by | October 15, 2025 · 8:19 AM

AAUP-CSU suggestions for No Kings rally signs

The Oct. 18, No Kings March will likely be the biggest day of protest in US history, and the AAUP-CSU wants to ensure that this includes strong and clear support for higher education.

When making your signs, please consider promoting a message of support for Academic Freedom, Research Integrity, Curricula Independence, Student Support Services, and other key values of higher education.

The Trump Administration is bribing and threatening universities to exert direct control over educational activities to censor and silence research and education from topics ranging from Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice to Science and Health. We must stay strong and organize to resist these attacks.

If you are marching in Northern Colorado, please consider adding one of the following slides to your sign to help support the American Association of University Professors at Colorado State University.

Come to the AAUP-CSU Sign-Making party (Thursday, Oct 16, 4:30-6:30 PM, LSC Room 386) to get some logo stickers and to make signs with us.

Flyer for the Rally and March

Please print and cut out as many copies of this flyer as you can and help us to pass them out at the march. We will have extras at the AAUP-CSU booth on Saturday.

Suggested Slogans for Signs

Here are a few slogans that could help to promote the AAUP message to protect academic freedom, research integrity, curricular independence and free speech at universities.

  • Protect Education, Save Democracy, Join AAUP
  • Education is for Everyone
  • Support Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
  • Reject Trump’s University Loyalty Oath
  • No kings in the classroom.
  • Don’t Censor our Science!
  • Knowledge, not kings!
  • The free mind knows no crown.
  • Universities, not Vassals
  • Faculty Free = Liberty
  • Faculty Voice=More Choice
  • Science Helps Everyone
  • DEI shouldn’t DIE
  • Less Vought, more Thought
  • Vaccines Cause Adults
  • AAUP for Democracy
  • Science, not Superstition 
  • Education, not Deportation

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by | October 13, 2025 · 4:58 PM

AAUP-CSU Postcard Campaign to Protect Free Speech, Academic Freedom, and Student Centers

So far, the AAUP-CSU Postcard Campaign for Free Speech, Academic Freedom, and Student Centers, in partnership with the ASCSU, has collected and delivered more than 400 postcards to CSU Chancellor Tony Frank and the CSU Board of Governors! The campaign has already played an important role to help convince the CSU Administration to withdraw their disastrous changes to the Free Speech and Peaceful Assembly policies.

But, we are not done fighting yet. Free speech, academic freedom, and student services at our universities are still at risk!

The troubling changes to free speech and peaceful assembly have been withdrawn this time, but continued faculty, student, and community engagement is essential to ensure that the administration meaningfully consult, in the spirit of shared governance, with affected parties before making policy changes that have such profound and lasting effects on our university and our community members. 

We now have proof that this campaign is working, and we need your help to expand this effort!

If you attend the No Kings Rally in Fort Collins on October 18, 2025, stop by the AAUP tent and fill out a postcard. Bring as many supporters to the table as you can find.

If you cannot attend, but you want postcards to share with colleagues, friends, neighbors, and family members—anyone in the CSU community or the state of Colorado is invited to fill out a postcard—contact Communications and Organizing Co-Chair Karrin Anderson.

Submit a Virtual Postcard

See what others are writing!

The postcard campaign will continue through the end of the Fall 2025 semester.

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by | October 8, 2025 · 3:29 PM

CSU Withdraws Changes to Freedom of Speech and Peaceful Assembly Policy!

AAUP-CSU is pleased to announce that following discussions with President Parsons at Faculty Council on October 7, 2025, CSU administration has withdrawn their recent changes to the Freedom of Speech and Peaceful Assembly policy.

AAUP-CSU thanks all who took time to submit comments or postcards surrounding this policy and the more general topics of Academic Freedom and Shared Governance. Once again, we learn the power of unity:

When we Fight We Win.

But, we are not done fighting yet.

Unfortunately, withdrawing these policy changes was not soon enough to prevent a CSU student from being publicly harassed and intimidated with insults and threats by CSU officials for chalking on the LSC plaza on the afternoon of October 7, 2025.  AAUP-CSU and representatives across campus were horrified to learn of this incident when they were discussed at faculty council. This injustice highlights the potential impacts and long-range consequences that poorly considered policies can have on employees and students.  

