Take Action!

“We must all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.”
— Benjamin Franklin

At AAUP, we know that collective action is key to strengthen our academic freedom, to protect the careers of our faculty and staff, and to expand our capabilities to offer high quality educational programs to our students.

See below to learn about current collective actions that AAUP is taking to protect and strengthen academic freedom and integrity at CSU!

Upcoming AAUP Events

See below for upcoming events, or click here to add the calendar to your own devices.

Recent or Future AAUP Actions

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The troubling changes to free speech and peaceful assembly have been withdrawn this time, but continued faculty, student, and community engagement is essential to ensure that the administration meaningfully consult, in the spirit of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.

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.

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

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!

Act Now to Save Funding for Science, Research, and the Arts

President Trump’s attacks on funding for the arts and the humanities, as well as support for scientific and medical research, might well reach the level of an existential threat if his 2026 budget is approved by Congress. His draconian cuts to the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities last spring are being followed by proposals to eliminate these programs altogether. The budget put forward by the administration also includes a nearly 40% cut to the National Institutes of Health and an almost 50% reduction in funds for the National Science Foundation.

Eliminating or slashing support for these agencies would mean a return to the white-washed histories of last century, the erasure of art programs, and the exclusion of already disenfranchised groups from the creative and scientific life of this country. The loss of funding would end life-saving research projects, shutter labs, eliminate jobs, and cut graduate programs.

The American Association of University Professors is asking members in all states to call or write to their elected officials and urge them to protect research funding (https://www.aaup.org/about/programs/government-relations/fighting-science-and-research-funding) . While budget negotiations are currently stalled, and a partial federal shut-down looms, the Congressional budget process will eventually resume, and legislators will determine specific levels of funding – if any – for all these agencies.

Suggestions for what to include in your call or letter:

  • Maintain funding levels for the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
  • Strengthen the legislative language and oversight efforts to ensure the Trump administration disburses federal grants in accordance with existing law and free from political interference.
  • Preserve the appropriations provision that prohibits the Trump administration from making unilateral changes to indirect costs – changing the formula for how grant funds are disbursed would seriously endanger key operations at colleges and universities.
  • Protect access to education by opposing cuts to Pell grants for students with financial need, the TRIO program supporting first generation college students, loan programs for graduate students, and income-based repayment plans that protect college graduates against default.

How to contact your legislators:

Colorado Senators

Colorado Representatives, Fort Collins area

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