LOUISIANA AAUP STATE CONFERENCE REJECTS POLITICAL INTRUSION INTO ACADEMIC CLASSROOMS, RESEARCH AND SERVICE

On Saturday, April 22, 2023, the Louisiana Conference of the American
Association of University Professors (AAUP-LA) passed a resolution at its
annual meeting at Southern University in Baton Rouge.

AAUP-LA Resolution on Academic Freedom to Teach, Research, and Perform Service on “Divisive” Social Issues 4.24.2023 B

AAUP-LA Resolution on Academic Freedom and Discourse on _Divisive Topics_

Notice of AAUP Louisiana Conference Meeting and Symposium

The AAUP Louisiana Conference is sponsoring a symposium on the campus of Southern University, Friday and Saturday, April 21-22 in Baton Rouge.  The guest speaker and facilitator will be Bethany L. Letiecq, Associate Professor of Research Methods & Human Development and Family Science at George Mason University. She is also President of the Virginia Conference of the AAUP.

Dr. Letiecq’s topic, “Because Faculty Working Conditions are Student Learning Conditions: Building a Campaign to Improve Infrastructure” was chosen in consultation with members of the Executive Committee.  The symposium is structured to inform, organize and mobilize faculty members in proven methods of executing influential campaigns.  Soon we may need to mobilize a campaign to save tenure in our state, and Dr. Letiecq’s expertise will assist in improving the efficacy of our Conference whether the issue is decaying buildings or the protection of academic freedom

In conjunction with the symposium, President Thomas Miller has called a special meeting of the Conference to be held on Saturday for the purpose of forming a standing committee to execute future campaigns and update the membership on the state of the Conference. Additional agenda items can be sent to stevenrushing321@gmail.com or thomas.miller@sus.edu no later than Thursday, April 13.

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

Friday, April 21

5:00 to 7:00 Wine Reception at Tsunami Restaurant, (rain option–Capitol City Grill)

Saturday, April 22

9:00 to 10:00 Executive Committee meeting

10:00 to 12:00 First Session with Dr. Letiecq

12:00 to 1:00 Lunch provided

1:00 to 2:00 Closing Session with Dr. Letiecq

2:00 to 3:00 Coffee Hour coinciding with a meeting of the AAUP Conference

3:00 Attend the Baton Rouge Blues Festival

Election Newsletter, 2 May 2022

Dear Colleagues,

The Louisiana Conference of AAUP held its annual meeting April 23, 2022, at Southern University in Baton Rouge. Business was as follows:

  1. Election of officers. The Nominations Committee had prepared the following slate.

President: Hugh Wilson (Grambling)
Vice-President: Vipin Menon (McNeese)
Secretary: Tom Miller (Southern-BR)
Treasurer: Kevin Cope (LSU-BR)
At-Large: Steve Rushing (Southeastern)

From the floor, Tom Miller was nominated for the Presidency, and won the vote unanimously. With the Secretary’s position vacant, Steve Rushing was nominated for it and won that vote, also unanimously. With the At-Large position now vacant, Phil Auter (UL Lafayette) was nominated, and won that vote unanimously. The Nominating Committee’s candidates for Vice-President and for Treasurer were also elected unanimously. The new offers are therefore:

 President: Tom Miller (Southern-BR)
Vice-President: Vipin Menon (McNeese)
Secretary: Steve Rushing (Southeastern)
Treasurer: Kevin Cope (LSU-BR)
At-Large: Phil Auter (UL Lafayette)

  1. Senate Concurrent Resolution 6, on the creation of a task force on tenure in public postsecondary education. (The bill has since been amended to include representatives from each of the four university systems). The Association of Louisiana Faculty Senates has crafted a resolution opposing the plan, that AAUPLA has signed onto, but AAUPLA will also craft its own resolution, covering issues the ALFS resolution does not. The task force will need information on faculty about what tenure is and why it is needed, and the more faculty representatives it has, the better. We plan to ask for AAUP representation and for a faculty representative from each campus. It is to be noted that administrators including Jim Henderson (President, UL System) have spoken out against this most recent challenge to tenure, and that the concern of the resolution’s author appears to be political indoctrination of students by tenured faculty.
  2. A brilliant presentation on organizing and activism by Prof. Bethany Letiecq, of George Mason University and AAUP. This was by Zoom and we intend to invite Professor Letiecq in person, as her experiences and recommendations have much to do with our our situation.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

  1. The biennial meeting of the national AAUP is June 16-19, 2022 in Arlington, VA, right next to Washington, DC and on the metro line from DCA to L’Enfant Plaza and the National Archives. Votes will be taken for representation on National Council and on affiliation with the AFT, among other matters. Inessa Bazayev, active in the LSU chapter and incoming Faculty Senate President there, will represent the 8 Louisiana chapters who formed a section for voting.
  2. All members are encouraged to attend the biennial meeting and conference. If you are in a chapter that did not form a section, please consider getting credentialed to represent it for voting.
  3. The AAUP Summer Institute takes place July 21-24. We highly recommend it for everyone, and we have partially funded travel to it for Conference members in the past. If you are interested, please talk to us about financial support.

In Solidarity,

LESLIE BARY
President, LA Conference AAUP, 2018-2022

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