Ohio Conference AAUP Update

April 5: Lobby Your State Senator on HB 48 

In conjunction with the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence, OCAAUP is participating in a “Virtual Lobby Day” today, Tuesday, April 5. Our goal is to inundate State Senate offices with opposition to House Bill 48. The only way that HB 48 is halted is if Senators understand that there is strong resistance to this expansion of conceal/carry.

HB 48 would extend conceal/carry to airport terminals, day cares, and would allow college and university boards of trustees to permit “campus carry” while absolving them of liability that might result from an incident involving a conceal/carry permit holder on their campus. Even if campuses are kept gun-free, permit holders that carry on campus would face a minor misdemeanor instead of a felony – the current degree of offense under Ohio law.

There are three ways that you can participate in today’s virtual lobby day:

1)  Send an e-mail to the State Senator that represents you through our Action Network page. Even if you sent a message previously, send another today. 

2) Call your Senator’s office and tell them you oppose HB 48 and any effort that would allow guns on campus. You can find their number through this look-up tool. 

3) Use your social media accounts to bring attention to HB 48 and encourage others to contact their Senators. Consider using the following hashtags: #SayNoHB48 #NoGunsOnCampus. Our Twitter handle is @OHaaup and you can click here for our Facebook page. 

As we experienced around this time last year when the Ohio House tried to strip faculty of collective bargaining rights, contacting legislators can and does make a difference. Thank you in advance for your activism!

Supreme Court Ties on Friedrichs Case

On Tuesday, March 29, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that they had reached a split 4-4 decision in the case of Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, the case that threatened to prohibit unions from collecting fair share fees.

The tie affirms the lower court’s ruling, which found in favor of unions.  

This is a victory for all of labor over a corporate-backed attack to weaken union strength. We will continue to be vigilant against other attempts to impose “right-to-work.” 

Mark Your Calendar for AAUP Summer Events

National AAUP’s Annual Conference in Washington, DC will be held June 15-19. More details can be found here: 
http://www.aaup.org/event/2016-aaup-annual-conference. 

The AAUP/AAUP-CBC Summer Institute will be held July 21-24 at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. Preliminary details are available at: 
http://aaup.org/event/aaupaaup-cbc-summer-institute. 

OCAAUP offers a limited number of scholarships to the Summer Institute for members from budding chapters and chapters with fewer resources. The scholarships cover the registration fee (which includes room and board), flight, and other travel incidentals. If you are interested in a scholarship, contact Sara Kilpatrick at sara@ocaaup.org. 

AAUP/OCAAUP Elections Close on April 15

OCAAUP Board elections are being held in conjunction with National AAUP elections. Ballots were mailed to each member between March 3-7. Elections will close on April 15, and results will be posted around April 21. 

The OCAAUP positions and candidates on the ballot are:

President: John McNay (University of Cincinnati)
Secretary: John Blackburn (Ohio State University)
At-Large Member – Private Institution: Anita Waters (Denison University)
At-Large Member – Private Institution or Public Institution <100 members: Mitchell Eismont (Central State University)

Big Higher Ed Changes Proposed in MBR Bill

On February 22, Department of Higher Education Director John Carey unveiled changes and new initiatives to Ohio’s higher education system that will be addressed in a mid-biennium review (MBR) bill. The highlights can be found in this document. 

The stated aim of these proposals is to drive down college costs. They believe the way to do this is by giving students college credit for remediation courses, pushing three years of community college, allowing community colleges to award up to 10 bachelor’s degrees, and partnering with Western Governors University to award competency-based credit.

We can appreciate that there is a desire to find ways to make earning a degree more affordable for Ohio students. As faculty, we hate to see our students going into debt for achieving an education.

Unfortunately, though, these proposals continue the “band-aid” approach that we’ve seen under the Kasich administration. They fail to address the chronic under-funding of higher education, as well as the misplaced spending priorities at our institutions. 

Additionally, there is failure to recognize the unintended consequences of these proposals. Universities could be severely impacted by community colleges offering degrees and students taking three years, instead of two, at the community college level. Moreover, we should be highly skeptical of Western Governors University, a “university” without any faculty, awarding dubious competency-based credit.

Ohio decision-makers must be cautious that in trying to make higher education less expensive, they are not cheapening it.

Unemployment Overhaul Heavily Criticized

House Bill 394, a proposed massive overhaul of Ohio’s unemployment compensation system, was introduced late last year. Republican leaders had aimed to pass the bill by the end of January, but have not advanced the bill even out of the House after facing heavy criticism from labor organizations, newspapers, and even Senate Republicans.

The bill is supposed to address the solvency issues of the Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund, but does so by proposing to dramatically cut laid-off workers’ benefits. The bill does not address the real source of the money shortfall, which is that for far too long, employers have been paying too little into the system. 

