Save Ohio Higher Ed
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Our student-faculty coalition is calling on all Ohio college administrators and political decision-makers to reinvest in students and the academic mission, for the future of our region. If you agree, sign the petition to End Misspending in Higher Education!
Formed in May 2020, Save Ohio Higher Ed (SOHE) is a coalition of higher ed workers and students across Ohio who have come together to protect higher education as a public, accessible, and equitable good. Our events educate on key issues and bring faculty, staff, students, and community members into conversation. The founding members of SOHE are Ohio State AAUP, Miami University AAUP, and Ohio University AAUP. We welcome ties with other AAUP chapters and other organizations. |
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What we do:
See our Solidarity Pledge and sign on. |
LATER FALL 2020 EVENT TOPICS :
October 15, 2020 @ 4pm: "Shared Governance for the Current Crisis and Beyond: A Primer" (aimed at academic workers serving on university senates, but open to all)
November 6, 2020 (time TBA): "Higher Education and the Larger Community"
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PAST EVENTS:
September 4, 2020: "Where Does Tuition Go?: Students Speak Out"
(video; list of video contents)
(presentation slides)
COVID-19 is not the main culprit in today's higher education crisis. In reality, the crisis stems from years of state defunding and financial mismanagement based on private-sector principles. Together, students and faculty are taking action to address systemic failures at both state and institutional levels. At this forum, two student activists - Abby Stidham, a University of Cincinnati undergraduate and cofounder of BoldlyBankrupt.com, and Angela Glotfelter, a graduate student at Miami University - analyzed the misplaced budget priorities that have led to the current crisis in Ohio higher education. Hope Jennings, professor at Wright State University, described the importance of student/faculty solidarity in the success of the 2019 Wright State strike. Past Ohio AAUP president John McNay discussed the firings and other mission-eroding cuts at Akron University and elsewhere, along with with proposals to the Ohio legislature to give voting rights to students and faculty on Boards of Trustees.
June 19, 2020: "Overcoming Inequities"
This event took place during the mass protests against the police killing of George Floyd. Our forum asked: what are the austerity effects of the public defunding of higher education, and how are these related to the inequities of well-funded public services? Chris Newfield, an expert in critical university studies, showed that state disinvestment in universities is historically parallel to the increased admission of students of color. Speakers also included Sarah Szilagy, an editor of OSU's student newspaper, the Lantern, who recounted being teargassed while covering the Columbus Black Lives Matter protests; OSU Undergraduate Student Government president Roaya Higazi, who discussed her group's joint effort to cut OSU's ties to the Columbus police; and Genesis Vaughan, an organizer against the 2015 killing of Sam Dubose by a University of Cincinnati police officer.
May 13, 2020: "Academic Workers Speak Out"
This was our inaugural meeting, and it drew people from across Ohio. Cathy Wagner, president of the Miami University AAUP, laid out the political economy of higher education. Her presentation traced links between the state legislature, Boards of Trustees, and university administrations. We also heard from Ohio University faculty speakers recently laid off despite longstanding employment and work in crucial programs, and about other threats to academic mission in university responses to the pandemic.