GA State AAUP Meeting in Augusta, May 1

Dear Colleagues:

Please accept this letter as your invitation to the Spring, 2010, Meeting of the Georgia Conference of the American Association of University Professors.   On behalf of the entire Augusta State University Chapter of AAUP, the host committee of Michelle Benedict, Mike Bishku, and Shelly Ford are honored to welcome you to our campus for the meeting on May 1, 2010, from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm in the Jaguar Student Activities Center (JSAC) Ballroom.   Please feel free to come early as we will have complimentary coffee, juice, fruit, rolls, and other continental breakfast items in the Coffeehouse  (immediately above the meeting room) from 9:00 am to 10:00 am.   A campus map is enclosed which also includes directions from Interstate 20 to campus.  The most convenient parking lot is #6 and it can be most easily reached by entering campus at the main entrance.  We also hope you will join us for a Wine and Cheese Social from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm in the Maxwell Alumni House.  Past President of AAUP@ASU and our founding member, Mark Fissel, will be available to share his experiences with chartering a new AAUP Chapter with any attendees who could benefit from his insights or who would like to share their own experiences with birthing a Chapter. 

We are most pleased to announce that President Jane McCandless and Executive Secretary Hugh Hudson have arranged for Donna Potts, English, Kansas State University, who has served as the Kansas Conference President, 2002-4, and has been president of the KSU Chapter since 2001, to be our keynote speaker.  She is currently a candidate for National President of AAUP, so we hope you will make every effort to join us for this very special honor.

Campus Food Service has graciously agreed to be available on Saturday to provide us a limited buffet in the Coffeehouse for $10.00.  Entrée choices are Rosemary Chicken or Veggie Lasagna and either will be served with green peas, vegetable rice pilaf, tossed green salad, bread, desert, and beverage.  Please contact Bill Reese at wreese@aug.edu by April 26th with your choice of entrée.

Attendees who wish to come to town the evening before or who plan to stay over should be advised that we have arranged for conference rates of $106 per night if you mention AAUP at the historic Partridge Inn.  For attendees coming to town Friday evening, Jane McCandless will host a reception at the Partridge Inn.  In addition, please note that we have enclosed information for nearby restaurants, site seeing venues, and entertainment.  We hope you will have time to enjoy the amenities and the hospitality of Georgia’s second largest city.   

Given these times of severe economic austerity, we especially relish the opportunity to meet with you and celebrate our profession and our solidarity.

Hope to see you soon,

William A. Reese, II

President, AAUP@ASU

wreese@aug.edu  706.737.1735 (office) or 706.738.9037 (home) or 706.825.6386 (cell)

Budget Cuts "Unjust"

AAUP members spoke and showed up to support a student-organized rally, 3/9/10, regarding the budget cuts. The rally was covered by The Statesboro Herald, "Budget Cuts 'Unjust'" by Jake Hallman:
"People aren't happy at Georgia Southern University. From administration to students, nobody wants state budget cuts at GSU — but how can they be avoided?
    Students, faculty and staff tackled that question and vented their frustrations at a rally Tuesday morning at Sweetheart Circle to protest the possible cuts.
    Calling the cuts “unjust,” senior philosophy major Andres Montes, one of the rally's organizers, said the protest was a historic moment of unity for the university community.
    “Our education, our future is in jeopardy,” he said to the crowd. He questioned specific programs the state is spending money on, and suggested that Georgia would be better off investing in education programs than new buildings.
    “They're trying to take away our education,” he said."