Image of a podium with a microphone in front of a background of auditorium seats

In Defense of the AAUP

BY JOHN K. WILSON In the war of words between advocates of the AAUP and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), we need to recognize the value of both organizations. I wrote an essay at Inside Higher Ed, “In Defense of FIRE,” responding to Joan Scott’s critique of FIRE. FIRE president and CEO…

University of North Texas Censors Course Content

BY TEXAS AAUP-AFT The following statement was released November 19 by the Texas AAUP-AFT. Upon the passage of Senate Bill 17 last year, Texas faculty warned of the detrimental impacts the state’s so-called ban on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and practices would have on the ability of colleges and universities to perform their duties…

Voters Again Reject Book Banners

BY HANK REICHMAN A year ago I began a post to this blog, “Yesterday’s election results in Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky and elsewhere have boosted the spirits of Democrats and progressives.  One of the less widely publicized results, however, has been the stunning rebuke suffered by book-banners and transphobes like Moms for Liberty in school board…

Seal of the University of California Police Department in the shape of a seven-pointed star with the Great Seal of California in the center

Cop City UCLA

BY ROBIN D. G. KELLEY This post is part of a blog series, organized by Annelise Orleck, that will focus on recent crackdowns on protests at US college and university campuses against Israel’s war on Gaza. You can read the first post and an introduction to the series here. On Monday morning, October 21, 2024,…

Divide and Conquer as a Union-Busting Tactic

BY RYAN HARROD, DOUGLAS COST, ANDREA DEWEES, AND CINDY TRUSSELL Solidarity in collective bargaining for better wages and working conditions is the basis of any union activity. Pitting union members against each other is a common tactic employed by management in its union-busting strategy. It’s a tactic we are facing in Alaska. In the current…

Light blue neon sign over dark background shows the word UNION on top with the word YES and a check mark inside a red box below it.

Faculty Unions in Colorado Are Already Here

BY JONATHAN REES Back in the 1990s, I studied labor history at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Naturally, I belonged to the Teaching Assistants’ Association, the first graduate student union in the country. When I arrived in Colorado as a tenure-track academic, I naturally wanted to know if I could somehow duplicate my positive…

Mural painted on an electrical box shows a snarling tiger on a blue background surrounded by colorful orange and pink designs

On Meme Culture Today

BY AMIR HUSSAIN Critics and educators may plausibly perceive social media as preferring and promulgating fragmentary thinking, consumerist scrolling, and buzzwords over the attention to nuance and context that is cultivated in university settings. But the emergence of this arena nonetheless needs to be seen as relevant—even vital—for considering the intellectual and political landscape of…