2017 AAUP In the News

Clemson University issued a statement defending the free speech of two of its faculty members, who are among three in South Carolina added to Turning Point USA's "Professor Watchlist." Brandon Inabinet, South Carolina AAUP conference president, warned about the list's impact on both faculty and students, commenting "If lists like this are used to find professors that agree with a student’s viewpoints, it really defeats the purpose of what a university is about.” 

A new website accuses about 200 college professors of advancing “leftist propaganda in the classroom” and discriminating against conservative students. The AAUP's Joerg Tiede said, “There is a continuing cycle of these sorts of things. They serve the same purpose: to intimidate individuals from speaking plainly in their classrooms or in their publications," adding the site could be used to harass professors or sabotage them from gaining jobs or promotions.

Conservative organization Turning Point USA is encouraging students to identify faculty who "advance leftist propaganda" by registering them on the "Professor Watchlist" website. AAUP associate secretary Hans-Joerg Tiede said, “The AAUP has spoken out against organizations that conduct these kinds of activities going back to the 1920s, when it was the American Legion, through the 1980s, when it was an organization that called itself Accuracy in Academia.”

Andre Perry comments on the importance of upholding AAUP standards for postsecondary education and on the threats to academic freedom for teachers at all levels after an election that has devalued truth. "Power is truth’s biggest enemy. Not only must educational institutions defend the practice of tenure, we must vigorously protect (through tenure) educators who expose America’s biggest lie – the idea of white superiority."

The AAUP joined over 100 organizations in signing a letter to president-elect Donald Trump calling on him to condemn acts of hate that have increased dramatically since the election. The letter, co-authored by the American Federation of Teachers and the Southern Poverty Law Center, declares, “We ask you to use your position, your considerable platform and even your tweets to send a clear message that hate has no place in our public discourse, in our public policy or in our society.”

Faculty at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) who objected to proposed program and governance changes have garnered support from colleagues at Indiana University-Bloomington and Purdue University at West Lafayette. David Sanders, chair of the Purdue University Senate at West Lafayette expressed concern that "almost all of the actions of the board of trustees, in fact, occur in secret" with "only a facade of open public meetings.” The AAUP sent a letter on behalf of IPFW  faculty to Chancellor Vicky Carwein.

The AAUP expressed concern over threats to academic freedom, privatization of higher education, and more in the wake of the 2016 election. 

Instructor says he was fired, shortly after he complained to accreditor, for refusing to water down his curriculum and requirements. Another instructor quit rather than comply. The AAUP is investigating this case.