OCAAUP Board Endorses Issue 1

The Ohio Conference AAUP Board has joined Fair Districts for Ohio by endorsing State Issue 1, which will reform the process of drawing state legislative districts. 

Fair Districts for Ohio, co-chaired by former State Reps. Vernon Sykes (D-Akron) and Matt Huffman (R-Lima), is a bipartisan coalition that is pushing much-needed improvements to the reapportionment process so that districts are fairer and more competitive.

The current system of extreme gerrymandering has allowed lawmakers to choose their voters instead of voters being able to choose their lawmakers. If Issue 1 passes, it will encourage bipartisan legislative district map-making and help protect against gerrymandering.

The OCAAUP Board chose to endorse a Yes on Issue 1 because state government directly impacts Ohio faculty. If we have fair elections, we are more likely to have fair-minded and less ideologically-driven state representatives and senators. 

Here are some of the highlights of Issue 1:

Bipartisanship
– Creates a new seven-member bipartisan panel called the “Ohio

Redistricting Commission.”
– The commission must have at least two members from the minority party.
– Requires the commission to be co-chaired by two members, one chosen by each party.
– Requires at least two votes from each party in order to approve a plan, otherwise a temporary plan is put in place and the commission must reconvene to redraw it.

Transparency
– Requires all commission meetings be open to the public and broadcast by electronic means of transmission using a medium readily accessible by the general public.
– The commission must hold a minimum of three public hearings.
– Before voting on a district plan, the commission is required to present the proposal to the public and to seek public input.
– Requires the commission to submit a statement to the public explaining their process.

Fairness 
– Protects against gerrymandering by prohibiting any district from primarily favoring one political party.
– Requires districts to closely follow the statewide preferences of the voters.

Accountability
– Creates a process for the Ohio Supreme court to order the commission to redraw the map if the plan favors one political party.

Protects Communities 
– Keeps our communities together by requiring a district plan to split as few counties, municipal corporations, and townships as possible.
Issue 1 will not reform congressional redistricting (something the Republicans would not agree to), but the OCAAUP Board still believes that this is a big step in the right direction for state legislative elections. 

For more information and to read the official ballot language, visit the Fair Districts for Ohio website.

Annual Meeting Registration Deadline Monday

OCAAUP’s 65th Annual Meeting will be held November 6-7, 2015 at the Renaissance Columbus Downtown Hotel. Registration closes on Monday, October 26.

Hank Reichman, Chair of the AAUP’s Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure, as well as Chair of the AAUP Foundation, will deliver a talk at the Friday evening dinner, “To Tweet or Not to Tweet: A Question of Academic Freedom,” which will explore the issue of academic freedom in electronic communications. 
In addition, performance artist and Ohio native Aaron Calafato will provide the Saturday luncheon entertainment with his monologue “For Profit,” which is an inside look at the for-profit  

educational industry, the $1 trillion student debt crisis, and a vibrant portrayal of the exploitation of the American student. 
Moreover, AAUP Senior Counsel Aaron Nisenson will address the pending U.S. Supreme Court case Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, as well as recent rulings from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that impact organizing opportunities for private university faculty.

Two workshops will be offered Saturday afternoon – one that is more geared toward collective bargaining members; and another that will focus on building advocacy chapters. 

The full agenda can be found here. 

Our hotel room block at the discounted rate is completely full, but there still are rooms available at the Renaissance for regular price.
Registration is only $25. We hope to see you in November!

Notice of Proposed Change to Code of Regulations

During the business portion of the Annual Meeting, delegates will be asked to consider a change to OCAAUP’s Code of Regulations – what we call our constitution and by-laws. 

Under Article IV of the Code, it currently reads: “Each Ohio chapter current on its dues to the Ohio Conference with more than 100 members will be entitled to one voting representative to the Board.”
AAUP-KSU (Kent State University) has submitted an amendment that, if approved, would have that section read: “Each Ohio chapter or bargaining unit current on its dues to the Ohio Conference with more than 100 members will be entitled to one voting representative to the Board.”

AAUP-KSU has two distinct bargaining units for its Full-Time Tenure Track faculty and Full-Time Non-Tenure Track faculty, both of which have more than 100 members. While the bargaining units act in concert together in certain ways, they bargain separately, have separate executive committees, and sometimes have different interests. As such, they believe that this change to the Code better reflects that not every collective bargaining chapter has their FTTTs and FTNTTs folded into one unit and thus should be permitted separate representation on the OCAAUP Board.

*A note about voting rights at the Annual Meeting:

Per Article VI of the Code of Regulations: 

With the exception of elections, voting shall be by delegates of the AAUP chapters in the State of Ohio present at the Conference meeting Chapters with 7-150 members shall have one vote; Chapters with 151 to 300 members shall have two votes; and chapters with more than 300 members shall have three votes.

