FAQ

AAUP SHU Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is this a union?

A: AAUP SHU is an “advocacy chapter.” Advocacy chapters are not unions.

The AAUP is a professional organization that set standards for and advocates for our profession, much like the American Bar Association does for lawyers and the American Medical Association does for physicians.

The AAUP charters two different types of chapters: Union chapters, which engage in collective bargaining with their university’s administration, and advocacy chapters, which do not.

Private universities usually have advocacy chapters. Union chapters are found mostly at public universities. See the current list of AAUP chapters in Connecticut below.

The number of AAUP advocacy chapters has increased in recent years, as faculty face new challenges. Among these are concerns with freedom of speech (e.g., Gaza protests, DEI curriculum issues) and the need to strengthen shared governance in the face of corporate-style administration.

Q: What is the relationship of the AAUP SHU chapter to the University Academic Assembly (UAA)?

A: The AAUP SHU chapter is distinct from the UAA, but stands in a cooperative, complementary relationship with it.

The UAA is internal to SHU, whereas the AAUP SHU advocacy chapter links SHU faculty to the state and national AAUP organization and its resources. 

For example, the chapter can refer faculty to legal assistance when the internal grievance process fails. (If you need information and recommendations, please contact one of the officers in person or by the chapter email.)

Chapters send delegates to AAUP’s annual meeting to exchange ideas. The challenges we face here are not unique to SHU. By liaising with faculty elsewhere, we can learn and work together.

The UAA’s role is to govern, whereas the role of an AAUP advocacy chapter is to advocate. Our chapter intends to advocate in favor of current UAA reform efforts. Until that reform occurs, our chapter can provide a faculty-only space to discuss university wide concerns.

Our chapter can advocate for issues that UAA has not taken on, such hiring more full-time faculty. Securing greater financial transparency is another example. SHU budgets over $1 million per year to pay bonuses to the top 12 administrators and over $30 million per year are paid in debt service. This is not sustainable and does not prioritize education! Faculty wish to get answers and changes, and the advocacy chapter is a way to do that.

There are a variety of ways that chapters can formalize their relationship with a university’s governing structure. At some universities, AAUP chapter officers report regularly to the faculty governance body; at some universities, the chapter is assigned the status of a standing committee.

Q: How do I join and what does it cost?

A: You join the national organization and pay dues on a sliding scale.

To become a member of the AAUP SHU chapter, a faculty member must join the national AAUP, and thereby becomes a member of this chapter. The chapter has the option of collecting its own additional dues, but does not currently have plans to do so, and would only do so upon a vote of the members.

AAUP membership fees are on sliding scale, depending on your academic income, and can be paid monthly or annually. The AAUP website lists suggested fees based on salary bands. They do not verify income. So, pick an amount that you can afford, and become a member at that level.  

Connecticut AAUP Chapters

Advocacy Chapters

Albertus Magnus College

Connecticut College

Fairfield University

Sacred Heart University

Quinnipiac University

Trinity College

University of Hartford

University of New Haven

Wesleyan University

Yale University 

Union Chapters

Central Connecticut State University

Eastern Connecticut State University

Southern Connecticut State University

Western Connecticut State University

University of Connecticut

UConn Health