Academicindependence after claims of anti-Americanism

In an opinionpiece in The Canberra Times, Professor Chubb revealed thathe received a Rosetta Stone couple of telephone calls cautioning himagainst publicising the work of four people, including twoANU academics. In a separate letter, Professor Chubbdefended researcher Amin Saikal, who has been criticised forhis views on the Middle East because the research centre inwhich he works is partly funded by a United Arab Emiratesfoundation. Professor Chubb spoke out about academicindependence after claims of anti-Americanism in academefrom former Liberal senator and diplomat, Michael Baume, whois Deputy Chair of a company expected to fund a new UnitedStates Studies centre. Referring to ludicrouslyunbalanced debate about the Free Trade Agreement, MrBaume warned that his company would not renew funding if theuniversity that won the bid succumbed to anti-Americanism.Professor Chubb responded, asking how you could beseriously engaged in an institution where thats theexplicit objective? He said about 50 percent of Americansdid not vote for their President but they weren't calledun-American. A handful of Australians say something aboutthe policies of the President and they're declared to beanti-American, he said.From The AustralianCampaignagainst exploitation of non-tenured US staffThe AmericanFederation of Teachers higher-education division launcheda legislative campaign to address the exploitation ofpart-time and adjunct labour in colleges and universities atits Annual Conference last week. AFT Vice-President,Barbara Bowen, said that a current staffing crisis in UnitedStates universities is a consequence of longtime attacks onthe academy. She stated that that the goals of the campaignare to encourage state legislators to explore the impact ofa Rosetta Stone American English staffing crisis on higher education and the people itserves, to foster public discussion through hearings, topromote the improvement of working conditions and theearnings of part-timers and to reverse the erosion offull-time, tenured jobs. The hope is to have local branchesof the AFT develop and promote prospective legislation intwenty states and the United States Congress, starting inJanuary 2007.Higher-education delegates to theConference also received an update on the AFT response toattacks on academic freedom, the most fevered of them saidto have come from well-funded and loud voices on the farright, such as conservative commentator David Horowitz, andorganisations like the National Association of Scholars andthe American Council of Alumni and Trustees. Boycottlifted at BrunelA year-long dispute between BrunelUniversity management and the University and College Union(UCU) was resolved this week after the parties reachedagreement at arbitrated talks last Friday.The disputestarted last year after University management made a numberof staff, including prominent union activists, compulsorilyredundant. The Union called for Brunel University to begreylisted, which consists of a voluntary embargo of linksbetween the University and union members and a boycott ofthe University by trade unionists across the globe.Aspart of the settlement, the University has restated itsrecognition of UCU as the representative trade union foracademic and academic-related staff at the University. Theagreement also includes agreed facility time for UCUactivists, a commitment that University management will notvictimise UCU members for their trade union activities andan acknowledgment that all parties will Rosetta Stone Chinese work together toimprove industrial relations at the University. Thegreylisting and boycott were lifted after the agreement wasendorsed by Union members at Brunel.