# Faculty Issues and Concerns Listserve Policy (updated 26 June 2024)

The Faculty Issues and Concerns Listserve aims to foster constructive, respectful dialogue on matters pertaining to higher education and faculty rights, especially at the University of Washington.

Purpose and Tone

The listserve is owned by the UW Chapter of the American Association of University Professors, now more than 100 years old. Our mission is to advance academic freedom and shared governance; to define fundamental professional values and standards for higher education; to promote the economic security and working conditions of all categories of faculty, academic professionals, graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and all those engaged in teaching and research in higher education; to develop the standards and procedures that maintain quality in education; to help the higher education community organize to make our goals a reality; and to ensure higher education’s contribution to the common good. Founded in 1918, the chapter has worked with allies to shape public higher education in Washington State by opposing privatization and corporate control, promoting diversity and equity, and advocating for accessible, high-quality education.

 We encourage thoughtful, evidence-based contributions to the faculty conversation on our Listserve that promote understanding and collaboration among our diverse academic community.

Subscription Information

– The UW Chapter of the AAUP sponsors this forum for faculty conversation.

– Current subscriber count: 2243 (as of 2024)

– You do not need to be an AAUP member to subscribe, but we encourage joining to support our mission.

– To subscribe: Visit http://mailman13.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/aaup and fill in the form

– To change settings or unsubscribe: Visit http://mailman13.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/aaup

– An archive of past messages to the listserve is available to members here: https://mailman13.u.washington.edu/mailman/private/aaup/

Moderation Guidelines

Our listserve is moderated to maintain quality and relevance. AAUP board members take turns moderating the list server. The moderator is responsible for maintaining an open and effective listserve that advances the principles of AAUP and encourages an active discussion of higher education issues and faculty rights.

Moderators may reject messages for the following reasons:

1. Incivility: No personal attacks or rude remarks.
2. Redundancy: We limit back-and-forth exchanges to maintain focus.We ask people who post repeatedly to consider taking a breather to allow for others to contribute to the discussion. 
3. Inconsequentiality: Brief comments that add little to a discussion may be discarded.
4. Partisan political advocacy: State ethics regulations prohibit use of university resources for lobbying or partisan electoral politics.
5. Non-AAUP events/advertising: We post event announcements only when endorsed or approved by UWAAUP or when there is overwhelming and compelling reason to alert people to an event.

Before posting, please consider:

– Does your message add new information and evidence, is it true?

– Have you reviewed your tone and wording for potential misinterpretation?

– How does your message contribute to a constructive dialogue?

– Might a private response be more appropriate than a post to all 2000 members?

Moderators regard our list somewhat like letters to the editor.  Therefore, our listserve has remained open to full discussion of topics of interest to the community, even when postings contradict AAUP positions or values. Repetitive posts tax our readership and risk the usefulness of our forum for communication. Similarly, attacks diminish the likelihood others will participate in the discussion for fear of becoming targets of the next attack.  Our moderators encourage discussion but they are responsible to make decisions that foster the list’s value as a public forum.

We may need to impose individual moratoriums on occasion, to maintain the quality of the forum. AAUP’s commitment to academic freedom is the soul of our mission.

Repeated violations of these guidelines may result in temporary or permanent removal from the listserve, at the discretion of the moderators.

Bottom line: our list server is a moderated forum guided by the values of AAUP, not an open bulletin board.

Appeals Process

If you believe your post was incorrectly rejected, you may appeal the decision by contacting the current moderator at aaup@uw.edu. Please provide a clear explanation of why you believe your post aligns with our guidelines. 

Community Feedback

To ensure our listserve remains valuable to all members, we will periodically seek feedback on the effectiveness of these guidelines and the overall quality of discussions. Your input helps us maintain a vibrant and collegial forum.

We welcome comments on this policy. For any questions or concerns, please contact aaup@u.washington.edu.