For purposes of representation, each AAUP member at an institution of higher education in Ohio at which there is no chartered AAUP chapter shall be entitled to be a member of a single statewide chapter, called the State Chapter. This State Chapter may nominate and elect officers, who shall in turn provide for the nomination and election of delegates to the Ohio Conference.

McNay Talks Administrative Bloat on Dayton-area TV

OCAAUP President John McNay appeared on “WHIO Reports,” a local news show in Dayton, to discuss the issue of administrative bloat at Ohio’s public colleges and universities. McNay was joined by conservative Ohio University economist Richard Vedder, as well as Dayton Daily News reporter Josh Sweigart and host Jim Otte.

McNay used the opportunity to discuss the proliferation of administrative positions, noting that there is one administrator for every 14 students, and the ratio of administrators to full-time faculty is about one-to-one.

Prof. Vedder said that the legislature is “abysmally ignorant” of what is going on at the universities and suggested that while no one wants the General Assembly to micromanage institutions, it has an oversight role.

Vedder went on to say that when administrators get more money, because they are in charge of how it is spent, they choose to spend it on themselves and hire more people that can assist them. McNay agreed and noted the findings of Benjamin Ginsberg in his book The Fall of the Faculty and the Rise of the All-Administrative University. 

McNay suggested that one way to contain runaway administrative bloat would be to have the legislature set a ratio of faculty to administrators, such as three faculty to each administrator. Vedder said the idea had merit, but said that administrators likely would figure out a way to game the system.

Josh Sweigart asked if faculty salaries were contributing to the rise in cost, but McNay noted that raises barely have kept up with inflation.
The show was followed up by a column in the Dayton Daily News about administrative bloat driving up costs and tuition.

House Bill Addresses “Mitigating Rate” for ARP

If you are in the State Teachers Retirement System’s (STRS) alternative retirement plan (ARP), part of the employer contribution to your pension is used to offset the negative impact that your choosing the ARP has on the defined benefit plan. It’s called the mitigating rate, and it helps to pay down the unfunded liability in the defined benefit plan.

Raising the mitigating rate from 3.5% to 4.5% was part of the pension reform package under SB 342 in 2012. Recently, the STRS Board attempted to raise the rate by an additional 1%, but the General Assembly imposed a moratorium on this action until the mitigating rate issue could be studied further.

In late August, Rep. Kirk Schuring (R-Canton), Vice Chair of the Ohio Retirement Study Council (ORSC), introduced House Bill 311, which attempts to make the mitigating rate more predictable. The bill proposes to set the mitigating rate at an actuarial determined value and reduce the mitigating rate percentage on a prorated basis each year over a 30-year period until it is eliminated and the employer contribution is fully restored. 

There has been concern expressed by some in the ARP that the initial percentage that would be set under this bill would be significantly higher than it is now, based on a report done by ORSC staff last year.

We have spoken to Rep. Schuring’s office, which has expressed that his goal is to reduce the mitigating rate, not increase it. But we cannot say for sure right now that this bill in practice will have that desired effect.

So far, the bill only has been introduced and referred to the Health and Aging Committee. We will be monitoring this closely and discussing it within the Healthcare and Pension Advocates of STRS coalition to which we belong. We will update you with information as it becomes available.

Reserve Your Spot for OCAAUP Annual Meeting

OCAAUP’s 65th Annual Meeting will be held November 6-7, 2015 at the Renaissance Columbus Downtown Hotel. 

Hank Reichman, Chair of the AAUP’s Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure, as well as Chair of the AAUP Foundation, will deliver a talk at the Friday evening dinner, “To Tweet or Not to Tweet: A Question of Academic Freedom,” which will explore the issue of academic freedom in electronic communications. 

In addition, performance artist and Ohio native Aaron Calafato will provide the Saturday luncheon entertainment with his monologue “For Profit,” which is an inside look at the for-profit educational industry, the $1 trillion student debt crisis, and a vibrant portrayal of the exploitation of the American student. 

Moreover, AAUP Senior Counsel Aaron Nisenson will address the pending U.S. Supreme Court case Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, as well as recent rulings from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that impact organizing opportunities for private university faculty.

Two workshops will be offered Saturday afternoon – one that is more geared toward collective bargaining members; and another that will focus on building advocacy chapters. More specifics on the workshops will be available soon.

You now can register for the 2015 OCAAUP Annual Meeting online via this event registration page. That page contains all of the preliminary details about the event, including start times for Friday and Saturday and information about reserving a hotel room for Friday. 

There are only a few rooms remaining in our block, and the hotel is completely booked otherwise. In order to get a room, and at the significantly discounted block room rate of $120, make your reservation as soon as possible. 

