AAUP Ohio Conference

American Association of University Professors

Call for Nominations for 2022 Elections

President, Secretary, At-Large Position to be elected

We are now seeking nominations for the 2022 Ohio Conference AAUP Board of Trustees’ elections. In accordance with our governing policies, nominees must have been a member for at least two years and current on dues to be eligible for a trustee position.

Nominations should be sent to Sara Kilpatrick, Executive Director, at sara@ocaaup.org no later than January 15, 2022. 

Below are the positions to be elected directly through the Conference elections next year. Those who are elected will serve a two-year term beginning September 1, 2022.

-President
-Secretary
-At-Large Member: Private Institution (nominee must be a member at a private institution)

The President shall preside at Conference meetings and, with the approval of the Trustees, arrange for the Conference meetings and appoint Chairs of the standing committees; shall execute such matters as are referred to him or her at Conference meetings and by the Trustees; and, in consultation with the Trustees, shall take such other actions as are judged necessary to carry out the objectives of the Ohio Conference, and shall report at the next Conference meeting any actions taken by the Trustees during the time between meetings.

The Secretary shall keep the Ohio Conference records, including minutes of meetings of the trustees and of the Conference.

The At-Large position for private institutions is supposed to provide the Conference board with a perspective from private institution faculty and to communicate with private institution chapters to see how the Conference can best serve them.

The Conference Board has four Saturday meetings each academic year that trustees are expected to attend, one of which is the Annual Meeting. Traditionally, these have been in-person meetings, but in the last two years have been virtual on account of the pandemic. Trustees also oversee the executive director and provide direction for the organization.

Serving on the Board of Trustees is a rewarding way to engage in statewide AAUP issues and state government advocacy. If you have questions, or would like to submit a nomination, contact Sara Kilpatrick at sara@ocaaup.org. 

OCAAUP Membership Unanimously Approves Three Resolutions at 2021 Annual Meeting

At the 71st Annual Meeting of the Ohio Conference AAUP on November 6, members unanimously approved three resolutions.

Resolution 1: Education First

Whereas the primary mission of Ohio’s colleges and universities is to
educate students, a mission carried out by professors,

Whereas colleges and universities have increasingly and irresponsibly
devoted resources to endeavors peripheral to the academic mission, such
as athletics, administrative bloat, and lavish construction projects,

Whereas the aforementioned misplaced priorities have led to a reduction in
instructional spending and the number of full-time and tenured faculty,

Whereas the average spending on instructional salaries at universities is
particularly abysmal, accounting for just 20 percent of institutional budgets,

Be it resolved that the Ohio Conference AAUP encourages Ohio’s colleges
and universities to adopt an “Education First” approach to its priorities and
budgeting to ensure that high-quality instruction for students can be
guaranteed before allocations are made to enterprises and activities clearly
outside of our institutions’ core missions.

Resolution 2: Academic Freedom & Government Interference

Whereas the American Association of University Professors was founded
on the core principle of academic freedom – the idea that faculty are free to
teach, research, write, and otherwise engage in scholarly activity without
fear or retaliation or political interference;

Whereas faculty are bound by professional standards and expertise to
teach the most up-to-date and accurate information of their disciplines;

Whereas the Ohio Conference AAUP represents approximately 6,000
college and university faculty across the state;

Whereas college students deserve truth and honesty in education;

Whereas there is legislation pending in the Ohio General Assembly, which
would restrict academic freedom and create a dangerous precedent of
what can and cannot be taught at institutions of higher education;

Be it resolved that the Ohio Conference AAUP affirms its unwavering
commitment to promoting and defending academic freedom;

Be it further resolved that the Ohio Conference AAUP unequivocally
opposes any attempts by government to interfere with educational content
and academic freedom at Ohio’s colleges and universities.

Resolution 3: Support for New Deal for Higher Education

Whereas the American Association of University Professors has partnered
with the American Federation of Teachers on the “New Deal for Higher
Education” campaign;

Whereas the New Deal for Higher Education campaign promotes the
following ideas:

–Prioritizing teaching, research, and supporting student success;

–Allowing all students to access higher education regardless of their ability
to pay;

–Ensuring job security, equitable pay, professional voice, and sustainable
careers for all faculty and staff;

–Creating academic environments free from racism, sexism, and other
bigotries that prevent learning, degrade research, and perpetuate
inequality; and

–Canceling student debt for borrowers who have unjustly shouldered the
burden of financing higher education the last forty years.

