FEATURED STORIES

ELECTION 2005: GET OUT AND VOTE
We are one week from Election Day 2005 and the stakes for our university community were never higher.  Read More

UNION TO HOST STEM CELL FORUM
We are pleased to host a forum on the future of stem cell research in New Jersey. Our very special guest will be Congressman Rush Holt.

Stem Cell Research in New Jersey
Monday October 31, 2005
Fiber Optic Auditorium - Busch Campus 12:00 pm 

FACULTY UNION FORMULATING RESPONSE TO THE REPORT TRANSFORMING UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION (TUE)
As educators and members of the Faculty Union here at Rutgers it is our duty to provide comment on the proposed reorganization of the New Brunswick Campus.  As a starting point we have identified the following issues that need to be examined before any reorganization takes place. Read More

UPCOMING EVENTS

October 31:
Stem Cell Research in New Jersey
Fiber Optics Auditorium- Busch Campus
12:00 pm

November 1:
Contingent Faculty Rights Hearing
Graduate Student Lounge on College Ave Campus
4pm

November 1:
Deadline for PTL Professional Development Funds, apply now before the funds are gone

November 5:
Labor to Labor Walks
9-12pm
Contact Patrick Nowlan to participate

November 8:
Election Day!
Don't forget to vote. 
AAUP-AFT Endorsements

November 16:
New Brunswick Membership Meeting
Labor Education Center Rm 130/131
12:00 pm (lunch provided)

November 21:
Newark Membership Meeting
Paul Robeson Campus Center Rm 332
11:30 am (lunch provided)

Executive Council Update
The Executive Council of the Rutgers Council of AAUP Chapters, AAUP-AFT has passed the following resolution at its October 18th meeting:

1. Resolution in support of Argentinean Recuperated Factory and Unemployed Workers' US Tour.

The next executive council meeting is on November 16th at 9:30am at the Labor Education Center.  

CONTINGENT FACULTY RIGHTS HEARING
Join Teaching Assistants, Part-time Lecturers and Non-tenure-track Faculty in providing testimony before a board of notables about the contributions contingent faculty make to the university and the obstacles often encountered by researchers, professors, and students in the pursuit of quality education here at Rutgers.  All are welcome to testify. 

Tuesday, November 1, 4pm
Graduate Student Lounge on College Ave Campus

Contact Rich Moser at (732) 445-2278 x 18 for more information. Download Flier Here

CAMDEN CHAPTER ON TRACK
As the recently elected Camden chapter President, I'd like to introduce myself to the members I've yet to meet and to let you know about our current projects. Read More

NEWARK CHAPTER TO HOST A LISTENING SESSION
As president of the Newark Chapter of the AAUP I invite you to a membership meeting.  The meeting will be one of open discussion concerning issues of interest to you.   Read More

NEW BRUNSWICK CHAPTER ENSURES FACULTY A VOICE
As the recently elected New Brunswick Chapter President, I'd like to introduce myself and urge you to get involved in your union. The New Brunswick Campus is facing a massive re-organization and it is crucial that we as educators provide our input. Read More

SALARY SURVEYS
Thank you to everyone who took time to fill out last month's survey on titles and status within a unit.  Due to a glitch in the program, we were unable to collect additional comments.  Therefore the results were straight forward and revealed nothing earth shaking.  One point of interest is that a considerable number of PTLs are directing or coordinating programs.  

This month's survey focuses on salary and FASIP distribution.  Completing it will take only a few minutes. The results will help us determine if salary increases are being correctly implemented.   Individual responses will be kept confidential. Please take a moment now to complete the survey by clicking on this link.


Next months's survey willl focus on workload and will include a survey for TA/GAs in addition to the fulltime and part-time surveys.

NATIONAL SALARY SURVEY INDENTIFIES INEQUITIES
Inequities persist for women and non-tenure-track faculty, the AAUP's 2004-05 Annual Report on the Economic Status of the Profession concluded. The report, released in April 2005, was based on data on faculty salaries, benefits, and tenure gathered from institutions across the country.

See Article in Academe

IS THERE A BIAS AGAINST CAREGIVING IN ACADEMIA?  
Faculty members rarely take advantage of family-friendly workplace policies.  What are we so afraid of? Researchers with Penn State's Faculty and Families Project describe what their study taught them in the September - October issue of Academe.

