By Elijah Westbrook

As of May, 16 Quinnipiac University professors were laid off from their jobs. According to the New Haven Register, five of them were recently reinstated. The New Haven Register says, “That may not be good enough for a state watchdog group, which says it is keeping an eye on the university.”

Quinnipiac is carefully being watched under the Connecticut State Conference, American Association of University Professors.

An anonymous university source who spoke to the New Haven Register said they “Are not yet prepared to request that the national office undertake a formal investigation into these matters that could lead to censure or sanction of Quinnipiac, but we are continuing to monitor the events.”

Quinnipiac University Vice President for Public Affairs Lynn Bushnell declined to further speak on the issue, but simply said, “The university does not comment on personnel matters.”

AAUP is a group that protects the rights of university faculty and standards in higher learning.

The organization wrote a letter on Tuesday to Quinnipiac President John Lahey, saying that they disagree with the decision being made because of the lack of communication with the faculty.

According to the New Haven Register, the AAUP is offering assistance to faculty members who were affected by the decision. The letter stated, “Even this positive action seems to have been undertaken unilaterally by the administration. …These precipitous non-renewals and the subsequent reinstatement decision were made with no consultation with appropriate faculty bodies.”

The AAUP stated that they will support faculty members who were affected during this time.

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