BY JOHN K. WILSON I have an essay posted today at the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) blog about a particularly disturbing case at Kent State University where state legislators are explicitly threatening millions of dollars in state funding unless the university bans a textbook that offended the Republican politicians. Here are…
BY IRENE MULVEY AAUP president Irene Mulvey issued the following statement on September 29. I write to you today, as voter registration deadlines fast approach, with an urgent call to action. These are extraordinary times and much is at stake. Since its founding in 1915, the AAUP has never endorsed a candidate for office or…
POSTED BY MARTIN KICH The CARES Act, or the third federal stimulus bill in response to the Coronavirus pandemic, includes funding for post-secondary educational institutions (vocational schools, community and technical colleges, and other colleges and universities. Click here for the preliminary estimates of those allocations. The document is 165 pages long, and it is organized…
BY JOHN K. WILSON This week, Arizona HB 2238 passed the state house education committee by a vote of 7-4. Stanley Kurtz (the mastermind behind these laws with the help of the Goldwater Institute) calls the Arizona bill the start of a “third wave” of legislation in the name of campus free speech, following earlier…
BY JAMES FERRY Academe editor Michael Ferguson reached out to me. He recalled that one of my gigs was teaching at a local prison, and he wanted to know if I’d be interested in writing an article about my experiences. I leaped at the chance since graduate students don’t often get pitched on publishing opportunities.…
BY JOHN K. WILSON Today, the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents passed new rules imposing harsh mandatory penalties on campus protesters who disrupt events. However, Gov. Tony Evers has declared that he plans to reject the new rules. That’s fortunate, because the new rules are quite terrible. In addition to the deplorable practice of…
BY GALEN LEONHARDY Guest Blogger Galen Leonhardy teaches English and humanities classes at Black Hawk College in Moline, Illinois. On Sunday and Monday, President Trump, offered tweeted comments we need to contemplate. On Sunday, he pointed out that minority representatives he claimed were from foreign countries should return to the places from which they…
BY HANK REICHMAN Last year the AAUP’s Committee on Government Relations released a report, “Campus Free-Speech Legislation: History, Progress, and Problems,” which concluded that campus free-speech laws and academic freedom are “false friends.” Nevertheless, such legislation continues to advance in several states. Especially troubling is a proposal that has moved out of committee in the…
POSTED BY MARTIN KICH Last Tuesday, April 9, Ohio State professor and OCAAUP member Lisa Voigt testified on House Bill 88, the “Forming Open and Robust University Minds” or FORUM Act, also called the “Campus Free Speech” bill. Calling the bill unnecessary, Voigt stated in her tstimony that the First Amendment already protects free speech…
POSTED BY MARTIN KICH Last Thursday, April 11, OCAAUP President John McNay testified to the Ohio House Finance Subcommittee on Higher Education on House Bill 166, the biennial state budget bill. In his testimony, McNay advocated for greater State Share of Instruction funding, encouraging the committee members to seek new revenue, if need be, in…