Frequently Asked Questions

How does this chapter relate to AAUP National?

We are a chapter of the national AAUP organization. We welcome all faculty at Ohio University to participate in our activities. Voting rights and the ability to serve in elected positions in the chapter, however, require formal membership in the national AAUP. This membership supports the work of the national and state organizations from which local chapters benefit. Locally, all advocacy chapters function as independent non-profit organizations free to set their own agendas and pursue their own course of action. Chapters fund their activities through annual dues and donations. In short, our chapter is our own but our principles and allegiances are national.

Do I have to join national or pay money to be part of OU-AAUP?

Formal membership in the national AAUP is not a requirement for participating in our chapter’s activities. You also do not have to donate money to us or pay dues to get involved. We welcome all faculty to join us in our work. We nevertheless urge anyone concerned about academic freedom, tenure, and shared governance to join the national organization. National membership automatically makes you a member of the state conference and confers voting privileges in our local chapter. Chapter members pay annual dues. We also accept donations from anyone who embraces our principles and wishes to support us. Contact us to find out how to get involved, be kept informed, or join in organized activities.

Is OU-AAUP trying to start a union? Is there a union already?

OU-AAUP is an advocacy chapter, not a collective bargaining unit (i.e. union). Like the national AAUP, our chapter supports the right of faculty members to organize and petition for collective bargaining. Collective bargaining can significantly enhance the power of faculty to achieve fair and equitable working conditions and defend the core teaching and research mission. Even without a union, however, an advocacy chapter can act effectively to defend academic freedom, tenure, and shared governance within and alongside existing governance structures.

What about lecturers and graduate instructors?

The professional lives of all faculty members--tenure track and tenured (T/TT); full- and part-time non-tenure track (NTT); adjunct; and graduate student lecturers--are interdependent across all campuses now more than ever. We are One Faculty, One Ohio. We resist the division of faculty into different status categories and the denial of tenure protections to some full-time faculty as part of the terms of their employment. For this reason, our chapter, in line with the national AAUP, advocates for the transition of all full-time NTT positions to T/TT status. We advocate for everyone who teaches at Ohio University, including those whose academic freedom and role in shared governance does not enjoy the protection of tenure, which is increasingly endangered.

Where do my dues/donations go?

Chapter dues and donations go directly to Ohio University’s AAUP Chapter. We use this money to host our website and newsletter service, and to purchase materials for our regular actions and publicity efforts (ex., buttons, posters, pickets, markers, printer paper, printer ink, tape, thumbtacks, sidewalk chalk). These funds are the lifeblood of our chapter here at Ohio University.