1) Status of Senate Bill 83

Late last year, SB 83 passed the House Higher Education Committee by a vote of 8-7. Typically, this committee vote would tee up the bill for a vote by the full House of Representatives, but we continue to hear that the legislation in its current form does not have sufficient support among all representatives. As such, SB 83 sits in the House Rules and Reference Committee, which decides what bills will make it to the House floor. If the bill remains in this committee, it could be moved to the floor for a vote at any time. As we already have experienced with this bill, anything can change at any time.

We will continue to provide relevant updates. In the meantime, you can quickly send a message to State Representatives through this link to urge them to reject SB 83. We must continue to fight this bill, which threatens academic freedom, tenure, union rights, and which promises to siphon even more money away from instruction and to administrative bloat.

2) 2024 OCAAUP Elections

We are pleased to announce the candidates for this year’s elections:

President: Gretchen McNamara (Wright State University)

Secretary: Cassandra Fetters (University of Cincinnati)

At-Large–Private Institutions: Peter Tandler (Walsh University)

At-Large–Public or Private Institutions: Naykishia Darby (Central State University)

In March, all Ohio AAUP members will receive an email containing a secure link to access an electronic ballot. Despite there being only one candidate per position, we must still run a securely balloted election. We encourage all members to take a minute to vote!

3) Honoring Dr. John T. McNay

Last fall, we shared the unfortunate news of the passing of University of Cincinnati history professor and long-time OCAAUP President, Dr. John T. McNay. In honor of John’s legacy, the OCAAUP board made a contribution to the John McNay Memorial – Young Scholars Fund at the University of Cincinnati.

The fund will award two $500 scholarships each year to students majoring in history, liberal arts, or English at the University of Cincinnati-Blue Ash, where John taught for 23 years.

Many members have asked what they can do in John’s memory; so, if you would like to make a personal contribution to this fund, checks should be made out to “University of Cincinnati Foundation” with “John McNay Memorial – Young Scholars Fund” in the memo line and sent to the following address:

UC Blue Ash College
Attn: Andrew Baker – Director of Development
9555 Plainfield Rd. Muntz Hall, 140M
Blue Ash, OH 45236

4) BEWARE: Anti-Union Group Spreads Lies in “Opt-Out” Campaigns

Members of at least two Ohio AAUP unions have been targeted by “opt-out” campaigns encouraging union members to drop their memberships. These campaigns also have targeted a number of other Ohio unions over the last few years.

The group behind these efforts is called “The Freedom Foundation.” It is funded by billionaires who want to undermine worker power.

In these U.S. mail and e-mail communications, they spout outright lies about unions that try to create the sense that unions are on the decline when the exact opposite is true. Labor unions across the board are enjoying high approval in public opinion polls, and AAUP membership in Ohio has never been stronger and continues to grow–thanks to all of your efforts!

Please beware of these messages and make sure your colleagues know to ignore this drivel from organizations that seek to destroy union power! If you receive such a communication, please let us and your local chapter know.

5) AAUP Statement on Academic Freedom in Polarizing Times

The ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in the Middle East has led to debate and in some cases unrest on college and university campuses around the country, including here in Ohio.

Often in times of war, we are confronted with complicated questions about free speech and academic freedom, but it is important that we do not allow politicians and others to capitalize on these moments to misuse them to suppress open and honest debate.

National AAUP released the statement, “Polarizing Times Demand Robust Academic Freedom.” We encourage you to read the statement and, in these very challenging times, to be defenders of AAUP principles on your campuses.