Olivia Allery, new editor

Augsburg’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) had new leaders elected this past week. Professor of English, Lindsay Starck, was elected President, Associate Professor of Biology, Matthew Beckman, was elected vice president, and Associate Professor of Music, Jill Dawe, was elected secretary.

AAUP seeks to create a supportive campus environment that advocates for all professors and faculty. Starck explained to the Echo, “Federal law prohibits faculty members at private universities from organizing or participating in collective bargaining through labor unions, the AAUP is the place where faculty can express their concerns and work toward the kind of strong community and professional environment that benefits and sustains the whole campus,” she said.

The group wants to keep this at the forefront as they settle into their new positions.“Our primary goals are to generate more opportunities for faculty members to connect with each other […] improve communications between the faculty and the administration, and to increase the role of faculty members in university governance.” 

The new electees also have goals of expanding the AAUP’s membership to any faculty that may be interested. “We welcome all new members to the organization – particularly new faculty. If there are instructors or professors who are interested in AAUP but don’t quite know what it’s about or how to get involved, we hope they contact one of us,” said Starck. “Augsburg’s chapter also offers a significant discount to new members!”

Overall Starck, Beckman, and Dawe are excited about the future with AAUP and where it could go, “We feel optimistic! This is a challenging time for small universities like ours, since budgets are tight and burnout is real,” said Starck. “But we’re hopeful that through these kinds of challenges, faculty will be able to find each other, listen to each other, and advocate for each other.”