University of Washington chapter
American Association of 
University Professors  

AAUP-UW STATEMENT:  PRINCIPLES TO GUIDE BUDGETARY DECISIONS (12/15/2008)


AAUP-UW is a grassroots faculty organization dedicated to advocating for academic freedom and shared governance, for improved employment conditions for UW faculty and the staff upon whom we rely, and for optimizing the education and research potential of the University. We present here a statement of the principles that we contend must guide budgetary decisions at the University of Washington, in the current economic crisis.

The UW Administration Should Adopt the Following Principles:

PROCESS:  Respect shared governance
--The Faculty Code remains in force during times of economic crisis
--Tenure-track lines must not be replaced with part-time and contingent labor

HONESTY: Share information and communicate decisions openly
--The rhetoric of shared sacrifice invites inquiry into whether/how it is shared
--Provide data and rationales on how funds are allocated within the University, in a timely manner that permits meaningful response from the impacted parties

INTEGRITY: Safeguard the University?s core academic mission
--Prioritize teaching and research (over athletics and administration)
--Prioritize students, faculty and staff (over buildings, including the stadium)
--Prioritize existing academic units (over new programs, including the College of the Environment)

FAIRNESS: Respect the work of faculty and staff
--Reduced pay and higher workloads cannot be the solution
--Higher enrollments and inferior education cannot be the solution

JUSTICE:  Mitigate the impact of cuts on the most vulnerable groups
--Lower-paid faculty and staff
--Faculty or staff on temporary or part-time contracts
--Students who are poor or otherwise disadvantaged