Higher Education Quick Takes

The Delegate Assembly of the United University Professions, the faculty union of the State University of New York, has adopted a package of measures designed to promote the interests of non-tenure-track faculty members. The UUP, affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers and the American Association of University Professors, pledged to adopt a system in which adjuncts who go on and off payroll can remain members of the union. Further, each campus chapter will have an officer focused on contingent issues, and at least one spot on the statewide union's executive board will be held by someone off the tenure track.

Baylor and Brandeis Universities, both universities that have faced faculty-president conflicts and struggled to find the right balance for their religious ties, have turned corners, according to separate articles. The New York Times examines Kenneth Starr's performance at Baylor, where he is being called a "unifier." The Forward says that Frederick Lawrence has achieved "near rock star status" at Brandeis.

For several years now, groups that question affirmative action have organized bake sales to make their point -- sometimes attracting little attention and sometimes setting off widespread debate. Republican students at the University of California at Berkeley are planning a "diversity bake sale" for Tuesday, and they appear to be falling into the latter category. Postings by the Republicans on Facebook say that the event is to protest legislation -- currently before Governor Jerry Brown -- that would authorize the state's public universities to consider race in admissions decisions. (California voters banned such consideration in a referendum whose backers vow to challenge the legislation if Governor Brown signs the bill.) The Republican announcement of the bake sale states that a differential pricing system will allow for "equitable distribution of baked goods to our diverse student body." White people will be charged $2 per pastry, Asian people $1.50, Latinos $1, African Americans 75 cents, and Native Americans 25 cents. Women will be allowed to take 25 cents off their racial or ethnic price point. Comments posted on The Daily Californian's website show some people calling the bake sale racist, while others say it is humorous.

Faculty members at the University of Rhode Island are demanding an investigation into the unexpected resignation of Andrew Winters, who was assistant to the vice president of student affairs, and whether his departure has to do with his work advising a gay student group, The Providence Journal reported. The student group held a sit-in to protest what it considered inadequate efforts to support gay students on the campus in February, and many students and faculty members praised the group for focusing attention on the issue. But Winters received a reprimand shortly after the incident, leading to the questions about his departure. The university said that he retired, and denied that he was forced out.