The Trump administration and many state governments are accelerating attacks on academic freedom, shared governance, and higher education as a public good. We are working with our chapters and with allies in higher ed and the labor movement to defend and advance our vision: Higher education that is accessible and affordable for all who want it. Freedom to teach, to learn, to conduct research, to speak out on issues of the day, and to assemble in the organizations of our choice. Colleges and universities that create opportunity for students, workers, and communities. Sufficient funding to provide true education and sustainable working conditions. Information and resources to help in this fight are being added below as they are developed.
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New Resources
- Institutions Should Support Students Under Visa Threats with Legal Aid and Housing: Letter from AAUP counsel to college and university general counsel addressing concerns that colleges and universities may have about "harboring" individuals vulnerable to threats of detention or deportation by the Trump administration.
- Academic Freedom Field Guide: Increasingly, academic freedom is being threatened from a whole host of directions. This field guide offers a collection of resources designed to help faculty, and their supporters, respond to attacks on their academic freedom.
Joint AAUP/AFT Website with Resources
Immigration
- AAUP letter to college and university general counsels: Institutions Should Support Students Under Visa Threats with Legal Aid and Housing
- AAUP letter to college and university legal offices: Institutions Should Not Provide Student and Faculty Info To Enable Deportations
- We need to know what is happening on your campus so we can legally and strategically respond. Please let us know what is going on by using this intake form.
- Fact sheet on dealing with ICE on your campus (AAUP General Counsel)
- Fact sheet on rights and risks for workers who are in the United States on visas (American Federation of Teachers)
- Issue brief on immigration-related campus concerns (American Council on Education)
- Know Your Rights flyers (AFL-CIO)
- Family preparedness plan template (Immigrant Legal Resource Center)
- Info about an AAUP Lawsuit About Trump Policy of Arresting and Threatening to Deport Students and Faculty for Lawful Speech
Attacks on Science and Research
- Support for Researchers Facing Coordinated Campaigns of Intimidation and Harassment (Researcher Support Consortium)
- NIH Indirect Costs Caps Toolkit:
- Understanding the Law and Policies for Grant Terminations for the National Science Foundation (AAUP Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom)
- Info about an AAUP/AFT lawsuit against Trump administration for unlawfully cutting off $400 million in federal funding for crucial public health research at Columbia University
- Letter to Northwestern University concerning the president and board of trustees' request for information on the operation of legal clinics
Federal Funding
- Federal Funding Freeze Impact Survey (Higher Ed Labor United)
- Fact sheet on privatizing K-12 education (AAUP Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom)
- Info about an AAUP Lawsuit Challenging the Trump Administrations Executive Orders Seeking to Ban Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programs
- Fund Protection Clinic (Lawyers for Good Government)
- Lawsuit: AAUP/AFT lawsuit against Trump administration for unlawfully cutting off $400 million in federal funding for crucial public health research at Columbia University
- Lawsuit: Harvard AAUP and National AAUP Sue Trump Administration to Block Unlawful Funding Cuts
Accreditation
- Accreditation: What to Expect in 2025 (American Federation of Teachers)
- Accreditors brace for Trump’s promised higher ed shakeup (Higher Ed Dive)
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Fact sheet on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (AAUP Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom)
- Fact sheet on DEI in K-12 (AAUP Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom)
- Fact sheet on antisemitism (AAUP Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom)
- Fact sheet on weaponizing civil rights law (AAUP Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom)
- Fact sheet on gender identity (AAUP Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom)
- Info about an AAUP Lawsuit Challenging the Trump Administrations Executive Orders Seeking to Ban Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programs
Administrations sometimes go farther than the law requires to placate those who are attacking higher ed.
- Statement Against Anticipatory Obedience, with recommendations (AAUP)
Department of Education
- Info about an AAUP/AFT lawsuit Challenging Trump's Attempt to Dismantle Department of Ed.