In the face of unprecedented threats to academic freedom at public colleges and universities, the AAUP has launched an awareness and action campaign called "Speak Up, Speak Out: Protect the Faculty Voice on Campus."
The foundation of the project is a comprehensive report by an AAUP subcommittee that examines the 2006 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Garcetti v. Ceballos that determined government can restrict the speech of public employees when they comment on issues related to their "official duties."
Although the decision specifically set aside academic speech, recognizing that additional constitutional interests were at stake, several lower courts have ruled recently that faculty members who speak out on matters affecting their institutions are not protected under the First Amendment.
In addition to analysis of Garcetti and the ensuing lower court decisions, the AAUP report recommends a number of action steps, including adoption of specific policy language designed to ensure the continued protection of academic freedom and shared governance.
Everyone has an important voice in protecting academic freedom on campus. Find out whether your college or university has written policies that protect the full range of academic freedom. If not, urge your senate and administration to work together to develop them. And if it does, use the AAUP materials to reinforce policy strength; collaborate with other groups on and off campus for governance workshops, to monitor emerging cases and publicize successful actions; and support faculty around the country in protecting academic freedom and shared governance.
To supplement the report, we have developed an online toolkit, the contents of which are available free to anyone involved in academic freedom. Materials include opinion columns and other materials that may be used by general-interest and campus publications, education journals, and Web sites supporting the cause of free speech at public colleges and universities.
The AAUP intends to continue "Speak Up, Speak Out: Protect the Faculty Voice on Campus" into 2010, and additional materials will be added to those already online.