The radical changes have been withdrawn this time, but…

Continued and increased faculty and student engagement is essential to ensure that administration meaningfully consult, in the spirit of shared governance, with affected parties before making policy changes that have such profound and lasting effects on our university and our community members. 

Read more about the policy and AAUP-CSU’s advocacy response here:

Join or Support AAUP, and help us to continue to protect our constitutional rights and academic responsibilities.

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by | October 8, 2025 · 7:19 AM

AAUP-CSU Needs your Help Now!

Dear AAUP Members and Supporters and all CSU and Fort Collins Community Members,

AAUP-CSU invites you and your colleagues, friends, and family of all ages to three fun, yet important democratic actions that AAUP is taking over the next two weeks to fight for the rights and careers of our students, staff, and faculty.  We desperately need your help right now to protect academic freedom, free speech, student services, and the sciences, research, and arts at CSU. 

Please sign up to volunteer here:

On Thursday, October 9, members of the AAUP and CSU community members will be attending the CSU Board of Governors Meeting at 9:00am in the Long’s Peak room of the Lory Student Center to speak about faculty, student, and staff concerns regarding recent changes to the free speech policy, the continuing need to support CSU services, and to voice concerns about how the budget will affect jobs and services across campus. If you are available at 9:00am, please join to support our efforts on these crucial issues. Arrive early to fill out a comment postcard to be given to the BoG. This event was a resounding success. thank you to all who joined!

On Thursday, October 16, the AAUP will be co-hosting a Sign-Making Party from 4:30pm – 6:30pm in the Lory Student Center, Room 386.  At this event, we will have music, conversation, and shared arts and crafts supplies for participants to express their support for the sciences, arts, and humanities; for education; for freedom of speech; and for so many other issues that are under attack in the current political climate. Bring your colleagues, friends, and families for an evening of fun and creativity. Donate a few extra sign-making supplies to share if you are able.

On Saturday, October 18, the AAUP will be joining IndivisibleNoCo, dozens of other local groups, and thousands of Fort Collins residents to attend the No Kings Rally and March (9:00-11:30 a.m. in Civic Center Park, 201 Laporte Avenue in Fort Collins). AAUP will have a tent and tables to distribute information about recent attacks on academic freedom and the lawsuits that the AAUP has won to protect faculty, students, and staff at US Universities against illegal executive overreaches. We will be collecting statements on postcards to demonstrate that CSU and Fort Collins community members still care about our constitutional rights and about education and research in the humanities, arts, and sciences.

There are many fun and easy ways to help!

Bring your friends and family to our sign-making party on Thursday, grab a few of our AAUP Logos and QR Code Stickers to display proudly on your signs to support education, science, and the arts. Wear an AAUP pin at the march, and help us to pass out flyers to support the work that AAUP is doing to protect our freedoms. Bring as many people over to the AAUP table as you can so they can learn more, and so they can sign postcards to tell CSU administration that we care deeply about our rights. 

More information about these and many other events can be found on the AAUP website here: https://aaupcsu.org/ 

Encourage your colleagues to sign up as local members or supporters of AAUP-CSU (https://aaupcsu.org/join-and-support/), so that they too can take part in this movement (ask us about low or zero-cost memberships). And as always, please let us know if you would like to get more involved in planning or supporting future AAUP events or actions.

When we unite and fight, we win.

Yours, in solidarity,

The Communications and Organizing and Executive Committees of the AAUP-CSU

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by | October 6, 2025 · 7:47 PM

AAUP Calls for All Universities to Reject Forced Loyalty Oaths

In this video produced by AAUP TV, AAUP president Todd Wolfson, NYU Professor Chenjerai Kumanyika, and University of Pennsylvania Professor Lorena Grundy discuss why all universities should forcefully reject Trump’s loyalty oaths.

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by | October 6, 2025 · 1:12 PM

AAUP-CSU Sign-Making Party – Oct 16.