Under the bill as it currently stands, disbursements to beneficiaries would no longer be based on the number of dependents one has. The bill also would deny benefits to employees who were laid off due to violating any term of an employee handbook. Moreover, it would deny disbursements to workers who are locked out due to a labor dispute.

There is nothing good about this bill.

The Ohio AFL-CIO has set-up an Action Network page through which you can send a message to your State Representative expressing concerns with this legislation. You also can get patched through to your representative’s office by calling (844) 213-8172. 

HB 48 – Guns on Campus – Update

On January 27, House Bill 48 received its first hearing in the Ohio Senate Government Oversight and Reform Committee. The first hearing always is sponsor testimony only, so HB 48 sponsor Rep. Maag gave his pitch for what has been called the “guns everywhere” bill.

Of particular concern to AAUP are the provisions of the bill that would allow boards of trustees to establish their own “campus carry” policies, while absolving them of liability that might result from an incident involving a conceal/carry permit holder on their campus. In addition, even if campuses are kept gun-free, permit holders that carry on campus would face a minor misdemeanor instead of a felony – the current degree of offense under Ohio law.

Conference leaders have been meeting one-on-one with members of the committee to discuss our concerns with this legislation. We are hearing that the bill likely will move forward either after the March primary or the November elections. When it does start to receive additional hearings, we expect it to move quickly. 

Even though we believe there is a good chance that the campus provisions will remain in the bill, we are cautiously optimistic that Republicans may be open to amending the bill to address the liability and degree of offense issues. 

Regardless, it still is critical that your State Senator hears from you about this bill. They will take silence as acceptance.

Click here to be taken to the Action Network page through which you can contact the State Senator that represents you.

When contacting legislators, we recommend that you use your personal e-mail address. Your institution may have a policy about using your .edu account in expressing views to government officials.  

In case you missed it, OCAAUP President John McNay wrote an op-ed that appeared in the Cincinnati Enquirer about why our organization opposes HB 48. 

Scalia’s Death Impacts SCOTUS Union Case

The sudden death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has shaken up an already interesting political landscape this year. But of most importance to the AAUP is how this affects the Friedrichs case that threatens to impose “right-to-work” on public sector unions; that is, ban unions from collecting fair share fees from non-members for the services that the union provides to them. 

If you haven’t already, we encourage you to read “The Future of Friedrichs in the Supreme Court” by AAUP General Counsel Risa Lieberwitz for an analysis on this situation.

It needs to be noted that West Virginia, a state that has long been known as an organized labor stronghold, just recently became the 26th state to enact “right-to-work.” We know that these attacks on working people will continue. 

As we have reported previously, there is currently a “right-to-work” bill for the private sector pending in the Ohio General Assembly (HB 377). We have conjectured that the only reason Republicans hadn’t introduced the same bill for the public sector is because they thought that the Friedrichs case would take care of it for them. Consequently, we should not be surprised to see a public sector “right-to-work” bill introduced in the wake of uncertainty at the Supreme Court. As always, we will keep you informed on any developments. 

Look for OCAAUP Elections on National Ballot

This year, OCAAUP Board elections are being held in conjunction with National AAUP elections. Ballots will be mailed to each member between March 3 and 7. Elections will close on April 15, and results will be posted around April 21. 

The OCAAUP positions and candidates on the ballot are:

President: John McNay (University of Cincinnati)
Secretary: John Blackburn (Ohio State University)At-Large Member – Private Institution: Anita Waters (Denison University)
At-Large Member – Private Institution or Public Institution <100 members: Mitchell Eismont (Central State University)

Private Sector “Right-to-Work” Bill Gets Hearing

On December 1, the Ohio House Commerce and Labor Committee held sponsor testimony on House Bill 377, Rep. Tom Brinkman’s (R-Mt. Lookout) legislation that would impose “right-to-work” on private sector unions. 

“Right-to-work” laws prohibit collection of what’s called fair share or agency fee – what is collected from non-members for contract enforcement – but forces unions to continue to represent non-members. These laws are designed to weaken unions. National AAUP and the Ohio Conference AAUP are opposed to “right-to-work.” 

Union members and others that know that “right-to-work” is wrong for Ohio packed three hearing rooms in the Ohio Statehouse for Brinkman’s sponsor testimony. 

Democratic members of the committee asked Brinkman why he would want to pursue another divisive labor fight in Ohio when the voters already resoundingly spoke by repealing SB 5 in 2011. They also discredited several of the economic claims made by the sponsor.

At this time, it is unclear whether additional hearings will be held, or whether a similar bill impacting public sector unions will be introduced. We conjecture that the only reason a public sector “right-to-work” bill hasn’t been introduced is because the GOP is hopeful that the U.S. Supreme Court case of Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association will impose “right-to-work” on public sector unions. 

