Meeting notes October 6, 2017
Over wine and cheese…
At our preliminary meeting of the year we began by discussing the history, organization and purpose of our chapter. The Swarthmore Chapter of the AAUP, which was one of the original chapters of the national organization is over 100 years old. The chapter has been rejuvenated in the past five years as a place for faculty discussion of the issues that face our community of scholars. Free from the oversight of college administration, AAUP meetings intend to provide informative and frank discussion of difficult and important issues that face the faculty and the college – while allowing for information to be shared for the benefit of all. We seek out faculty who sit on various committees to appropriately share their observations in a less formal setting than a faculty meeting. And we welcome input from junior faculty as well as campus leaders.
Child care: We extended discussions we have had previously about child care. The college currently hosts a half-day nursery school on campus that is disconnected from the educational goals found at typical on-campus child care facilities at similar institutions (such as at Bryn Mawr, Mt. Holyoke and Stanford, to name a few). Cast as a new “benefit”, the college seems unlikely to prioritize child care for people who work, but some argue that child care should be understood as contributing to the educational mission of the college, as well as to its commitment to diversity and inclusiveness. We hope that in future meetings, members of the child care committee (which had not yet met this semester) can report to us about what kinds of vision are under consideration and whether the potential educational role of on-campus child care can (and should) be given greater prominence. There were, of course, many other points of discussion including appreciation of David Harrison’s e-mails mentioning the possibility of a provision of childcare during faculty lectures.
Salary and benefits: There is general concern that the administration’s proposed separation of benefits from salary in the college’s commitment to the 102.5% target would likely lead to the erosion of benefits, which could turn into a net negative for faculty across their careers. Some faculty hope to have further discussion about the complex problem of adequately compensating faculty in the junior tier without jeopardizing the value of benefits they would normally have later in their career. We will certainly come back to this topic again.
Liability issues received some discussion. One point of information: Some publishers are now seeking evidence of insurance against libel; please know that the college can provide you with a certificate of such insurance, which is carried by the college.
Now that we have our officers for the year in place, we will seek to publish a meeting schedule for the year by the end of fall break. Wine and cheese will continue to be provided at meetings by the sub-COBC.
Frank Durgin, President
AAUP Swarthmore 