As the sixth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina passes this week, Loyola is showing signs of recovery by being removed from the American Association of University Professors censure list, which Loyola was placed on due to acts following Katrina.
According to the AAUP’s website, the organization was created to “develop and advance principles and standards of sound academic practice governing the relationship between faculty and their institutions,” including establishing “principals on academic freedom and tenure.”
The AAUP’s website also states that its staff institutes these principles across campuses nationwide and resolves any disputes through various forms of communication. In the situation that a dispute cannot be resolved or “a major departure from (association-supported) standards remains unresolved,” the institution will be placed on their censure list.
The censure list is a list of institutions that have not been satisfactorily following these principles. According to the AAUP, the list is published to inform members, the profession and public that conditions of academic freedom and tenure deemed unsatisfactory have been found at these institutions.
In order to be officially placed on or taken off the list, the association must vote on it at their annual meeting.
Following Katrina in 2006, Loyola made changes due to low enrollment and its closure for a semester. These changes are addressed in Pathways, the strategic plan that reshuffled and cut academic programs within the university. Pathways divided the existing colleges and departments into the current five distinct colleges.
As a result of the downsizing, the university cut several academic programs all together and, in turn, fired faculty members, including those who were tenured.
The AAUP censured Loyola along with Tulane University, University of New Orleans, Our Lady of Holy Cross College and Southern University at New Orleans for similar measures after Katrina.
“Everyone was looking for ways to create economies to help the university, but the administration created and implemented the Pathways plan as a cost-saving measure, even though it didn’t have sufficient process according to the faculty handbook,” said Barbara Ewell, English professor and member of the executive council of University Senate.
Since 2007, faculty, university officials, representatives of Loyola’s AAUP chapter and University Senate have worked to resolve these issues, and this past June, the association officially voted to take Loyola off the list.
“I am happy that we were removed from the list and thank Dr. Kvet, the University Senate and the AAUP local chapter for working together for the removal,” said University President the Rev. Kevin Wildes, S.J.
Kristen Himmelberg can be reached at
