The Musical Voice of Academic Labor
Akron's Own: The Ad Hoc Post-Tenure Under-Appreciated Band
Appearing soon, Unplugged and Unhinged, at a Chapter Meeting near you!
CD: Tenured Radicals
Videos from the AAUP Channel on Youtube
The Twilight of Academic Freedom
Cary Nelson describes how the shift to a majority contingent faculty is an intellectual sea change for undergraduates as well as faculty themselves.
The Academic Working Poor
Working in an airport gift shop, standing in line for free cheese, sharing a bowl of soup for dinner... these are the all-too-typical coping strategies adopted by the working poor among the contingent faculty who are now the overwhelming majority of the professoriate. In part 2 of our interview, Cary Nelson discusses the abjection of the professoriate and the role of the AAUP in pushing back against the callous, systematic exploitation of students and faculty by university management.
About AAUP: Interviews at the 2009 Summer Institute
Cary Nelson, President of AAUP; Mike Mauer, Director of Organizing and Services; Gary Rhoades, AAUP General Secretary.
Just for Fun: From the 2009 AAUP Summer Institute, Akron's Own
Ad-Hoc Post-Tenure Underappreciated Band Plays
Hey What's the Big Idea (of a University)?
Disingenuous Blues (Find this at 3:50 in the video)
Work to Rule (Find this at 6:30 in the video)
AH-PT-UA Lyrics:
Hey, What's the Big Idea (Of a University)?
It's summer time on the campus fair
The leaves are green on the trees
Chalk dust up under my nails
And over arthritic knees.
Business leaders are coming 'round
To meet dignitar-ra-lee.
It's good to see ya'
So, what's your idea of a University?
Philosophy 101
Has been changed to Patents '02
I see old ivy'ed walls
Now painted gold and blue
A million dollar advert beams
At night from my TV.
That's nice to see,
But hey, is that your idee of a University?
I heard that we're sliding on up
U.S. News & World Report polls
No. 7 in optics just last week
A good place to invest your dough
A 9 or a 10 in something called STEM,
Up from a 43.
It's good to hear
But is that the idear of a University?
The English Department is coming down
To make way for a rock climbing wall
Your graduate Milton seminar
Is now meeting in the hall
Let's freeze the library budget in time
To build a sports facility
Corporate acclaim,
Say that in the name of a University!
I say Corporate acclaim now say that in the name of a University!
Disingenuous Blues
Chalk dust on my fingers
Class notes on my mind
Endless committee meetings
Are widening my behind
Seems like indecision
Is the only campus news
I got the top-down management, corporate structured, disingenuous blues.
Department chairs tell me one thing
While deans have a different take
So many different big ideas
With no time for one to bake.
So I go hide in my office
Just to escape these deadly views.
I got the top-down management, corporate structured, disingenuous blues.
The word comes down from the admin hall
The Academic Plan
An innovative strategy
To help the common man
With graphs and charts and narrative
Everything but clues
It’s just a slightly different version
Of them same old disingenuous
I got them .pdf delivery system
Visionary corporate sponsored
Top-down management
Disingenuous blues.
Work to Rule
I got a job like others do
Teaching classes
Advising too
I write my books
Do committee work too
I do it all
For ole State U.
I love my work
And my students too
I’ll do your free stuff
For a contract new
But mama didn’t raise nobody’s fool
If you keep stallin’
I’ll work to rule
Teachin’ overloads for no more pay
Independent studies
Most every day
We want a voice but you don’t care
Your deal comes first & you won’t share.
I love my work
And my students too
I’ll do your free stuff
For a contract new
But mama didn’t raise nobody’s fool
If you keep stallin’
I’ll work to rule
Your pretty smart folks
Can’t you see our view
We’ve been here longer
Than any of you
Well be here after you
Find a new venue
But until you’ve left us
We’ll work to rule
I’ve got some brothers
And sisters too
Who work real hard the way I do
Our mamas didn’t raise us to be your fools
Just keep on stallin’
We’ll work to rule
If you keep on stallin’
We’ll work to rule
Keep playin’ hardball
We’ll work to rule
You can shove your RTP
We’ll work to rule