Our upcoming member meeting, October 16, 4-5:30pm and October 17, 4-5:30pm, on Zoom (to accommodate different teaching schedules) will provide focused attention to the Faculty Manual section on “Academic Freedom” (see https://academicaffairs.syracuse.edu/faculty-affairs/policies-and-procedures/faculty-manual/3-51-academic-freedom/) and the “Syracuse Statement,” (see here) with an eye to making a plan to establish the protections that WE would like to see at SU. Zoom links for
Academic Freedom and Free Speech are under assault across the country. Tenured faculty have been fired, untenured faculty not renewed, classroom speech and extra mural speech subject to new restrictions, State and other outside entities increasingly involved in establishing these restrictions. We may not all agree about what the details of academic freedom and free speech codes should be, but we can all agree on their importance.
The Provost announced in the last Senate meeting that the October Senate will include discussion of the Syracuse Statement; there have been numerous questions raised about this statement including:
Why was there no opportunity for Senate and other constituencies to weigh in on the final wording of this document?
–Does the statement provide the foundation for the protections we need today?
–How will it be used to undergird policy, and can it really do this in ways that we want?
This is an opportunity not only to insist on better PROCESS for producing important documents such as the Syracuse Statement that impact on all of us, but also on the actual content, and what we would like to see Syracuse University do and be as a guarantor of free speech and academic freedom toward the University’s purpose of knowledge production for the common good.
To this end, we will start with an examination of the current wording of the Faculty Manual on Academic Freedom, which is currently under review by AFTPE, making it a vital moment to intervene. SU-AAUP pushed this reconsideration last semester via a resolution calling for revision to this section of the Manual to better protect us all and to encourage the robust discussion that the production of knowledge and good pedagogy require.
Questions:
–What are your concerns about academic freedom and Free Speech at Syracuse University?
–How can we provide wording in the Manual that would best support our understanding of Academic Freedom and Free Speech?
–We can then look at the Syracuse Statement and see to what extent it would lead to those goals and if/how it might be revised to better do so. And plan actions to those ends.
There is literally no one in the University who is not impacted by free speech/academic freedom. This is really worth your time and effort!
Any Questions/Suggestions, please ask/send!
The meetings will be on zoom. Registration links follow:
REGISTER FOR WEDNESDAY, OCT 16, 4pm:
Register in advance for this meeting:
REGISTER FOR THURSDAY, OCT 17, 4pm:
Register in advance for this meeting:
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
SU AAUP 