While HB 377 would not directly impact OCAAUP, we must remember that the private sector unions stood with us when we were under attack by SB 5. An attack on any piece of labor is an attack on all labor.  

HB 48 Update

Last week, House Bill 48 was referred to the Government Oversight and Reform Committee in the Ohio Senate. The General Assembly has adjourned for the year, but we expect hearings on this legislation to commence when they return in January.

Your State Senator needs to hear from you about this bill, which would open the door for colleges and universities to allow handguns to be brought onto campus. 

Click here to be taken to the Action Network page through which you can contact the State Senator that represents you.

When contacting legislators, we recommend that you use your personal e-mail address. Your institution may have a policy about using your .edu account in expressing views to government officials.  

In case you missed it, OCAAUP President John McNay wrote an op-ed that appeared in the Cincinnati Enquirer about why our organization opposes HB 48.

Nominations Sought for 2016 Board Elections

We are seeking nominations for the 2016 Ohio Conference elections. In accordance with our governing documents, you must have been a member for two years and current on your dues to be eligible for a Trustee position. Nominations should be sent to Executive Director Sara Kilpatrick at sara@ocaaup.org and must be received by December 21, 2015.

The positions to be elected are:
-President
-Secretary-At-Large Member – Private Institution

These are two-year terms that will commence on September 1, 2016. Trustees are expected to attend four quarterly, Saturday meetings each year in Columbus (one of these is the Annual Meeting). 

The President serves as a delegate to the National AAUP Annual Meeting and the Assembly of State Conferences (ASC) Annual Meeting. The Secretary serves as a delegate to the ASC Annual Meeting, as well. These events take place in Washington, DC in June.

In addition, a special election will be held for the At-Large Member from either a private institution or a public institution with less than 100 members. That term will last one year. This position will be voted upon again in the 2017 elections for a full two-year term. 

The 2016 elections will be held in conjunction with the National AAUP elections. 

Serving on the OCAAUP Board of Trustees is a rewarding way to engage in statewide AAUP issues and state government advocacy. Any questions can be directed to Sara Kilpatrick at sara@ocaaup.org.

HB 48 Passes House, Now What?

Thank you to our members who took the time to send a message to their State Representative opposing House Bill 48. We had nearly 1,000 e-mails sent through our Action Network page by the end of House session today. 

Despite our efforts, and the efforts of many other groups opposed to this “guns everywhere” bill, the legislation passed the House by a vote of 63 to 25. Perhaps more disappointing than the vote itself was the process. This bill was rushed to a floor vote, and Speaker Rosenberger did not allow any debate, as he quickly moved to taking the vote after the sponsor summarized the legislation. 

Regardless, it is so important that those Representatives heard our opposition; and we still have time to take action to convince the Senate not to go down this road. 

At this time, we do not know how quickly the Senate might act on the bill, or how likely or unlikely it is to pass the Senate. What we do know is that State Senators need to start hearing our opposition to this legislation right away.

Click here to be taken to the Action Network page through which you can contact the State Senator that represents you.

We will continue to provide updates on this bill as further information becomes available. 

Finally, we understand that not each of the 6,000 faculty we represent will agree with every position we take. The positions taken reflect thorough discussion and go through a democratic process.

Nominations Sought for 2016 Board Elections

We are seeking nominations for the 2016 Ohio Conference elections. In accordance with our governing documents, you must have been a member for two years and current on your dues to be eligible for a Trustee position. Nominations should be sent to Executive Director Sara Kilpatrick at sara@ocaaup.org and must be received by December 20, 2015.

The positions to be elected are:

-President
-Secretary-At-Large Member – Private Institution

These are two-year terms that will commence September 1, 2016. Trustees are expected to attend four quarterly, Saturday meetings each year in Columbus (one of these is the Annual Meeting). 

The President serves as a delegate to the National AAUP Annual Meeting and the Assembly of State Conferences (ASC) Annual Meeting.

The Secretary serves as a delegate to the ASC Annual Meeting, as well.

These events take place in Washington, DC in June.

The 2016 elections will be held in conjunction with the National AAUP elections. 

Serving on the OCAAUP Board of Trustees is a rewarding way to engage in statewide AAUP issues and state government advocacy. Any questions can be directed to Sara Kilpatrick at sara@ocaaup.org.

Thank you to all members and staff who attended the 65th Ohio Conference AAUP Annual Meeting in Columbus. 

We had a great event. State Representatives Fred Strahorn, Denise Driehaus and Dan Ramos joined us at the Friday, November 6 evening reception, where our University of Cincinnati chapter presented campaign donations. Those legislators have been loyal allies and played a critical role in removing the anti-faculty language in the state budget bill. Friday events were rounded out with Hank Reichman’s thought-provoking speech “To Tweet or Not to Tweet? A Question of Academic Freedom,” which explored issues with faculty statements on social media.

