USM professors disapprove of appeals process

USM's chapter of the American Association of University Professors met Thursday to discuss whether the recently announced appeals process coincides with AAUP guidelines. A national association of university and college faculty established in 1915, the AAUP strives to protect professors from unfair treatment. The association produces investigative reports on university violations of tenure and academic freedom. On Thursday the USM AAUP discussed and voted on resolutions for the issues surrounding the recent budget cuts.

"These are scary and dire times – and we need to find ways to make sure we fulfill our mission of education and research, but not at the expense of shared governance, tenure and academic freedom," said Amy Young, secretary of USM's AAUP, member of the faculty senate and associate professor of anthropology.

The appeals, which will begin Oct. 18, will be heard by a nine-member appeals panel. According to a draft from the provost of the appeals process, the panel will consist of a representative of the Faculty Senate, a representative of the Academic Council, a representative of the Graduate Council, a representative of the Gulf Coast Faculty Council, and the University Ombudsman, along with four of the deans of the academic colleges. The panel will hear program appeals first and then individual faculty appeals.

Members of USM's AAUP expressed concern over the revelation that the deans who proposed the cuts to the UPC will now be involved in the appeals process, allowing them to "play both sides."

Tammy Greer, AAUP president, said that with appeals being two weeks away, the organization needed to focus on that.

"We need to tackle the issue of administrators on the appeals committee because that's inappropriate," Greer said. Greer also said that Provost Lyman said there was no reason for an all-faculty committee.

Young said the deans made a list of the university's expenses, not to cut the mentioned programs but rather to give a basic idea of what the expenses were. "The deans didn't want to cut academics," Young said.

At the AAUP meeting on Sept. 16, English professor Ellen Weinauer, membership chair of USM's AAUP, said, "I think Saunders has demonstrated that she does want to follow AAUP guidelines."

At the meeting the group drafted a letter to send to the provost and the board of the Institute of Higher Learning. The letter reads, "Whereas the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) has long represented the best practices promoting the quality of institutions of higher learning not only in the United States but around the world through the pillars of academic freedom, shared governance, and tenure;

And whereas the proposed appeals process of the Executive Cabinet of the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) violates these best practices;

Therefore be it resolved that AAUP-USM stands opposed to the Procedure for Program Elimination and Faculty Termination Appeals process of the USM Executive Cabinet that impairs the institution's ability to fulfill its educational mission. AAUP-USM resolves that no person involved in the original decision-making process should serve on the appeals committee.

We urge that program appeals be heard by an all-faculty body, as directed by AAUP policy and guidelines, which operates on the principle of educational merit rather than offering fiscal alternatives."