CSU needs your help now more than ever!
Like many universities across the country, CSU is facing unprecedented threats in the form of a disturbing, so-called “civil rights complaint” that has been brought against Colorado State University by a group known as America First Legal. This organization, which was founded by Stephen Miller and named after a KKK slogan, cares nothing about truth, education, or the Colorado State community. Their frivolous attack seeks only to intimidate us so that they may exert political control over our state and university.
AAUP-CSU needs your help to Stand up and Fight Back.
Write to CSU President Amy Parsons, Chancellor Tony Frank, and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and ask them to remain strong and to protect our students, faculty and staff.
The links below will open email drafts addressed to each of these officials*. Simply edit the email to explain why you stand with CSU. Then, sign it with your full name and Colorado city or county of residence, and hit send.
* Note — some browsers (e.g., Duck-Duck-Go) may cut off half of the message. If this occurs, you can copy and paste the full message from below.
Suggested Email Text (Please feel free to edit):
Dear CSU President Amy Parsons / CSU Chancellor Tony Frank / Attorney General Phil Weiser,
As a member of the northern Colorado community, I value the role that Colorado State University plays in our region: educating students, supporting community-based research, promoting economic growth, and serving as a hub for cultural, intellectual, and democratic engagement. I am writing about the disturbing federal complaint that America First Legal (AFL) has brought against Colorado State University.
America First Legal does not share Colorado values. In Colorado, we are proud that our community is diverse and welcoming. We believe that the university must ensure that all students have equitable access to educational opportunities, and that programs should be in place to support students’ diverse needs. And we believe that college campuses should be places for open discussion, learning, and research, free of government censorship.
I am writing to ask you to stand firm and continue to ensure that CSU’s students, faculty, and staff can pursue the institution’s educational and research mission unimpeded. Please support AAUP-CSU’s proposed resolution to build a collaborative protection network among institutions in Colorado to defend these principles and empower our universities to:
- Keep our student centers open and resources available to all students–as they are now.
- Do not agree to remove courses or requirements from the curriculum.
- Do not allow infringements of free speech inside or outside of the classroom.
- Fight every attempt to withdraw lawfully allocated research funding in court–don’t cave to political extortion.
Thank you for your leadership in this moment. Universities are being asked to make tough choices because they are a bulwark of democracy. Use the leverage that you have to ensure that CSU remains a vital community resource and an engine of healthy democracy.
Sincerely,
