Campus Environment Fact Checks
A vibrant and diverse campus is what makes Ohio University special. Unfortunately, unions have a terrible track record in supporting differing viewpoints. For those of you afraid to voice dissent or dare to ask questions of the union, you already know this deep down. Let's take a look at what the data show.
UAOU Claim: their alliance would secure "a just, safe, equitable, and collegial environment for teaching, learning, research, creative activity, and service;" and "defend academic freedom, the key to an open and unfettered society"
Fact Check: False, unions hurt freedom of expression and speech across Ohio's unionized public universities.
The Facts: The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expressions (FIRE), which is one of the most active defenders of academic freedom in the United States, ranks colleges on the ability to express viewpoints. When comparing non-unionized public schools versus the unionized public schools in Ohio one sees that unionized schools perform significantly worse. On average the unionized schools were scored 47.18 versus non-unionized schools ranking of 54.35 (Source: FIRE).
UAOU Claim: "to ensure the sustained and substantial commitment of university resources to OU’s core mission of teaching and research, specifically to academic programs which cultivate students’ intellectual and personal development, lift up the voices of our diverse communities in Southeast Ohio, and generate internationally recognized research and scholarship;"
Fact Check: False, unions send your dues outside of the community.
The Facts: Notice that when pressed about dues organizers deflect and downplay the amount of money leaving the community. In fact, it's tough to find numbers which makes one wonder, what exactly are they hiding? Let's use Cleveland State University's AAUP chapter to shed some light: 38% of all dues leave not just their community but the state and go to the national AAUP; another 4% goes to the state AAUP - so more than 40% of dues leave the community (Source: CSU-AAUP).