Greetings AAUP-CSU Members and Supporters,
We’ve got a lot going on this month. Keep reading to learn more about boosting AAUP-CSU’s candidate for Faculty Council Board of Governors Representative, attending our panel at the CSU Democracy Summit, and joining our table at the No Kings III rally (we’re working on a cool app for you to download in advance!). We’ve moved our monthly general meeting to campus and are drawing a bigger group of folks. We’d love for you to come (whether you’re a member or not), share your concerns, and get involved. It’s a great way to make connections with folks across the university.
[Take Action] [Stay Informed] [Get Support] [Join AAUP-CSU]
Take Action
Monthly meeting | Monday, March 2, 4:00-5:00pm | Ramskeller
We gather monthly to plan actions, discuss concerns, and build solidarity. All are welcome (faculty, staff, students, and community members). This month we’ll be discussing how you can plug into one of our committees (budget, events, communications, CCA faculty, and policy/governance). Not all of these committees have in-person meetings, so if you want to be involved but can’t make it to a regular meeting, there are still opportunities to make a difference!
Support Karrin Anderson for Faculty Council Representative to the Board of Governors!
On Tuesday, March 3, at 4:00pm, faculty council members will be voting for new officers. AAUP-CSU is supporting Karrin Anderson for Faculty Council Representative to the Board of Governors. Anderson, a member of AAUP-CSU’s executive committee, has decades of experience in different faculty roles, a diverse record of service to the university and in faculty council, and shares AAUP-CSU’s commitment to administrative transparency, academic freedom, DEIJ, and making all appointment types secure and fairly compensated. You can read candidate statements in the March Faculty Council agenda (Anderson’s is on pp. 53-54). Please reach out to your departmental and college representatives before March 3 and urge them to vote for Karrin Anderson! A list of faculty council representatives is available on the Faculty Council website.
AAUP-CSU at the Democracy Summit: “Forbidden Knowledge in Illiberal Times”
On Wednesday, March 11, from 1:00-1:50 in LSC 386, AAUP-CSU Vice President Gretchen Steidley will be moderating a teach-in highlighting the impact of funding cuts and legislative restrictions on academic freedom at CSU, focusing on research and teaching areas under attack, from climate and environmental justice to equity and anti-racism. Panelists will share their experiences, discuss the consequences of censorship for democratic dialogue, and spotlight the “forbidden knowledge” that is essential to evidence-based research. The session is co-sponsored by AAUP-CSU and UCW-CSU and underscores the importance of defending academic freedom and rigorous scholarship. Speakers will be:
- Maggie Clark, Associate Professor and Head of the Epidemiology Affinity Group in the Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at CSU
- Chris O’Dell, Senior Research Scientist and Scholar at Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere
- Stephanie Malin, Professor of Sociology, Founding Co-Director of the Center for Environmental Justice at CSU.
AAUP-CSU at No Kings III
Join us at at the third No Kings rally, Saturday, March 28, 10:00am-2:00pm at Civic Center Park. We will be tabling and are looking for volunteers! We’re building a cool app for the event. Watch this space for more information!
Stay Informed
Faculty Groups Object to the Process for Naming New Chancellor
The CSU Board of Governors voted unanimously to appoint Rico Munn as the next chancellor of the CSU system, after a truncated, atypical, and highly problematic search process that produced one sole finalist. AAUP-CSU, CSU’s faculty council, CSU’s Administrative Professional Council, and CSU’s Multicultural Staff and Faculty Council submitted letters to the board objecting to the process, and outlets like Colorado Public Radio, the Colorado Sun, and the Coloradoan reported extensively on faculty and staff objections. AAUP-CSU President Mary Van Buren and Communications and Organizing Co-Chair Brian Munsky attended the board meeting in person in advance of the final vote to urge the board to initiate a search process that included input from CSU faculty and staff and that followed nationally recognized best practices.
AAUP-CSU will continue to put pressure on CSU’s upper administration to abide by its shared governance obligation.
The “Dear Colleague” Letter is Dead. So, What Now?
Inside Higher Ed reports:
In the year since Education Secretary Linda McMahon declared all race-based programming illegal and sent universities across the country scrambling, the sweeping Dear Colleague letter that catalyzed the chaos has effectively been killed.
As multiple courts blocked the controversial policy from taking effect and the Education Department dropped its challenge to the ruling, advocates for diversity, equity and inclusion have celebrated the document’s demise. And many of the plaintiffs in those cases have declared Trump’s retreat a “major victory,” urging college leaders to confidently rekindle race-based programs that had been snuffed out as an act of precaution.
But recent statements and actions from the Trump administration suggest the effort to end all diversity, equity and inclusion programs is far from over. And other legal experts with more separation from the court cases warn that ED and other federal agencies still have a variety of other tools to use in the DEI crackdown.
Read the rest of the article here. AAUP is filing many of the lawsuits the Trump administration is losing in court. Your national dues support folks on the front lines of the battle to restore academic freedom and support all students and faculty.
Get Support
AAUP works for you!
Join AAUP lawyers and the Middle East Studies Association for a virtual panel “Immigrants’ Rights and Higher Education: What to Know Amid New Assaults and Key Wins,” Friday, March 6, 3:00-4:00pm MST. Open to AAUP national members.
Join Palestine Legal and the AAUP for a virtual panel, “Defending Faculty Under Attack: Academic Freedom, Title VI, and Supporting Faculty Through Politicized Discrimination Investigations,” a training and stragegy session focused on supporting faculty who are subject to investigation and discipline for advocacy on issues such as Palestine or diversity. Wednesday, March 11, 10:30-noon MST. Open to AAUP national members.
Check out AAUP’s collection of reports, articles, and books on a variety of topics in AAUP’s Issues in Higher Ed page. Use their research to advocate for faculty and students on our campus!
Membership has its benefits! Check out the resources available to national AAUP members, including webinars, toolkits, a subscription to Academe, and benefits from the American Federation of Teachers.
Join AAUP-CSU
Membership Drive
The AAUP@CSU is mobilizing to respond to threats aimed at higher education and changes faculty are experiencing on campus.
We want to grow our numbers and we need your help! Invite your colleagues and friends to connect with AAUP@CSU:
- Sign up for our newsletter.
- Become a member or supporter.
- Attend our monthly meeting the first Monday of each month, 4:00-5:00 p.m., at Ramskeller in the Lory Student Center.
