with additional layers of transparency, accountability, communications, and shared governance, Yes.

Having a new chapter won't fix the problem of faculty having given up on shared governance years ago so they get to the point that the trustees just make decisions.

Readers at home, this is what happens when faculty insist they should be workers, possibly with a worker-like union focused on pay and benefits, instead of being the professionals who run the academic side of the university.  All that committee work matters if you really care about shared governance.

[Ruralguy]

Yes, the committee work matters. Admittedly, its quite inefficient, and you have to sometimes suffer fools gladly (and I am afraid to say that more than half the fools are faculty colleagues, although administrative response to seemingly simple questions sometimes is like talking to my cat. A response can be provoked, but mostly no semantic meaning can be divined.). But, the other options, in the end, are worse. If you don't mind just following orders, hoping for the best, and then just working on your teaching and research, then it can probably work out much of the time.  But in a true crisis, or even if you just want to get an important point, it can be very frustrating if you have no avenue for doing that.

[Aster]

Providing a Higher Ed institution with additional layers of transparency, accountability, communications, and shared governance, Yes.

Having a new chapter won't fix the problem of faculty having given up on shared governance years ago so they get to the point that the trustees just make decisions.

I am going to disagree strongly here. If your institution is so far in the tank that faculty don't have a voice anymore, the AAUP will certainly still advocate for you. Loudly, and publicly. Heck, they might even give you extra special attention the crummier your circumstances are.

A university can't muzzle the AAUP from speaking out anymore than a university can muzzle a reporter from a national news agency. A university can refuse to cooperate with information requests by the AAUP, but it can't stop the AAUP from speaking out on the Higher Ed news circuits.

No one likes getting negative press.