Faculty Issues and Concerns Listserver

The UW Chapter of the AAUP, now nearly 100 years old, is delighted to sponsor an important forum for faculty conversation about issues and concerns of the day. You can subscribe and unsubscribe to our “Faculty Issues and Concerns” list server here. We have 1780 subscribers at this time.  You do not have to be a member of AAUP to subscribe to the list server.

AAUP board members take turns moderating the list server. The moderator is responsible for maintaining an open and effective listserver that advances the principles of AAUP and encourages an active discussion of higher education issues and faculty rights.
Our list server has remained open to full discussion of topics of interest to the community, even when postings contradict AAUP positions or values. Moderators regard our list somewhat like letters to the editor.  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 have responsibility to make decisions that foster list’s value as public forum.

We ask people who post repeatedly to consider taking a breather to allow for others to contribute to the discussion. 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.

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

We welcome comments on this re-iteration of our policy.

SIGN UP: You do not have to be an AAUP member to subscribe. Just send a message to aaup@u.washington.edu to sign up.

CHANGE SETTINGS or UNSUBSCRIBE: Subscribers can change settings or unsubscribe: http://mailman13.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/aaup?

LIST ARCHIVES are available to members here: https://mailman13.u.washington.edu/mailman/private/aaup/

Listserver management guidelines:

FACULTY ISSUES AND CONCERNS is a moderated listserver. The editor is responsible for maintaining an open and effective listserver that advances the principles of AAUP and encourages an active discussion of higher education issues and faculty rights. Since the listserver belongs to AAUP, it is not an open forum. The editor exercises judgment in selecting items for publication. If a conflict should arise over the rejection of a message, the editor shall consult with the backup editor. If the rejected message comes from a member of the Executive Committee and cannot be otherwise resolved through three-party consultation, the full Executive Committee shall be consulted and shall decide whether or not to publish the item. ———- (Executive Committee resolution passed October 7, 2003)

FACULTY ISSUES AND CONCERNS encourages contributions and discussion on issues relating to higher education in general and the University of Washington faculty issues in particular. The editors try to balance the goal of open discussion with the recognition that 1700 subscribers do not want their inboxes overwhelmed with messages. Here are some reasons that the editors may reject messages:

• Incivility. Please, no personal attacks or rude remarks.
• Redundancy. We try to stop back and forth exchanges. One or two comments per person in a particular exchange is about right.
• Inconsequentiality. Short comments that add little to a discussion are usually discarded.
• Political advocacy. State ethics regulations prohibit use of university resources for lobbying or partisan electoral politics.
• Non-AAUP events and/or advertising. We do not post event announcements unless endorsed or approved by UWAAUP.

TECHNICAL NOTE: