Washington State University
American Association of University Professors

Document

DATE: 9 April 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEW WSU-AAUP CHAPTER CALLS FOR ADHERENCE TO NATIONAL STANDARDS IN BUDGETARY DECISIONS

Faculty at Washington State University have formed a local chapter of the American Association of University Professors, the national professional organization for faculty in higher education. WSU-AAUP is focusing its immediate attention on the current economic crisis and urges the administration of WSU to adhere to widely accepted AAUP standards.

WSU-AAUP finds gaps between AAUP standards and those in WSU’s Faculty Manual. Important procedures and policies designed for academic restructuring are missing from the WSU Faculty Manual. The chapter is concerned that shared governance and due process may not be observed during imminent, expected program discontinuations. WSU-AAUP asks the Faculty Senate and administration to outline the procedures that will be used, and asks the Faculty Senate to investigate the immediate and longer-term impacts on the University of recent discontinuations or modifications of units.

WSU-AAUP believes that WSU should meet or exceed AAUP guidelines for assisting people impacted by budgetary decisions, including relocation in another unit, retraining, due process that allows appeals with hearings, and severance packages. WSU-AAUP also calls on WSU to mitigate the impact of lay-offs on vulnerable populations within the University. The chapter requests that the Faculty Senate and administration outline how these guidelines will be met.

WSU-AAUP believes that the central missions of teaching, research and service should be prioritized and will seek detailed and transparent information on budget and budget cutting for all university units and offices.

All faculty are encouraged to join WSU-AAUP. Information on the national organization can be found at: http://www.aaup.org, and information about WSU-AAUP is available by joining its listserv: http://lists.wsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/aaup-wsu.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Rich Alldredge, President
WSU-AAUP
alldredg@wsu.edu
509-335-3737 (messages)

Lynn Gordon, Vice-President
WSU-AAUP
gordonl@wsu.edu
509-230-2107 (cellular)
509-335-2117 (office)