Be it resolved that the Ohio Conference AAUP supports the New Deal for
Higher Education and pledges to help advance the mission of the
campaign;

Be it further resolved that the Ohio Conference AAUP encourages Ohio
AAUP chapters and members to engage in advocacy to help promote the
New Deal for Higher Education.

Legislative Updates: HB 327 & SB 135

During the last week of October, HB 327 was a late addition to the Ohio House State and Local Government Committee agenda. After several weeks of no hearings, the committee adopted yet another substitute version of the bill.

Here are the highlights:

  • Changes the word “teaching” to “promote” to indicate that “divisive concepts” can be taught in an impartial manner, but not promoted.
  • Defines “promote” or “promotion” as:
  • (1) Seeking to advance or encourage support of a partisan philosophy or religion by indoctrination, coercion, or furthering divisive concepts by teaching an individual or group of individuals to accept a set of beliefs in a one-sided, biased, and uncritical manner,
  • (2) Seeking to advance or encourage support of a partisan philosophy or religion by indoctrination, coercion, or furthering divisive concepts by teaching an individual or group of individuals to accept a set of beliefs in a one-sided, biased, and uncritical manner.
  • Forbids requiring students to complete any course that contains instruction on “divisive concepts” as a condition of a major in any undergraduate program.
  • Establishes a complaint and appeals process for students to claim that their academic freedom was violated. If the institution determines that the student’s rights were not violated, the student can appeal the decision to the Chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education. No mention of faculty academic freedom and potential violations of it.
  • Requires the Chancellor to withhold SSI in proportion to the total number of students in the affected class, if the Chancellor overrules a determination made by the state institution. 
  • Specifies that institutions can have their SSI restored by complying with the bill’s provisions within 30 days, with “compliance” meaning that the student’s grade and transcript have been altered, and the student has been given a refund of the tuition for the course.
  • Requires the chancellor to establish rules for the implementation and enforcement of the bill’s provisions.
  • Removes mention that faculty employment should be negatively impacted if a faculty member violates the bill, but still requires boards of trustees to update tenure policies to reflect the bill’s provisions.

Obviously, there is still a great deal that is problematic with this legislation. We will continue to engage the sponsors of the bill to relay our concerns and make suggestions that will protect academic freedom and the integrity of our colleges and universities.

If you haven’t already, we encourage you to email your State Representative as well as the Representatives on the State and Local Government Committee through our Action Network page. It is quick and easy, and you will join the nearly 7,000(!) other people who have sent emails to State Representatives opposing these bills through that page.

We have been informed that committee hearings on HB 327 are likely to resume the week of November 8, and OCAAUP plans to testify as an opponent.

Below are links to the full text of the substitute bill, as well as the Legislative Service Commission’s comparison document, which outlines the changes from the bill’s previous versions to the latest one:
Substitute House Bill 327 Full Text
Legislative Service Commission Comparison Document


Senate Bill 135 Gets First Hearing in the HouseThis week, Senate Bill 135 received its first hearing for sponsor testimony in the House Higher Education and Career Readiness Committee. SB 135 passed the Ohio Senate in June by a vote of 31-2.

In his testimony, sponsor Sen. Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland) emphasized that he had worked with many groups and had numerous conversations that led to the substitute version of the bill ultimately passed by the Senate. He also mentioned the provisions of the legislation that were folded into House Bill 110, the state budget bill, including allowing community colleges to offer nursing degrees.

Changes to the original bill included the removal of language that would have undermined the academic freedom of faculty in the classroom. We appreciated that Sen. Cirino and his office worked with us on this change, but we still are concerned about other pieces of the bill, especially the unnecessary “free speech” provisions. We are talking to members of the committee and plan to testify as an interested party when that opportunity arises.

OCAAUP 2021 Annual Meeting: November 6

We had planned on having an in-person Annual Meeting this year; but as we continue to confront the pandemic, with spiking cases and new variants, we believe it is in the best interests of our membership that we meet virtually.

Accordingly, we will meet via Zoom on Saturday, November 6 from 10:00 to 11:30 am.

Registration is required and is open to all Ohio AAUP members. 

The preliminary agenda can be found here. We plan to have the business meeting for the first hour and a featured speaker for the last half hour. More details will be included in future communications.

We will have reports from our committees on government relations, pensions, as well as academic freedom and tenure. Chapters and members will be asked to approve the 2022 Conference budget and resolutions.

