Gianna Hayes
Chief News Editor
Following the abrupt staff layoffs on Feb. 5 at the College, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) College of Wooster chapter released a statement on the situation.
As per their website, “The AAUP is “a union and membership association of faculty and other academic professionals.” AAUP chapters exist at a variety of institutions, including Wooster. Their mission is to advance shared governance and promote academic freedom.
Principles of shared governance have been established in previous AAUP statements, which define the policy as “shared responsibility among the different components of institutional government and … areas of primary responsibility for governing boards, administrations, and faculties.”
Characterizing the layoffs as “precipitous, cruel, and strategically questionable,” the College of Wooster’s AAUP chapter announced their agreement with Strategic Planning & Priorities Advisory Committee (SPPAC) that President Anne McCall, alongside the board of trustees, “have failed to abide by long-established principles of shared governance.”
Affirming their solidarity with the staff laid off on Feb. 5 and staff who have had to take on more responsibilities, the statement asserted that McCall and Mark Goodman, chairman of the board of trustees, “demonstrate a purposeful lack of interest in faculty, student, and staff perspectives and expertise on the financial, educational, and cultural well-being of the College.”
The statement encouraged faculty to “exercise all available avenues to restore robust shared governance practices that guarantee transparency, honesty, and accountability in decision-making at the College.” The statement ended by suggesting faculty meet to discuss next steps before the Monday, March 2 faculty meeting.
