The Ghost Faculty Association          President Waterbury: "I don't advise our faculty to unionize; it will kill their intellectual mission and academic excellence."      The AUB Administration does not recognize the AUB Faculty Association and is reluctant to deal with it.  Who defends the rights of AUB professors?  If professors do not feel secure, what will be the effect on the quality of education?    While most people believe that life at AUB is close to heaven, investigating the status of the AUB Faculty Association reveals "the other side of paradise."  When asked about their opinions on how the University deals with its faculty members, all professors interviewed refused to have their names published.  "What if I get a phone call asking me about my interview with Outlook?" "What if they don't renew my contract?" and "Let this be off the record," were heard frequently from faculty members when asked about their current status on the academic, social and material levels.  There is no doubt that AUB faculty feel intimidated and insecure about voicing freely their opinions about their problems and concerns.     In December 1985 the Lebanese Ministry of the Interior recognized the Association of Faculty at the American University of Beirut as a non-profit organization with several aims, among which were "improving the status of faculty and defending their rights at the social, academic and material levels" and "serving as a link between faculty and the Administration."     Ever since the Association was formed it imposed itself as the de facto representative of the AUB faculty:  meetings were held with Lebanese officials such as Prime Minister Hariri; statements condemning kidnappings of faculty members during the war years were issued, and elections were organized just as in any other syndicate or union.  The major problem the Association faced was to get the official recognition of the Administration by incorporating the body known as the Faculty Association in the University corporate bylaws.       But President Waterbury states clearly, "We don't and will not recognize the Faculty Association."     This issue of recognition is indeed a controversy.  At one time, the Association had an office in Ada Dodge Hall and its president met officially with University President Frederick Herter in the early '90s.  All these events prove that the Administration recognized the Association, at least when President Herter was in charge.  When confronted with documents supporting these facts President Waterbury commented, "The only way to recognize a body on campus is to incorporate it in the University corporate bylaws."  When asked if AUB overruled the Lebanese government on this issue of recognition, President Waterbury answered, "No, but legally speaking we don't have to recognize it."     This statement might lead to the conclusion that when the Administration needed the Association, especially during the war years when trustees and senior administrators exercised their duties from New York, the Administration recognized the Association.     President Waterbury insists on the fact that the University Senate is the body which represents faculty members at large through elections and deals with all aspects of their interests.  He also highlighted the role to be played by the different Senate committees and especially the Senate Committee on Faculty Affairs: "I would like the Senate to be more active than it is today."       Faculty members respond to these arguments by affirming that there is intimidation even within the Senate, which also has members from the Administration such as the president, provost, registrar, vice presidents and deans, who are "on the other side."  Also, intimidation is perceived because voting within the Senate is generally done by a show of hands.  "No one wants to be singled out or alienated."  "If voting was by secret ballot it would have made a big difference," according to one faculty member.      On the other hand the Senate Committee on Faculty Affairs is a recommending committee that is generally not consulted when the Administration sets policies as was the case with the latest housing policy.  Waterbury explained that the issue of housing, "unlike what is stated in the senate bylaws, . . . is a privilege and not a benefit.  I will move to amend the Senate bylaws soon."    Other sources of intimidation are seen in the issue of promotions and the absence of tenure contracts.  Tenure contracts are contracts signed for life with faculty members.  Those contracts were suspended during the war years, obviously due to the circumstances at the time: "We all once got a letter of end of service.  They wanted to close the University during the war and we agreed on continuing to teach without remuneration."  If tenure contracts existed, faculty members would have felt more secure and immune to any discriminating measure taken by the Administration.    The issue of promotions is an additional source of concern to faculty members.  In order to get promoted a professor needs to go through a procedure of four levels and be evaluated by colleagues higher in rank, by the chairman of the department, the dean of the faculty, external evaluators, the Advisory Committee of the faculty, the Board of Deans, the University president, and, finally, the Board of Trustees, which has the final decision.  If a professor is not promoted after a certain number of years, he is either demoted to lecturer or his contract is not renewed.  It is the famous "up or out" policy.  A final detail: a candidate for promotion can go through this procedure only once and "there is no grievance allowed except for procedural matters."  In fact the Grievance Committee that faculty referred to in the past has witnessed a limitation of its powers.  "If one is unfairly demoted his only resort is to go to courts and sue the University."  "There is a lot of subjective evaluation in this procedure."  "There is much room for non-academic evaluation: events of the kind that took place in the past prove it.  If one wants to get promoted he has to secure good relations with his superiors," say faculty members.  President Waterbury responds: "This is the standard procedure for promotions in American universities.  I am aware that instances where professors were unfairly demoted took place in the past.  We cannot reopen those files or else we will never end.  I will make sure that as long as I am president such events won't occur".     Problems also occur on the salaries level: "How can a faculty member whose rank is higher than another's get a lower salary?" ask angry faculty.  Waterbury responds: "It is a simple market policy:  when we are unable to recruit for a certain position we raise the offered salary."  When asked, "What if faculty members go on strike?  Would the Administration fire them all or fire the members of the executive board of the Faculty Association?" President Waterbury responded: "It is a hypothetical question on which I have no comment".     In the United States, university professors formed  the American Association for University Professors" (www.aaup.org), which publishes reports on faculty participation in institutional governance in American universities including a blacklist of sanctioned institutions where faculty have no say in institutional governance.  Should AUB be included in this list?      In a university preaching freedom of speech and liberal teaching, the basic human right of association is being limited.  We always used to think that AUB was immune to attempts on basic freedoms that take place off campus.  We were wrong and naïve.  In a country where unions are being denied the right of free action AUB constitutes no exception.  By denying to faculty their right to unionize the Administration is losing a big opportunity, that of developing this institution towards the better.     How do they expect insecure faculty to live more abundantly?  How do they expect a professor to do his best if he is constantly under the threat of not having his contract renewed?     One consensus among all faculty interviewed is that the quality of education we as students are getting in AUB is undermined considerably by the fact that faculty members feel insecure: they feel they don't belong to the community anymore.     As one faculty member put it: "If College Hall gets bombed again I won't cry like I did the last time!"