See Article in Academe

Election 2005: Get Out and Vote
Lisa Klein, President of Rutgers Council AAUP-AFT 
We are one week from Election Day 2005 and the stakes for our university community were never higher.  As I reflect on the two campaigns, the differences are stark.  On the one hand, we have a sitting U.S. Senator who has a proven record in support of student aid and funding for university instruction and research.  On the other hand, we have a candidate who has announced very few clear ideas on higher education. The difference in experience clearly shows in their positions, or lack thereof, on key issues.  Senator Corzine has a vision for New Jersey that sets a high priority on education, in general, and Rutgers University, in particular:

• Jon Corzine not only sees the value of the degree that each student takes with them at graduation and its potential impact on the state economy, he also sees the value to the state's reputation and economy that results from faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate student research.  

• He understands that students need access to an affordable education and that is why he is proposing major increases in student aid.

• He supports scientific research and knows that we need to take advantage of our state's intellectual infrastructure now, if we are to maintain our leading edge in advanced technology, including biomedical, pharmaceutical, communications and transportation research.

• He understands that you cannot educate "on the cheap."  Fractional pay for part-time instructors is critical to achieving excellence at any premier research university.  We must balance quality instruction with leading-edge research.

• He respects that faculty governance and academic freedom have great value and are necessary for bold research and instruction to take place.  He values and supports faculty representation on university governing boards.

I want to call to everyone's attention that this is a moment of great opportunity:  Jon Corzine is genuinely committed to rebuilding higher education in New Jersey.  We can expect, as AAUP-AFT, to have meaningful access to Governor Corzine, and that means you can have a positive impact on higher education policy.  The level of state funding for Rutgers (and the state colleges) is scandalous.  New Jersey now ranks 47th in the nation when it comes to expenditure of tax dollars on higher education, despite the fact that we are number one in per capita income. Given the importance of this election, I ask that you consider volunteering some time to the Corzine campaign.  It is not too late, please contact the Rutgers AAUP-AFT office at (732) 445-2278 and speak with Patrick Nowlan, who will assist you with getting involved with our efforts.  Let's not take it for granted.  Let's work together to make it happen.I strongly urge you to take the time to vote in this election on November 8 - and to vote for Jon Corzine for governor. Thank you for your anticipated support.   


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As members of the AAUP--AFT here at Rutgers, it is our responsibility to provide comment on the proposed reorganization of the New Brunswick Campus.  As a starting point, we have identified the following 3 issues that need to be examined before any recommendations go forward.  Certainly, there are other issues, and we will take them up later. Much of the TUE report involves the reorganization of the current 5 college structure.  While the report does not go so far as the implementation of restructuring, additional responsibilities for faculty can be inferred.  Notably, there is an expectation for active participation in the “learning communities”.  What incentives will faculty have to participate in these co-curricular and extracurricular activities?  And if there are incentives, will the balance among teaching, research and service be altered?  What is the effect on tenure and promotion?  Perhaps, the most glaring omission from the report is any mention of the contingent faculty (NTT, PTLs and TAs).  The report is focused on reconnecting the tenured faculty with the undergraduates, while ignoring the role of those who are teaching about 50% of the undergraduate courses.  We need to consider the valuable role of the contingent faculty and ask what role they will take in the transformation. We need to support faculty governance in the development of these new learning paradigms.  At the same time, we want to ensure that any proposed changes in the terms and conditions of our work are negotiated in keeping with the AAUP--AFT tradition of excellence at Rutgers. In deliberation of the report, the following values have been identified and should be recognized in our response as a union.

• To value undergraduate education is to value the faculty

• Faculty’s working conditions are the students learning conditions.

• “The University’s design should reflect the values of the University community” (from the TUE Report).

Faculty input is essential for our response.  We want to hear from you.  The following timeline has been established.

November 9th:  Written responses are currently being solicited.  Please send your comments by November 9th to Lisa Klein

November 16th: New Brunswick membership meeting and listening session on the Undergraduate Report.  A draft response will be discussed.  12pm at the Labor Education Center in Rm 130/131, lunch will be served.

RU Connecting

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Camden Chapter On Track
Janet Golden, President of Camden Chapter, History Department, Camden Campus

As the recently elected Camden Chapter President, I'd like to introduce myself to the members I've yet to meet and to let you know about our current projects.  First, we are reaching out to new colleagues telling them about the union and encouraging them to join so that they will have a voice in campus and university affairs.  Please help us by speaking to new and current colleagues who have yet to join the union letting them know about the benefits of membership.  

Second, Rutgers AAUP has endorsed Jon Corzine for Governor because of his support for increased student aid, investment in university research and infrastructure, equity for part-time faculty, and respect for academic freedom and faculty governance.   Chapter members have joined the labor walks in South Jersey and will be volunteering at phone banks.  Please contact Patrice Mareschal   to volunteer in these efforts and please vote for Jon Corzine on November 8.  Polls are open from 6 am to 8 pm.  

