What are your concerns about academic freedom and the free exchange of ideas on your campus? How do you think your union could get involved?

My major concerns about academic freedom are that adjunct faculty are very vulnerable to arbitrary action by administration.
—Tom Dascenzo, MVCC Chapter, Cook County College Teachers Union, IL

My major concerns about academic freedom are that the move to corporatize universities by the formation of university level planning councils and strategic planning initiatives led by consultants from outside the university impacts greatly on the colleagialty and sharing of resources that is beginning to diminish. Everything begins to be tied to revenues instead of creativity and collaboration between and amongst departments, faculty, and Deans.
—Betty Gerena, New Jersey City University, NJ

It's not simply a matter of whether or not we should have the freedom to teach our classes in the manner we consider most effective and appropriate, it's also the assumption that some people make that we are not responsible enough to make appropriate choices! Our union should continue to fight for security for all faculty, educate the public on the importance of academic freedom.
—Phil Jack, Green River Community College Federation of Teachers, WA

My primary concern is that because close to 70% of the profession is now made up of contingent appointments, most people in the profession do not have academic freedom. I want to make sure that people with contingent appointments have their academic freedom protected.
—Robert Vodicka, Kansas Federation of Public Employees, KS

For decades now, the largest threat to academic freedom has been none other than the continuous cuts to tenured positions. The numbers are staggering and well-known, as tenured positions now constitute less than a third of all Professorships when in the 70's, they constituted about two-thirds. This is nothing less than a crisis that at this point can only be resolved by labor activism and action.
—Andrew Kennis, Graduate Employees Organization, IL

I am proud to say that on our campus we had a professional development day on this exact topic. It involved faculty both full time and adjunct as well as a student. It was very well received.
—Marie Hanna, Faculty Association of Suffolk Community, NYCollege, NY