academic freedom

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    Spotlight on Speech Codes, 2022

    Byadmin

    Fire (Foundation for Individual Rights in Education) has just released its yearly summary of the state of free speech at 481 public and private colleges and universities in the United States. FIRE defines free speech as “the overwhelming majority of speech protected by the First Amendment.” Few exceptions exist. The survey addresses a wide variety of issues with relevance to free speech, including: Free Speech Zone PoliciesPrior RestraintsSecurity Fee PoliciesPolicies Governing Speakers, Demonstrations, and RalliesPolicies on Bias and Hate SpeechInternet Usage PoliciesPolicies on Tolerance, Respect, and CivilityBullying PoliciesThreats and IntimidationHarassmentPolicies on Bias and Hate SpeechObscenityIncitement The report is both disappointing…

  • Higher Ed Labor United Vision Platform

    Byhigbie

    Over the summer, Faculty Associations on University of California campuses joined over 75 organizations representing over 300,000 academic workers in a statement on the future of higher education. The Higher Education Labor Summit’s statements, Building a Movement to Transform U.S. Higher Education, calls for greater federal investment to reverse declining conditions in universities. The statement emphasizes a commitment to shared governance across various employee groups, and strongly backs academic freedom. The summit also called on organizations representing higher education employees to work together to achieve these goals. University of California Faculty Associations endorsed the summit’s statement, which you can read…

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    Academic Council knocks UCOP data policy

    Byhigbie

    The Academic Council of the UC Academic Senate called for significant revisions to a proposed new university policy on “Research Data and Tangible Research Materials.” The Council characterized the proposed policy as, “overly broad, difficult to enforce, and a potential danger to faculty intellectual property.” Previously, the Berkeley Faculty Association criticized the policy as a solution in search of a problem, and a danger to faculty academic freedom. As the BFA noted, the policy opens with a sweeping assertion of new university rights, “The Regents of the University of California owns all Research Data and Tangible Research Materials,” and goes…

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    UC Workers to Strike: 10/23-25

    Byhigbie

    Campus workers affiliated with AFSCME local 3299 and UPTE-CWA local 9119 voted overwhelmingly to authorize strikes at the University of California after bargaining stalled. After the vote, AFSCME announced that members in several bargaining units would strike on October 23, 24, and 25. UPTE then announced its members would strike on the same dates. Last

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    Support Academic Freedom for UC Librarians

    Byhigbie

    In a recent bargaining session with unionized librarians, UC administrators rejected the a proposal to recognize academic freedom for librarians. According to UC-AFT, negotiators for the university argued that academic freedom is “not a good fit” for librarians and claimed to have consulted Senate faculty on the topic. Quite the opposite is true, and faculty

  • As transition looms, campus stirs

    Byhigbie

    What is the future of public higher education under a Trump administration? With the transition of presidential power a week away, students, staff, faculty, and administrators on campuses across California are bracing for a rocky relationship. Here at UCLA there are a number of teach-ins, demonstrations, and programs planned for inauguration week. The big one is a campus-wide Teach-In on January 18th, from 5-7 PM in the Ackerman Union ballrooms. You can see a list of various activities here. Meanwhile, California policymakers are displaying an unusual show of unity in their opposition to the incoming administration and its likely policies…

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    CUCFA Letter to Pres. Napolitano

    Byhigbie

    The Council of UC Faculty Associations (CUCFA) set a letter to UC President Janet Napolitano on November 23 applauding her statements after the US presidential election, and outlining concrete steps UC leadership should take to protect vulnerable students and staff. In short, we stand united with our administrators against any threats directed at our students and fellow employees, or any words or acts of hate that threaten our mission as a public research university committed to the betterment of our global society through teaching, learning, and the dissemination of new knowledge. We pledge to stand up for, support, and defend…

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    Univ. of Wisconsin Faces Big Changes under Walker

    Byhigbie

    Wisconsin’s Republican governor Scott Walker recently proposed a $350 million cut to the University of Wisconsin system budget, and a fundamental shift in the university’s relationship to the state. Currently, the multi-campus system is a state agency. The new law would make the UW system a “public authority.” In a lengthy analysis, UW professors explain what this change will mean and why system administrators are not fighting it: They [system leaders] recognize the cuts as a “DEAL” with the state in exchange for what they call the ‘flexibilities’ of the public authority model.  This desire explains why no UW System…

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    CUCFA Statement on “Civility” and Academic Freedom

    Byhigbie

    This week the Council of University of California Faculty Associations (CUCFA), with representatives from 9 UC campuses including UCLA, issued the a statement reflecting concern over academic freedom cases around the country: Statement on “Civility” and Academic Freedom On Friday Sept. 5, Chancellor Dirks of UC Berkeley circulated an open statement to his campus community that sought to define the limits of appropriate debate at Berkeley. Issued as the campus approaches the 50th anniversary of the Free Speech Movement, Chancellor Dirks’ statement, with its evocation of civility, echoes language recently used by the Chancellor of the University of Illinois, Urbana…