Connecticut  CEW Activities(Oct. 31-Nov. 4, 2005)

Submitted by Flo Hatcher, October 31, 2005.

Charles Ross, University of Hartford, West Hartford , CT

Protesters outside of the tea party hosted by the University of Hartford Provost will draw attention to the "Marie Antoinette" affair and to her lack of understanding of the issues facing part-time faculty at the University of Hartford. The Provost's "recognition teas" are an annual event and will be just one activity scheduled during CEW in West Hartford.

Professor Charles Ross, University of Hartford English Department chairperson, put Rich Moser's (Rutgers AAUP) writings on coalition-building into practice and invited local members of the Progressive Alliance to make use of their connections to other groups and asked all to participate in a campus-wide discussion of contingent issues. The coalition based dialogue, the first of its kind at UH, focuses on issues of contingency, the lack of academic freedom and due process, the erosion of shared governance and curricular control, and the devastating impact this has on the hundreds of academic workers without job security, benefits, adequate compensation or access to community.

In addition to these activities, Professor Ross has full and part-time faculty staffing tables in the Gengras Student Union with AAUP and CEW materials, signs, graphs, buttons, and Barbara Wolf's film "Degrees of Shame" playing nearby. Plans also include adjuncts dressed in Salvation Army clothes so that a provocative comparison between part-time and full-time faculty may be made. The Wolf film and the other CEW activities are expected to provoke thoughtful discussions between faculty, students and administrators on this activist campus. (AAUP member Charles Ross is also president of the Connecticut State Conference-AAUP).

Joan Chrisler, Connecticut College, New London , CT

On November 2 as Connecticut College faculty file into their monthly meeting facility, a large red banner proclaiming American Association of University Professors-Campus Equity Week greets the 75 faculty. On hand to welcome them, Connecticut College Department of Psychology Professor Joan Chrisler, gives each a copy of the new AAUP Policy Document Contingent Appointments and the Academic Profession, documents illustrating contingent faculty issues and a CEW button. Professor Chrisler is joined by Faculty Teller Tek-wah King, to count voting members of the faculty as they enter the meeting. This monthly Connecticut College meeting is comprised of all of the voting members of the faculty, so most are full-time, but continuing part-time faculty also have a vote. The CEW action carried out by Professor Chrisler is the first at this private institution in the eastern part of Connecticut; however years ago, Professor Chrisler established a tradition of presenting each new Connecticut College faculty president with a copy of the Policy Documents & Reports, known as the Red Book. This is a tradition that is worthy of emulation. (AAUP member Joan Chrisler is also Co-Chair of the Connecticut State Conference-AAUP Committee A. AAUP member Tek-wah King is a Senior Lecturer in Chinese in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures).

Anne T. Doyle, Julia Launer, University of Connecticut - Avery Point , Hartford, Stamford, Storrs, Torrington , Waterbury , Campuses

Each campus of the University of Connecticut will participate in CEW thanks to the Herculean efforts of Special Lecturer activists Anne Doyle, Julia Launer, Melissa Dias, Christine Green and John Long with support from the UCONN-AAUP staff. Throughout the week showings of Barbara Wolf's film "A Simple Matter of Justice", is scheduled for each campus followed by an open discussion moderated by the local campus coordinator. In some instances the film will be shown multiple times to accommodate the evening and daytime teaching schedules of local part-time members.

Anne Doyle (UCONN Statistics Lecturer) designed a new faculty survey to be distributed to all part-time faculty, beginning with attendees at the Wolf films. The results of a survey designed by Anne two years ago highlighted a lack of benefits for the UCONN part-time faculty. The UCONN-AAUP Executive Committee, lead by Executive Director Ed Marth, supported Anne in her efforts to achieve passage of Bill 5901 and a recent legislative ruling made it possible for part-time faculty who qualify to participate in the Alternate Retirement Plan, administered by TIAA-CREF. The member contributes 5% and the university contributes 8%. It was a collective victory and the CEW survey instrument this year may result in additional gains for UCONN part-time members.

For maximum exposure during the week, informational tables will be set up outside of the popular UCONN CO-OP. The UCONN activists, with the assistance of the UCONN-AAUP staff, prepared 560 folders for each part-time faculty member containing AAUP materials, CEW buttons and surveys. In addition, copies of Dr. Joe Berry's new book "Reclaiming the Ivory Tower: Organizing Adjuncts to Change Higher Education", published by Monthly Review and NAFFE, are on reserve at each UCONN campus library. Press releases were sent to all area newspapers. The UCONN- AAUP provided funds for the Berry books, CEW banners, buttons, informational materials, and refreshments for the week's activities. (AAUP member Anne Doyle is an At-Large-Delegate of the Connecticut State Conference-AAUP).

University President John Miller - Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, CT

On Friday October 28, 2005 CCSU President John Miller sent the following statement to all academic and administrative departments on the New Britain campus: "I write in support of Campus Equity Week (October 31 through November 4) for higher education in the United States. Campus Equity Week is designed to educate and inform campus communities, the general public as well as policy makers on part-time adjunct employment issues of fairness and quality of education."

The CCSU faculty, both full and part-time, will wear CEW buttons with streamers attached describing their campus position and individual working conditions. CCSU AAUP part-time faculty activist Jane Hikel, working with CSU-AAUP staff member Michelle Malinowski, distributed questionnaires to part-time faculty and plan an informal luncheon during the week.

Nota Bene: The fall 2005 Vanguard issue (Volume 26, Number 1), was printed in red and black ink in celebration of Campus Equity Week and featured the new CEW button graphic and web site information on the front page. Vanguard, the Connecticut State Conference-AAUP newsletter, is distributed to faculty on every 2 and 4 year campus in Connecticut, to members of the Connecticut Legislature, and others. (AAUP part-time member Ruth Anne Baumgartner, English, Fairfield University and CCSU, is Editor.)