Miami AAUP leadership and members stand in solidarity with our non-renewed colleagues. We fervently wish that we had the power to do more in the current moment to help you keep your jobs and continue to do the valuable work you have been doing with Miami students. We have collected the following information we hope will be useful to you as you make the transition away from Miami, and we wish you the very best.
Miami resources
- Miami page: Resources for faculty not receiving an annual reappointment
- Faculty with questions can contact Celia Ellison, director of Academic Personnel, directly. Thanks to Celia for her help.
Unemployment applications
- Applying for unemployment insurance in Ohio
- Q&A on unemployment benefits in Ohio (April 29, 2020 news article)
- Per recommendations from Tenure for the Common Good, AAUP asked Academic Personnel at Miami the following:
Q: Are non-renewed faculty are all being told in writing that they do not have reasonable assurance of continued employment? This would be to help you with documenting unemployment claims.
A: “The faculty on one-year appointments have the end date of the appointment on their contract for this academic year…some faculty [may also be] using the February notice letter.” Only re-appointment letters come from Academic Personnel, not letters stating non-reappointment. You may wish to ask your chair for a letter directly stating that you do not have reasonable assurance of another appointment.
NOTE: those who become unemployed during the COVID-19 epidemic do not need to try to find another job to receive unemployment compensation. This requirement was waived by the governor (see Miami’s resources page).
Q: Does Miami ever contests unemployment insurance claims filed by non-renewed faculty, and in what situations would Miami contest or not contest? We asked this to try to ensure that non-renewed faculty are in the best possible position to avoid the possibility of contestation.
A: “The final decision about unemployment rests with the state. We respond to the questions with the information we have—if a re-appointment is coming that would be reasonable assurance of another appointment. Otherwise the answer to the question is ‘no’ [i.e., the university would confirm that there is no reassurance of continuing appointment]. Each inquiry is reviewed individually.”
- Part-Time Faculty (“adjuncts”) are eligible for unemployment compensation. Please see information from New Faculty Majority, “Can Adjuncts Collect Unemployment Compensation Between Terms?” and “Unemployment Filing Season is Underway.”
- Benefits are for 26 weeks.
Health insurance
Miami’s Academic Personnel office has confirmed that Health-insurance benefits for full-time faculty are in effect through August 31st. Twelve months of coverage are provided for nine-month positions.
Emergency Fund
Miami AAUP has started an emergency fund for contingent faculty at miamiaaup.org/donate. This fund consists entirely of donations from members and supporters; it is not large and we do not want to raise outsized hopes by advertising it as a resource. (We are an all-volunteer organization and do not receive any state or national resources.) So we are seeking input from contingent faculty about how to use and distribute the fund in the most useful way. Please inquire, seek help, or offer input at miamiaaup /at/ gmail /dot/ com.