Our member, Arianna Nash, on why she—and ALL Maryland faculty!—need a union:
"Either I shortchange my students to have enough time and energy left for my family, or I shortchange my family to give my students what they deserve. Either choice makes my heart ache." thedailyrecord.com/2026/03/06/u...
American University says it believes in freedom of expression, but it's actions suggest otherwise.
Congrats to this professor. We're pleased he got an actual apology from the university president. That's exceedingly rare.
Solidarity with this professor and A&M's AAUP chapter.
It's a failure of the academic imagination to think cutting core mission is the best route to right-sizing. Keep your teachers and researchers and lower class sizes (post pandemic students need more attention). Get ur savings by cutting admin fat and all the contracts with groups like Huron.
"Rather than lying low and hoping to fly under the radar, we are proposing a strategy of strength in numbers. It is all the more urgent now to work in solidarity to safeguard higher education in this country."
academeblog.org/2025/12/16/m...
The University of Oklahoma made headlines after a grading dispute erupted into controversy, leading OU to put instructor Mel Curth on leave.
In the process, OU has not defended Curth from targeted harassment.
Sign on to this petition to demand that OU protect principles of academic freedom.
Universities should follow Indiana's lead here. You can and should say NO to people in the trump administration who threaten your interests like they're mob bosses.
Do your thing AU peeps!
"The university’s Committee on Academic Freedom, Responsibility and Tenure voted 8-0 that Texas A&M 'had no justification for dismissing' McCoul and 'failed to follow required procedures at multiple stages,' according to a Sunday statement from the Texas A&M chapter of the AAUP."
This is why the compact as an idea isn't dead. They're trying to pick schools off one by one with specialized extortion campaigns.
We're thankful for freedom of expression and shared governance!
That’s right. We not done yet!
American University faculty, staff, students & alumni: please sign our chapter statement asking AU to refuse to sign the trump compact & proactively plan how to effectively respond to govt. pressure to sign. The compact isn't dead & new iterations are likely coming down the pike. La lucha continua!
Great article by our student newspaper, The Eagle, about faculty, staff, and student concerns about limits to freedom of expression on American University's campus.
“Our administration has taken a series of actions which, in an attempt to placate the Trump administration, have weakened academic freedom & shared governance & accelerated an institutional slide toward executive rule, echoing the authoritarian ethos now holding sway in Washington.“
Statement:
AU's AAUP Chapter firmly believes the university should request MPD drop the charges against this graduate student. Their presence at the inauguration, and their free expression during it, did not violate any AU policy. The student should never have been removed from the event, much less arrested.
American University has still NOT dropped criminal charges against a student arrested for engaging in silent expression during our new president's inauguration. She did not violate AU's freedom of expression policies & she should not have been arrested. If You are at AU, sign our petition!
And bravo to The Eagle for offering concrete steps the university should be taking to protect its students from rendition, etc.: "We have to stand as a community and refuse to hand over sensitive data or comply with unconstitutional orders."
AU leadership has been strangely silent as the new administration wages a frontal assault on higher ed. Kudos to the student newspaper, The Eagle, for calling them out: "AU needs to publicly commit to defending students’ rights to protest, speak and assemble without any qualifiers or delays."
2 weeks ago AU police arrested a student engaged in silent protest (holding a flag) at our new president's inauguration. The arrest should not have happened bc the student's protest did NOT violate AU's freedom of expression policy. Our statement⬇️
americanuniversityaaup.wordpress.com/2025/04/13/a...
A flyer that lists actions on April 17th and 18tgh. One the 17th we have a Teach in from 10am to noon in Mary Graydon Center room 306. Then from 12-12:30 we have a rally on the steps of the Mary Graydon Building. On the 18th we have a rally from 12-1pm on the Quad! All are welcome!
Come one, come all for American University AAUP's Day of Action for Higher Ed! We need to protect the core mission of universities and the folks who deliver it every day--students, staff, and faculty!
Like many universities, AU has an excellent free expression policy that tracks the First Amendment. But unfortunately, we have no recourse when the institution burdens speech, expression, and academic freedom.
This proposed "backstop" would remedy that.
We're glad to be here!
This week American University's AAUP membership endorsed the attached proposal that would prevent AU administrators from burdening speech, expression, and association and provide a mechanism for blocking and reversing policing that do so!
Hi everyone!
We're the American University AAUP chapter! Stay tuned for updates as we get started up on Bluesky!
