"Committee A" at MU is the chapter level Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure. It is composed of the members of the Executive Committee of the Misericordia University chapter of the AAUP. In its mission, it is analogous to Committee A at the AAUP national level. As such, Committee A promotes principles of academic freedom, tenure, and due process in higher education through the dissemination and explanation of the policy documents and reports relating to these subjects published by the AAUP, and through the application of those principles to particular situations that are brought to the Committee's attention.
Many think that the idea of academic freedom refers primarily to research and publication. However, most violations of academic freedom involve teaching (both in and outside the classroom), shared governance and due process.
If you are a non-tenured faculty member (or even a tenured faculty member), there may be times when you cannot express your ideas about program issues, shared governance of the college or university, or even the design and content of your own classes without fear of reprisal from a chair, a dean, or some other member of the administration. You may experience the faculty being shut out of, or left only cursorily informed about important financial decisions and budgeting priorities that affect instruction, or impact faculty salaries. Your teaching may be wrongfully fettered by intrusive administrative requirements, priorities or excessive oversight irrelevant or even damaging to academic quality. You may be denied teaching or funding opportunities, or be negatively evaluated because of your political beliefs, your religious views, or your LGBTQ status. You may be negatively evaluated for being "uncollegial," or "divisive" because you challenge the decisions or actions of your colleagues or administrators, or for simply voicing opposing opinions, or raising uncomfortable truths. You may be intimidated into self-censorship, or subjected to administrative censorship or suspension, because of targeted harassment or threats by outside organizations critical of the content of your courses, your scholarship, or the views you express outside the classroom. If you are tenured, you may be forced through a post-tenure review process that requires you to defend your tenured status or face sanctions. Worst of all, you may be non-renewed, or terminated without being granted full due process rights.
Whether you are full time or part time, contingent, tenured, or tenure-track, these are all examples of violations of your academic freedom as a member of the faculty of an institution of higher learning, and they can happen even at an institution like Misericordia. If you feel that your academic freedom, or that of the faculty or any of its members, is being or has been violated, ignored, undermined, or threatened, or if you simply have concerns or questions about academic freedom and tenure, the MU AAUP is here to help. Welcome to "Committee A."
While Committee A at MU does not have the authority to carry out formal investigations on behalf of the AAUP, it does serve as a confidential "first contact" committee for complaints and concerns about academic freedom and tenure, due process and shared governance from the Misericordia faculty and can serve as an informal investigative body. Drawing on over 100 years of AAUP expertise in defending academic freedom, Committee A can give you actionable advice on AAUP principles and policies . It can provide you with direct, personal contact with the AAUP Pennsylvania State Conference leadership, as well as seasoned experts at the National AAUP office in Washington, and serve as your advocate. All information regarding complaints or questions is kept completely confidential.
Anyone at Misericordia with a concern or complaint regarding academic freedom or tenure may contact the Executive Committee of the chapter. You do not need to be a member of the AAUP to seek help.
You may contact Committee A by contacting the following chapter officers:
Matt Swanson (President):
Department of Philosophy, Misericordia University, 301 Lake Street, Dallas, PA, 18612; 570-674-6775.
Institutional email: mswanson@misericordia.edu.
Marnie Hiester (Vice President):
Department of Psychology, Misericordia University, 301 Lake Street, Dallas, PA, 18612; 570-674-6316.
Institutional email: mhiester@misericordia.edu.
Again, any communication to Committee A regarding academic freedom and tenure will be treated with the utmost confidentiality.