Every member who attends the meeting will have an opportunity to receive an Ohio AAUP hoodie (pictured). During the meeting, members will be provided with a link to a Google Form in the chat to request their hoodie. Sizes XS-XL are available. While there is a finite number of hoodies, we should be able to accommodate all requests.

We hope to see you virtually on November 6!

On September 22: Take Action Against HB 322/327

Take Action on Wednesday, September 22!: House Bill 322 and Substitute House Bill 327 (details below) are receiving another round of hearings on Wednesday, September 22 in the Ohio House State and Local Government Committee. It is important that committee members hear opposition to these bills.

E-mail: We have created an Action Network page through which you can e-mail your State Representative and the Representatives on the State and Local Government Committee to express opposition to the legislation. We recommend that you use your personal email address.

Call: Phone calls to the offices of the Republican majority members of the committee are particularly effective, as they are the ones who will determine whether this bill moves forward. Their names and numbers are below, along with a sample script.

Chair Scott Wiggam: 614-466-1474
Vice Chair Marilyn John: 614-466-5802
Rep. Jamie Callender: 614-644-6074
Rep. Rodney Creech: 614-466-2960
Rep. Bill Dean: 614-466-1470
Rep. Sarah Fowler Arthur (HB 327 Sponsor): 614-466-1405
Rep. Timothy Ginter: 614-466-8022
Rep. Diane Grendell (HB 327 Sponsor): 614-644-5088
Rep. Brian Stewart: 614-466-1464
Rep. Shane Wilkin: 614-466-3506

Sample Phone Script: Hello, I am calling to express my opposition to House Bills 322 and 327. As a professor at [your institution], I am concerned about how the legislation would infringe upon academic freedom. I don’t believe that state government should be dictating the content and manner of teaching on college and university campuses. I hope that the Representative will reject these bills and protect the integrity of higher education in Ohio.

Submitting Testimony: OCAAUP will be testifying as an opponent at an upcoming hearing. Our testimony will focus on how the legislation threatens academic freedom, employment and tenure decisions for faculty, accreditation, as well as State Share of Instruction funding. We also want to note that we spent much of the summer having conversations with the members of the State and Local Government Committee about our concerns.
Nevertheless, individual members may wish to testify in person or submit written testimony to convey how the bills will negatively impact them and their institutions. If you are interested in offering testimony, please email OCAAUP Executive Director Sara Kilpatrick at sara@ocaaup.org for more information.

About the Bills
As we reported to you in June, Ohio House Bills 322 and 327 would restrict the teaching of certain concepts and topics.
HB 322 primarily targets public schools and state agencies. While the Ohio Department of Higher Education would be included under the definition of state agency, it is unclear whether the bill would be applicable to state institutions of higher education.

This bill prohibits public entities from requiring discussion of current events and prohibits the teaching of a list of topics dealing with race, sex, slavery, and bias. It also targets history and civics courses, discouraging the discussion of current events, controversial issues, or activities that involve social or policy advocacy.

Moreover, the legislation specifies that teachers cannot be required to teach anything that goes against their “sincerely held religious or philosophical convictions.”

Substitute HB 327 is more punitive than HB 322 and also specifically targets institutions of higher education. The bill prohibits public schools, state agencies, colleges, and universities from offering teaching, instruction, or training on “divisive concepts” or accepting private funding to promote such concepts.

Violations of the bill would result in the withholding of funding to school districts or withholding of State Share of Instruction to colleges and universities. For one offense, 25% of SSI would be withheld. For a second offense, 50%, and for a third offense, 100% of SSI would be withheld.

The bill has a list of concepts related to race, sex, nationality, color, and ethnicity that it defines as divisive and therefore prohibits them from being “promoted.” It does say that divisive or controversial concepts can be taught if done so objectively and impartially, but who gets to determine what is objective and impartial is unclear.

Sub. HB 327 would require institutions to update policies on faculty tenure to reflect the bill’s principles and consider as a negative factor in employment and tenure decisions any confirmed reports that a faculty member knowingly or recklessly violates the bill’s provisions.

The legislation also would prohibit institutions of higher education from including “divisive concepts” in new student or freshmen orientation teaching, instruction, or training.

Here are several quick links so that you can read directly about the bills:
House Bill 322 Full Text
House Bill 322 Bill Analysis
Substitute House Bill 327 Full Text
House Bill 327 Substitute Bill Comparative Synopsis