Faculty, Graduate Student Employee, and Academic Professional Voice in Campus Reopening Decisions

Dear Friends and Colleagues of AAUP Oregon,

On May 30, we held a remote membership meeting where we heard from many of you about concerns over planning and preparations for reopening campuses. In response to those concerns, a committee of AAUP leaders and members drafted a statement on reopening (full statement available here). This statement has been approved by elected members of the AAUP Oregon Executive Committee and by the elected leaders of all signatory organizations.  Alongside other communications, we will be sharing this document with university administrations, elected leaders in Salem, the Higher Education Coordinating Committee, and faculty leaders in colleges and universities across the state. Thank you, every single one of you, for your support for AAUP.  I hope you take a moment to review and share our full statement on campus reopening. 

In short, the process of reopening a campus should:

1. Prioritize health and safety for all, with attention to the need for equitable accommodations.
2. Reinforce the values of shared governance through faculty participation in all reopening decisions, including elected faculty or union representatives. 
3. Maintain academic freedom, respecting expert knowledge, intellectual property rights, and the need to be free from electronic surveillance. 
4. Emphasize transparent, consistent, and wide communication of processes and decisions taken in consultation with faculty.
5. Work closely with local health authorities to aid in the tracing of viral infections, data sharing, and boosting testing capabilities where available.
6. Collaborate proactively with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization in stemming the proliferation of the virus, educating by example, and adhering to the strictest norms and guidelines of personal and social hygiene, physical distancing rules, and the wearing of masks and other protective equipment in all shared educational spaces.
7. Develop robust plans through consultation with academic workers, academic senates, and unions to provide additional support to caregivers. Academic institutions must accommodate caregivers through adjustments in expectations for service, research, and evaluation timelines, as outlined by the University of Oregon Center for the Study of Women and Society.

Yours in solidarity and appreciation,

Michael Dreiling
President, AAUP Oregon

Endorsed by:

• American Association of University Professors Oregon
• American Federation of Teachers Oregon
• Association of Oregon Faculties
• Graduate Employees Union of Portland State University
• Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation of University of Oregon
• Linfield University American Association of University Professors
• Oregon Tech American Association of University Professors
• Pacific University American Association of University Professors
• Portland State University American Association of University Professors
• United Academics of Oregon State University
• United Academics of University of Oregon
• Willamette University American Association of University Professors