Registration is only $25. We hope to see you in November!

Notice of Proposed Change to Code of Regulations

During the business portion of the Annual Meeting, delegates will be asked to consider a change to OCAAUP’s Code of Regulations – what we call our constitution and by-laws. 

Under Article IV of the Code, it currently reads: “Each Ohio chapter current on its dues to the Ohio Conference with more than 100 members will be entitled to one voting representative to the Board.”
AAUP-KSU (Kent State University) has submitted an amendment that, if approved, would have that section read: “Each Ohio chapter or bargaining unit current on its dues to the Ohio Conference with more than 100 members will be entitled to one voting representative to the Board.”

AAUP-KSU has two distinct bargaining units for its Full-Time Tenure Track faculty and Full-Time Non-Tenure Track faculty, both of which have more than 100 members. While the bargaining units act in concert together in certain ways, they bargain separately, have separate executive committees, and sometimes have different interests. As such, they believe that this change to the Code better reflects that not every collective bargaining chapter has their FTTTs and FTNTTs folded into one unit and thus should be permitted separate representation on the OCAAUP Board.

*A note about voting rights at the Annual Meeting:

Per Article VI of the Code of Regulations: 

With the exception of elections, voting shall be by delegates of the AAUP chapters in the State of Ohio present at the Conference meeting Chapters with 7-150 members shall have one vote; Chapters with 151 to 300 members shall have two votes; and chapters with more than 300 members shall have three votes.

For purposes of representation, each AAUP member at an institution of higher education in Ohio at which there is no chartered AAUP chapter shall be entitled to be a member of  a single statewide chapter, called the State Chapter.

This State Chapter may nominate and elect officers, who shall in turn provide for the nomination and election of delegates to the Ohio Conference.

Reichman, Calafato Will Headline Annual Meeting

OCAAUP’s 65th Annual Meeting will be held November 6-7, 2015 at the Renaissance Columbus Downtown Hotel. 

Hank Reichman, Chair of the AAUP’s Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure, as well as Chair of the AAUP Foundation, will deliver a talk at the Friday evening dinner, “To Tweet or Not to Tweet: A Question of Academic Freedom,” which will explore the issue of academic freedom in electronic communications. 

In addition, performance artist and Ohio native Aaron Calafato will provide the Saturday luncheon entertainment with his monologue “For Profit,” which is an inside look at the for-profit educational industry, the $1 trillion student debt crisis, and a vibrant portrayal of the exploitation of the American student. 

Moreover, AAUP Senior Counsel Aaron Nisenson will address the pending U.S. Supreme Court case Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, as well as recent rulings from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that impact organizing opportunities for private university faculty.

Two workshops will be offered Saturday afternoon – one that is more geared toward collective bargaining members; and another that will focus on building advocacy chapters. More specifics on the workshops will be available soon.

You now can register for the 2015 OCAAUP Annual Meeting online via this event registration page. That page contains all of the preliminary details about the event, including start times for Friday and Saturday and information about reserving a hotel room for Friday. 

There are only a few rooms remaining in our block, and the hotel is completely booked otherwise. In order to get a room, and at the significantly discounted block room rate of $120, make your reservation as soon as possible. 

Registration is only $25. We hope to see you in November!

Proposed Change to Code of Regulations

During the business portion of the Annual Meeting, delegates will be asked to consider a change to OCAAUP’s Code of Regulations – what we call our constitution and by-laws. 

Under Article IV of the Code, it currently reads: “Each Ohio chapter current on its dues to the Ohio Conference with more than 100 members will be entitled to one voting representative to the Board.”
AAUP-KSU (Kent State University) has submitted an amendment that, if approved, would have that section read: “Each Ohio chapter or bargaining unit current on its dues to the Ohio Conference with more than 100 members will be entitled to one voting representative to the Board.”

AAUP-KSU has two distinct bargaining units for its Full-Time Tenure Track faculty and Full-Time Non-Tenure Track faculty, both of which have more than 100 members.

While the bargaining units act in concert together in certain ways, they bargain separately, have separate executive committees, and sometimes have different interests. As such, they believe that this change to the Code better reflects that not every collective bargaining chapter has their FTTTs and FTNTTs folded into one unit and thus should be permitted separate representation on the OCAAUP Board.

*A note about voting rights at the Annual Meeting:

Per Article VI of the Code of Regulations: 

With the exception of elections, voting shall be by delegates of the AAUP chapters in the State of Ohio present at the Conference meeting Chapters with 7-150 members shall have one vote; Chapters with 151 to 300 members shall have two votes; and chapters with more than 300 members shall have three votes.

For purposes of representation, each AAUP member at an institution of higher education in Ohio at which there is no chartered AAUP chapter shall be entitled to be a member of a single statewide chapter, called the State Chapter.

