The unions representing Eastern Michigan University’s faculty members and lecturers are in a public battle against the university over its partnership with an online education provider.
The American Association of University Professors and the Eastern Michigan University Federation of Teachers have pooled funds to launch an ad campaign, in which they are asking students and faculty to petition for the suspension of the university’s contract with Academic Partnerships, an online program manager. AAUP accuses the university of breaking its contract by failing to consult with the faculty before adding new, online programs.
The union leaders are demanding that the university stop marketing online programs until they can review the arrangement. They argue that the online courses provided by the company may not compare to the quality of instruction received in the classroom and could damage the university’s reputation as a result.
University leaders beg to differ.
Geoff Larcom, executive director of media relations for EMU, says that Academic Partnerships is “marketing programs that already existed and for which faculty input has already been given.”
In reality, unions aren’t concerned about the quality of education students are receiving. They are concerned that their members might be replaced by virtual professors and that the substitution of online courses will reduce demand for tenured employees.
The self-serving efforts of these unions could cost students thousands of dollars if they are successful.
As many universities try to boost their attendance every year, students are often left scrambling to enroll in the courses they need to graduate, and depend on online programs to meet their curriculum requirements. Online programs cuts costs for students, including commuting costs, tuition, childcare, and rent. By offering more options, online programs help students earn their degree on time so that they don’t have to stay for an extra year.
Unfortunately, faculty unions don’t care about making education more affordable and accessible for students. They aren’t troubled by the fact that the average college graduate has more than $37,000 in student loan debt (unless, of course, they can use that statistic to their advantage). They only care about their members and will fight to the end for them, regardless of what’s best for the students who pay their salaries.
Brendan Pringle (@BrendanPringle) is a freelance journalist in California. He is a National Journalism Center graduate and formerly served as a development officer for Young America’s Foundation at the Reagan Ranch.
