The Good, The Bad, The Spin

That’s what Inside Higher Ed discusses.

• The American Association of University Professors has learned what it’s like when professors are nagging shits–on the AAUP’s dime. The AAUP shut down its listserve after questionable posts and negative reactions therein. Says the AAUP:  “In recent weeks, many subscribers have withdrawn from the list, complaining of the nature and tone of some of the postings. More recently, anonymous messages containing allegations against other members have been posted, raising possible legal concerns. In light of these occurrences, it has been determined that AAUP-General be closed.” Were this a university listserve, imagine (potential) uproar. 
• The Pew Research Center discovered what news would look like if content was driven by users, not journalists. From a mere one-week study, the Pew Center concludes: “In short, the user-news agenda, at least in this one-week snapshot, was more diverse, yet also more fragmented and transitory than that of the mainstream news media. This does not mean necessarily that users disapprove or reject the mainstream news agenda. These user sites may be supplemental for audiences. They may gravitate to them in addition to, rather than instead of, traditional venues. But the agenda they set is nonetheless quite different.”

Hurricane Katrina fucked up a lot of things for a lot of people. Its resonance is still being felt and today it was reported that a slew of universities were hit with censure by the American Association of University Professors, the organization that protects the rights of faculty in higher education. (Disclosure: I was a member of the AAUP when I was an administrative faculty member at the University of Nevada, Reno.)

Censure is significant. Today’s news is fallout from Katrina, which essentially forced Louisiana universities to make tough decisions about keeping on faculty in light of dire financial situations. The positions of tenured faculty were preciously watched over by the AAUP, especially as firings had to occur, and today’s decision to place six colleges and universities on the organization’s censure list for “a pervasive disregard for faculty governance,” as reported by Inside Higher Ed, is, like Katrina, unprecedented. (more…)