Come make signs with American Association of University Professors, the STEM Interdisciplinary Rams Alliance, and the Young Democratic Socialists of America to Support Sciences, Research, and the Arts at the 2025 Homecoming Parade and the Oct. 18 “No Kings” Rally.

Join the CSU chapter of the AAUP at our sign-making party on Thursday, Oct 16 at 4:30-6:30pm. We will have an evening of fun and community with dancing, laughing and making art to support Science, Research and the Arts. We will provide shared art supplies and help to make pro-science and pro-education signs to wave in the weekend’s Homecoming Parade and No Kings rally and march. All are welcome – bring your colleagues, friends, neighbors, and kids!

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by | October 6, 2025 · 12:47 PM

ASCSU Senate Commits to Support AAUP-CSU’s Campaign to Protect Academic Freedom, Free Speech, and Student Services at CSU.

The Fifty-Fifth Senate of Associate Students of Colorado State University (ASCSU) passed Bill 5514 on September 24, 2025: Supporting an American Association of University Professors Fort Collins Initiative. The passage of this bill is a demonstration of ASCSU’s commitment to support the work of the AAUP, and a commitment to raise student voices to fight for change on campus.

This legislation furthers the relationship that the AAUP and ASCSU have built up over the past year.  After discussion within the Senate, Bill 5514 ultimately passed with no dissent, highlighting the ASCSU Senate’s support for this initiative. Upon passage of the Bill, several ASCSU members helped the AAUP table in the plaza, and there is a strong interest from the Senate to table with the AAUP again to protect academic freedom, freedom of speech and student services at CSU.

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by | September 30, 2025 · 9:53 AM

AAUP-CSU Newsletter, October 2025

AAUP-CSU’s October 2025 Newsletter is now available (click here!). There is a lot going on, and AAUP-CSU is active in taking a stand for employee rights, academic freedom, free speech and student services. Please distribute to all your colleagues, friends, and family and join us at this Wednesday’s general meeting.

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by | September 29, 2025 · 3:45 PM

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) has substantial concerns about CSU’s new “Free Speech and Peaceful Assembly” policy.

In response to recent changes to CSU’s “Free Speech and Peaceful Assembly” policy (see “Revised Free Speech Policy Alarms Faculty and Students”), the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE*) shares AAUP-CSU’s concerns that this fast-tracked policy revision

“…constitutes an impermissible restraint on faculty members’ speech and threatens to chill expression. As a public university system legally bound to protect community members’ First Amendment rights, CSU must revise this policy and allow faculty members to speak their minds freely.”

Read FIRE’s full letter to the CSU administration here and then please join the AAUP-CSU in our ongoing Postcard Campaign to ask the CSU Administration and the Board of Governors to Support Free Speech, Academic Freedom, and Student Centers.

The fundamental rights to Free Speech and Peaceful Assembly must be protected for all students, faculty, and staff.

* FIRE (https://www.thefire.org/) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit group whose mission is to defend free speech.

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by | September 29, 2025 · 6:41 AM

Next AAUP-CSU General Meeting – Wednesday Oct. 1, 2025.

Our next AAUP general meeting will be on Wednesday, October 1, 4:30-5:30pm at Avo’s. Please join us and bring your colleagues, friends and family.

We are several weeks into the Fall Semester, and political attacks on university education are reaching critical levels of concern. This meeting will give us an opportunity to meet each other to build solidarity and gather our strength for actions in the short and long term.

Meeting Agenda
  1. Introductions for new and returning members.
  2. Overview of AAUP-CSU website and resources and membership drive [see post here].
  3. Updates on campaign to urge the CSU Board of Governors to protect Academic Freedom, Free Speech and Student Services [see post here].
  4. Updates on plans to attend and advocate for faculty and staff at the Oct. 9 Board of Governors meeting [see post here].
  5. Updates on legislative campaign to contact CO members of congress to Support Science, Research and the Arts [see post here].
  6. Planning for AAUP-CSU involvement in the Oct 18 No Kings protest [see post here].
  7. Discussion and open suggestions for future AAUP-CSU actions
  8. Other business

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