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STATE CONFERENCE ACTIVITIES
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 |
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