This State Chapter may nominate and elect officers, who shall in turn provide for the nomination and election of delegates to
the Ohio Conference.

General Assembly Sends HB 64 to Kasich’s Desk

After Conference Committee hearings over the last week, the House and Senate came to agreement on the final terms of Amended Substitute House Bill 64, the $71.2 billion biennial budget. 
The bill has been sent to Gov. Kasich for his approval.

The governor has until June 30 to decide what will remain in the bill and what will go, as he has the ability to line item veto.

After Conference Committee hearings over the last week, the House and Senate came to agreement on the final terms of Amended Substitute House Bill 64, the $71.2 billion biennial budget. 
The bill has been sent to Gov. Kasich for his approval. The governor has until June 30 to decide what will remain in the bill and what will go, as he has the ability to line item veto.

In terms of the higher education components, the governor’s executive budget and the House-passed version had language that would have permitted community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees if no state university within 30 miles offered such a program. In the Senate and Conference Committee versions, this provision was removed.

Additionally, the Senate and Conference Committee versions mandate the Chancellor and Board of Regents to make sure that courses and degree work at state institutions can be transferred and applied to degree work at any other state institution. 

Moreover, the bill prohibits universities from requiring students to live on campus if they live within 25 miles of the institution. 
The Conference Committee version maintains the Senate’s increases to State Share of Instruction (SSI) funding. As such, in FY 2016, funding will increase by 4%, and in FY 2017, it will increase by an additional 4.5%. Colleges and universities will be prohibited from raising tuition or fees.
In addition, Senate President Faber’s SB 5, which would require colleges and universities to submit a plan to reduce in-state cost of attendance by 5% was folded into the budget bill. State institutions will be required to submit their plans by October 1 of this year, barring a line item veto by Kasich.
The Board of Regents now will be called the “Department of Higher Education,” and the Chancellor now referred to as the “Director” of the department. 

Ohio Conference AAUP Update

Ohio Members Participate in AAUP Annual Meeting

Last week, Ohio members participated in National AAUP’s 101st Annual Meeting and Centennial Celebration. 

Ten Ohio members took part in the annual Capitol Hill Lobbying Day, during which they met with offices of Ohio’s congressional delegation. This year, meetings were held with the offices of Senators Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman, as well as Representatives John Boehner, Steve Chabot, Bob Latta, Jim Renacci, Tim Ryan and Brad Wenstrup. 
Members advocated for greater access and affordability for students, specifically addressing funding for, and requirements of, Pell Grants and Perkins Loans. Additionally, they lobbied for greater oversight of for-profit colleges and also discussed higher education as a public good.

Ohio Conference delegates attended the Assembly of State Conferences (ASC) meetings. At the ASC Business Meeting, AAUP President Rudy Fichtenbaum presented OCAAUP President John McNay with the Al Sumberg Award, which is given to someone particularly effective in lobbying on issues furthering the interests of higher education or in furthering such lobbying efforts on the state level. 

In his remarks, Fichtenbaum stated, “No one deserves this award more than John McNay.” Congratulations, President McNay!

At the business portions of the full Annual Meeting, delegates voted to remove Yeshiva University from the censure list and to add MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Southern Maine, and Felician College (NJ) to the censure list. 

In addition, delegates passed a resolution denouncing the recent proposals in Wisconsin designed to weaken academic freedom and shared governance, as well as heavily cut funding to the University of Wisconsin system. 
President Fichtenbaum delivered an inspiring address about the need for a bigger and more inclusive AAUP to fight concerted political attacks on higher education. 

The meeting was rounded out with notable speakers including Richard F. Griffin, Jr., NLRB General Counsel, and Juan Gonzalez, columnist at New York Daily and cohost of Democracy Now!. 

Thanks to all Ohio members who participated, as well as to the National AAUP staff and leadership for making AAUP’s 101st Annual Meeting a great one.

Has Your Campus Been “Koch-ed?”

Any organization’s or institution’s behavior can be influenced significantly by its funding sources. Charles and David Koch, referred to as the Koch Brothers, are known for using their foundations to fund campaigns that undermine workers’ right and unions, quality public education, and healthcare expansion.

The website www.unkochmycampus.org lists 390 colleges and universities that have received funding from the Koch Brothers. Ohio institutions that have received money from the Charles Koch Foundation include: Akron, Ashland, Baldwin-Wallace, Bowling Green, Cedarville, Kenyon, Ohio State, and Ohio University.

In addition, http://polluterwatch.org/charles-koch-university-funding-database contains more detailed information about the amounts given to each institution. 

Knowledge is power.

Reminder: Mark Your Calendar for OCAAUP Annual Meeting 

More details, including a registration form, will be made available later this summer. Visit the Events Calendar for more information.