Faculty Alliance of Miami - AAUP

"OXFORD, Ohio — As Miami University advances plans for a new multipurpose arena, a growing coalition of faculty, students and community members is raising alarms over what could be lost alongside the project: a grove of historic trees that advocates say includes one of the oldest Osage orange trees in the country. [...]

A grassroots survey conducted independently by an interdisciplinary group of students, faculty and alumni found overwhelming support for preserving Cook Field and its surrounding green space, while also casting doubt on whether a new arena alone would significantly increase attendance, donations or national visibility for the university.

The survey, which collected responses from 3,347 participants including students, alumni, faculty, staff, parents and Oxford residents, found that 82% of respondents considered Cook Field an important part of the Miami experience, compared with just 31% who said the same about Millett Hall.

Researchers behind the survey said the findings challenge the notion that Cook Field is underutilized. Nearly half of respondents reported frequently using the area for leisure and green space, while informal physical activity ranked as the second most common use."

https://www.wcpo.com/news/education/higher-education/miami-u-news/you-cant-replace-300-years-push-grows-to-preserve-miami-universitys-historic-trees-amid-arena-project

University curricula should be determined by faculty, who are the experts, not lawmakers with no education experience. Legislators in Ohio, Texas, and elsewhere are increasingly determining colleges’ core classes and making other curricular decisions. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty/curriculum/2026/06/16/how-gop-state-lawmakers-are-reshaping-general-education

FAM and our SW Ohio labor solidarity siblings from UC, Dayton, and Wright State were all at the AAUP Summer Institute and Biennial Meeting over the weekend! Find out what we learned, and how we're more committed than ever to protecting higher ed, at today's General Membership Meeting: 1:00pm in MacMillan 114 and on Zoom. RSVP for the calendar and Zoom link: tinyurl.com/FAMGMMJune

FAM's mobile billboard drove all over Oxford during Miami's Alumni Weekend, demanding a FAIR CONTRACT NOW!; ACADEMICS OVER ARENAS!; ACADEMIC FREEDOM FOR LIBRARIANS!; and reasonable protections around Artificial Intelligence.

Want the inside scoop 🍦 on what's happening at bargaining? Have questions about summer pay? Want to share your ideas? Come to our June General Membership Meeting! Next Tuesday, June 16th at 1:00pm. FAM will provide ice cream and FAIR CONTRACT NOW! yard signs for in-person attendees! RSVP for the calendar and Zoom link: tinyurl.com/FAMGMMJune

Management cannot make unilateral changes to our pay without negotiating with us. That's why we issued a Demand to Bargain yesterday over their changes to the summer pay schedule, which have already resulted in delayed paychecks for faculty teaching this summer. We are working to get you paid as soon as possible!

A demand to bargain is when a Union finds out that the employer has made a unilateral change to a mandatory subject of bargaining (such as pay) and forces them to negotiate. As the word “mandatory” suggests, they must negotiate with our union before making any changes.

A union can file an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charge with the State Employment Relations Board (SERB) if an employer does something illegal, like refuse to bargain over a mandatory subject.

Miami University administrators must recognize that they may not make unilateral changes to terms and conditions of our employment. We are a union. As a union, we have legal rights and protections, and we WILL assert them.

Why won't management commit to teaching with human faculty? Why won't they commit not to use AI in evaluating faculty or using our scholarly output to train AI? No self-respecting university should refuse to commit to basic safeguards on AI.

Miami University is on record acknowledging that costs have gone up at least 3%. If they need more revenue to cover expenses, so do we! FAIR CONTRACT NOW!!

Miami raises tuition for undergrads, graduate students Starting in Miami University’s fall semester, new undergraduate and graduate students will be paying higher tuition, school officials announced.

Students are fans of FAM, so FAM passed out fans! 🪭 FAM members greeted students at many of the graduation ceremonies. Fans helped keep the atmosphere cool, but turned up the heat 🥵 on Management, keeping FAM visible in the crowd.

🧑‍🎓 Graduation ceremonies are a celebration of all that WE have accomplished to educate the next generation of Miami students. The University might not always recognize our efforts, but students walk down the aisle thanks to our labor!

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Miami students love and support their librarians! At last night's Late Night Study Break, FAM+students handed out a cool 500 stickers demanding a FAIR CONTRACT NOW for librarians. Shout out to and for showcasing our pro-librarian stickers on their accounts too! Students support FAM — management should too.