The Whitman College Chapter of the AAUP endorses the National Day of Action for Higher Education by the national AAUP. The Day of Action is April 17, 2024.

The second meeting of the “Law & the Academy” discussion series took place on Tuesday, February 6th, at the Baker Center. The discussion concerned the US Supreme Court’s landmark decision (and dissent) on faculty unionization (NLRB v. Yeshiva University) and a brief summary of recent applications/interpretations of the decision. (Relevant additional reading: The AAUP’s policy statement on collective bargaining; a recent collective bargaining agreement between Occidental College’s NTT faculty and that college.)

On November 28, 2023, the officers of the AAUP chapter issued a letter concerning academic freedom and the divestment debate.

On November 11, 2023, Prof. Jack Jackson and Prof. Timothy Kaufman-Osborn co-facilitated the first discussion from the Law & the Academy series. Titled “Affirmative Action,” the discussion focused on the Supreme Court case Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard (2023) and its implications for higher education. The Department of Politics and the AAUP chapter co-sponsored the event.

On October 13, 2023, on behalf of the Whitman College Chapter of the AAUP, the chapter’s officers wrote to the elected faculty representatives on the Faculty Committee on Compensation (carbon copying the college’s president, provost and dean of the faculty, and vice president for finance and administration). The letter highlights growing concerns about need to better support new faculty during their period of transition to assume their posts at the college.

On October 11, 2023, officers of the Whitman College Chapter of the AAUP issued a statement to reaffirm the importance of academic freedom at the college as well as students’ rights to freedom for association, freedom of inquiry and expression, and freedom of the press.

At the national and institutional levels, the AAUP has been instrumental in introducing and defending academic freedom, shared governance, and the institution of tenure. Read about the AAUP’s mission, the Whitman chapter’s goals, and our recent and historical accomplishments in this this one-page information sheet.

• Connect with chapter members.
• Welcome new faculty.
• Dive into crucial questions:
  • What is my job? What are professors’ rights and responsibilities?
  • Who is my boss? Who governs my work?
• Discuss advocacy priorities for 2023-24.
• Learn about the AAUP’s mission.

Time: Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, 4 p.m.;
Place: FVC Gallery, 420 Main St.

Join the conversation and shape the future of our institution!
We hope to see you there!