The union has taken up two matters of concern to the membership.  In light of recent discussions of parking problems we've reminded the administration that parking is a contract matter under Appendix J and we've invited them to work with us locally in solving some of the problems we face.  Having not gotten a response from the administration, we've referred the matter to the joint union/administration parking committee for negotiation.   Second, as a follow up to our meeting on family issues last year, we've begun to survey the "best practices" regarding family matters within the university.  Many units within Rutgers go well beyond the contractual leaves for those dealing with serious illnesses and family issues such as childbirth and adoption.  We'd like to work collectively with the Camden administration to implement some of the best practices by discussing how we can seek funding for replacement faculty and successfully implement the close-ranks policy.  

In the spring semester we'll again be having our annual union meeting to discuss current and upcoming issues.  Additionally, the union will again cosponsor with the administration a panel on tenure and promotion.  I'll look forward to seeing you at both of these events.  If you'd like to discuss any union matters with me please feel free to contact me at  Janet Golden, Ph.D., Professor, History Department  

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Newark Chapter to Host Listening Session
James Schlegel, President of Newark Chapter, Chemistry Department, Newark Campus

As president of the Newark Chapter of the AAUP I invite you to a membership meeting. 
Monday, November 21, 11:30 A.M.
Robeson Campus Center, Rm 332
Lunch will be served

The meeting will be one of open discussion concerning issues of interest to you.   Please at to tell me those issues you wish to be discussed.  Currently on the agenda are the following issues:  Joint affiliation with the AFT,  Collegial vs management style administration, and distribution of FASIP funds.   The joint affiliation is a trial period at no cost to the faculty. Please come to voice your pleasure or displeasure with this joint AAUP-AFT affiliation.   

The University environment has changed dramatically during my forty-three years as a professor at Rutgers.  A collegial atmosphere with scholars in key administrative positions running the University no longer exists.  We now have an atmosphere of “management” making decisions that have a long-lasting effect on you, not unlike what you find in the business world.  Therefore we need to ensure a faculty voice, that is not easy and there are no easy answers.

It is important that we have as much support as possible from the faculty. If you cannot donate your time as an officer, you can at least become a full member. Everyone pays a percentage of their salary to be a member or a non-member. At the highest salary range the difference between member dues and non-member dues amounts to less than $10.00 per month. Surely you can afford $10.00 per month! The monetary difference between a member and non-member is small and joining ensures the necessary strong voice of the faculty at Rutgers.  I encourage you to support the AAUP-AFT. 

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New Brunswick Chapter Ensures Faculty a Voice  
Bob Angelo, President of New Brunswick Chapter, member of the Department of Labor Studies and Employment Relations 

As the recently elected New Brunswick Chapter President, I'd like to introduce myself and urge you to get involved in your union. The New Brunswick Campus is facing a massive re-organization and it is crucial that we as educators provide our input. A stated goal in the Transforming Undergraduate Education report is that "the University's design should reflect the values of the university community." As a union and as educators we need to participate in the defining of such a community and its values.

The reorganization proposed in the report suggests sweeping changes to the role of a faculty member in terms of responsibilities and their relationship to tenure and promotion. How do we as a union want to respond? Omitted from the report is recognition that the contingent faculty (PTLs, TA/GA, and NTT) do most of the undergraduate and introductory level teaching. In order to support undergraduate education, we must then support quality working conditions for contingent faculty. And finally what role do we as a union want to play in the implementation.

A draft response to the report will be discussed at the New Brunswick Chapter membership meeting. All members of the Full-time, TA/GA, PTL, and EOF chapters are encouraged to attend.

Wednesday November 16th, 2005 12 noon
Rm 130/131 at the Labor Education Center

In addition to the Undergraduate Report, we are currently identifying key issues to focus on this year. Please contact me with comments and concerns.  Bob Angelo

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This is to remind you to apply for funding through the new Professional Development Fund for PTLs.  Send you name, department, decanal unit, campus, amount of funding requested, and project statement including how it relates to your professional activities (one page limit)This is NOT just for PTLs in English - that is the person's name.  Everyone is encouraged to apply.  We need to use the funds up quickly so we can argue that more funding is needed.   Projects may include attending a conference in your discipline, giving a talk or paper at a meeting, as well as a full-blown research effort.  For instance, a sociologist may want to attend the annual convention of the American Sociologists' Association; an engineer may give a talk at a community education event; or an environmentalist may gather data for later presentation in class.  Consider how you might apply for these important funds.The deadline is November 1, so apply soon.

If you have questions about applying or what types of projects are eligible please contact Amy Bahruth  or Karen Thompson