The Saturday, November 7 luncheon was headlined by Aaron Calafato’s compelling monologue performance “For Profit,” which focused on his personal student debt struggles and his time working for a for-profit college. Calafato evoked both laughter and tears from the audience, as he humanized what we often only see outlined in statistics and generalizations.

During the business meeting portion of the event, the proposed change to the Conference’s Code of Regulations was passed unanimously. As a result of this change, each chapter and bargaining unit with 100 members or more will have a seat on the State Conference Board. Previously, the Code specified only “chapter” representation, which failed to recognize that some chapters have two distinct bargaining units.

In addition, four resolutions were passed by acclamation. See the text below. 

Resolution #1 – Opposition to House Bill 160

Whereas the Ohio Conference AAUP has concerns over textbook costs;

Whereas House Bill 160 does not address how we might be able to control those costs;

Whereas the royalties that faculty collect from authoring texts is typically a small percentage, usually averaging around ten percent;

Whereas the protection of academic freedom is the core mission of the AAUP, and faculty should exercise the freedom to teach without fear of retribution;

Whereas faculty who teach at our state institutions of higher education are experts in their fields; therefore, to provide students with the highest quality of instruction, faculty should maintain the right to select the most appropriate texts, including those they have authored, as required course materials;

Whereas enactment of HB 160 would likely install an extra level of bureaucracy at our state universities and perhaps at the Ohio Department of Higher Education, therefore confounding further the problem of administrative growth;

Whereas government enters very dangerous territory, one that borders on censorship, when it starts to regulate which books can and cannot be assigned at our institutions of higher education;

Be it resolved that the Ohio Conference AAUP strongly opposes House Bill 160 and any efforts to control the textbooks that faculty can require as course materials.  

Resolution #2 – Support for Wisconsin

Whereas members of the Ohio Conference AAUP harbor a grave concern that our colleagues in Wisconsin have lost tenure protections and collective bargaining rights;

Whereas the members of the Ohio Conference AAUP believe that for faculty to enjoy academic freedom, tenure and the right to collective bargaining are tantamount to the pursuit of this endeavor;

Whereas we contend that an uninhibited and fully functioning public education is the cornerstone to a thriving democracy;

Be it resolved that the Ohio Conference AAUP fully supports our colleagues in the great state of Wisconsin as they attempt to rebound from the changes which threaten their ability to provide sound, quality education.

Resolution #3 – Opposition to House Bill 48

Whereas the Ohio Conference AAUP has a commitment to the safety and welfare of its members and their students, and to the educational missions of its members’ institutions;

Whereas Ohio House Bill 48 would open the door for conceal/carry permit holders to carry their weapons onto public and private college campuses;

Whereas the National AAUP passed a resolution in 2008 which stated:

College and universities closely control firearms and prohibit conceals guns on their campuses because they regard the presence of weapons as incompatible with their educational missions. The Ninety-fourth Annual Meeting of the American Association of University Professors endorses the reliance of colleges and universities on trained and equipped professional law-enforcement personnel to respond to emergency incidents. We call upon state legislative bodies to refrain from interfering with decisions that are properly the responsibility of the academic community.

Be it resolved that the Ohio Conference AAUP opposes Ohio House Bill 48 and other efforts that would allow firearms to be carried onto college campuses. 

Resolution #4 – Full-Time Faculty to Administrator Ratio

Whereas an analysis of the effectiveness of institutions of higher learning indicated that the ideal ratio for full-time faculty to each administrator should be three to one;[i]

Whereas accrediting agencies recognize that having many more full-time faculty versus part-time faculty typically indicates a greater likelihood of high-quality instruction;

Whereas institutions of higher education should exercise caution in achieving balance between full-time and part-time faculty as to avoid the exploitation of either party while seeking to provide the highest quality of instruction;

Whereas guidance in achieving the aforementioned balance can be found by referencing an AAUP report on the “Status of Part-Time Faculty;”[ii]

Whereas part-time faculty are often hired to offset the cost of hiring more administrators;

Be it resolved that the Ohio Conference AAUP requests a close examination by the Ohio General Assembly of ratios of full-time faculty to administrators;

Be it further resolved that the Ohio Conference AAUP calls upon the U.S. Congress and the Ohio General Assembly to consider ratios of full-time faculty to both administrators and part-time faculty as critical factors for providing high-quality education.

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[i] Martin, Robert E. and Hill, Carter, Baumol and Bowen Cost Effects in Research Universities (March 2014). Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2153122.

[ii] AAUP Report: Status of Part-Time Faculty: http://www.aaup.org/report/status-part-time-faculty.