The Blog of UMD AAUP

Dear UMD AAUP members, We are writing to ask you to consider taking action on two important pieces of legislation that directly impact members of the UMD campus community. The first is SB0658—a bill advanced by the Fearless Student Employees (FSE) of UMD that would grant graduate students the right…

We received an overwhelming response from our members last month when we surveyed you on the university leadership’s abrupt decision to drop classroom mask protections. As we outline in our open letter to UMD leadership, we believe this decision to be out of step with the science and the practice…

You are invited to a gathering (yes in person!) to discuss AAUP priorities here at UMD-College Park and to meet each other. It will take place at The Hall on Friday, November 12, 5-7pm.   The Hall is a new restaurant behind The Hotel in College Park, with great outdoor…

Dear colleagues, UMD AAUP has some very exciting news to share soon—so be on the lookout for another email from us soon!—but in the meantime there is a very important issue that we would like to ask you to take action on.Did you know that UMD graduate student stipends, when…

Our survey of our members at the start of the Fall 2022 semester revealed a high level of concern regarding classroom transmission of COVID19, and the unilateral decision by UMD administration to not require masking in instructional settings (covered here). Many of us have no control over the air quality…

On April 22nd, 2022, UMD AAUP presented the results of our comprehensive independent financial analysis of the University of Maryland, College Park. Led by university finance expert Professor Howard Bunsis, we reviewed the data on the university’s financial situation. (A video of this presentation is above, linked here too.) The…

Have you ever wondered how UMD spends all its money? Or why there always seems to be money available for athletics, fancy new buildings, and the sky-high salaries of university upper administrators, but the university pleads poverty when we ask for living wages for staff and graduate students, meaningful childcare…

We are excited to write and invite you to the Labor Solidarity Picnic, which is being put on by the staff union AFSCME Local 1072 and the student organization USAS Local 54. UMD AAUP will also be participating and speaking at the event, and we encourage you all to consider…

Dear Colleagues, Are you troubled by the direction that the University of Maryland has headed in recent years?  We are.  In March 2021, we relaunched the University of Maryland Chapter of the American Association of University Faculty (UMD AAUP) because we believe a different university is possible.  If you too…