Four delegates representing the Connecticut State Conference attended the annual meeting of AAUP in Washington June 6-10. Thanks to the scheduling efforts of Ann Doyle (UConn) the group visited the offices of all seven members of Connecticut's Congressional delegation, pressing for the re-authorization of the Higher Education Act, increased Pell Grant funding, and an end to the student loan scandals. Opposition was expressed to the right wing inspired so-called student bill of rights. Gratifyingly staff of the five Congress persons and two Senators seemed to agree with the AAUP positions. Brief hallway encounters were made with Representatives Rosa DeLauro and Joe Courtney.
The annual meeting itself was made up of a number of workshops, panels, and speakers, and the highlight, as always, was the plenary session during which the membership votes censure on institutions found to be violating academic freedom. Connecticut's Flo Hatcher was continued in her leadership role in the Assembly of State Conferences, and Ernst Benjamin was brought back to serve as acting General Secretary with the departure of Roger Bowen. There was promise that the
long standing problems of the computer system that has records of membership and finances will finally be replaced, and serious consideration of restructuring the organization is underway.
A meeting was held on August 16 to plan for the fall's activities and to learn of new developments since June. The national will be issuing a revised academic freedom statement that will expand permissable faculty speech made in class. A new e-mail system is being developed and access to 350,000 faculty names will be available. There will be a state conference fall meeting, probably on Nov. 8, in the New haven area with workshops on a variety of issues. George Lang will be memorialized by an award in his name.
Morton Tenzer
