Penn’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors will focus its efforts on open expression and faculty governance this academic year.
The group, which spans the University’s 12 graduate schools, organizes instructors and researchers to advocate for causes on campus. Communication professor and AAUP-Penn chapter president Jessa Lingel outlined the organization’s upcoming advocacy plans in an interview with The Daily Pennsylvanian.
“Open expression is a really important issue for our group because it affects every part of teaching and learning at Penn,” Lingel said.
According to Lingel, the chapter felt that there were “fundamental flaws” with Penn’s process of revising its open expression guidelines last academic year. The group has pushed for a “much bolder set of protections for open expression and free inquiry.”
Last week, the University released a formal summary of community feedback that detailed sharp criticism of its open expression proposals — including points made at listening sessions in April.
Lingel said that it was “disturbingly ironic” that the listening sessions, which AAUP-Penn attended, lacked “publicly accessible documentation” and transparency.
“It’s great that the Provost’s Office released their notes on how those listening sessions went,” Lingel said, though she added that “it was problematic that there wasn’t as much transparency as we think there should have been” because the sessions came at “a very busy time of the semester.”
In addition to opinion pieces on open expression, AAUP-Penn has put together a timeline of the guidelines to ensure “people have as much information as possible.”
RELATED:
Penn publishes summary of community feedback on open expression draft guidelines
Penn community criticizes ‘unsalvageable’ draft open expression guidelines at listening session
“I think we’re worried that it will be considered a win if we go back to the rights we had in 2022,” Lingel said. “We’re hoping that people will think much more expansively about really protecting free inquiry, free speech, open expression on campus.”
Another key issue for AAUP-Penn is “the inclusion of non-tenure track faculty in decisions that matter for them and having their rights as workers and as vital members of our community respected.”
Last spring, the chapter expressed concerns about how the College of Arts and Sciences revised its curriculum, arguing that faculty should reject the changes because of insufficient inclusion of non-tenure track faculty.
Lingel said that the chapter is “grateful that the issue of non-tenure track faculty is being addressed by the Faculty Senate.” She encouraged “any efforts to build a teaching track that would provide more job security and more dignity.”
This year, AAUP-Penn will continue its focus on federal issues impacting faculty and students on campus.
“We’re going to continue organizing around federal funding cuts because that’s a huge issue for faculty research and also for opportunities for students to get engaged in research,” she said.
Uncertainty around research funding has led to a tighter budget and spending cuts across the University. This summer, Penn researchers criticized a proposed federal grant rule that would increase oversight over funding approval.
AAUP-Penn also plans to support “international students and international workers as well as undocumented students on campus” — who Lingel said are being targeted by “the current climate in higher ed.”
Under the Trump administration, international students and workers at Penn have faced a shifting environment regarding work authorization, visa lengths, and immigration benefits.
RELATED:
Penn publishes summary of community feedback on open expression draft guidelines
Penn community criticizes ‘unsalvageable’ draft open expression guidelines at listening session
Staff reporter Emma Desmet covers administration and can be reached at desmet@thedp.com. At Penn, she studies history and political science.
