Dear colleague,
Yesterday, the Executive Council of our union voted to issue a statement that “expresses [the EC’s] deep concern about the climate of fear and suppression on Rutgers campuses, and…[calls] upon the Rutgers administration to return to its historical defense of academic freedom and freedom of expression.” The vote in favor of the statement was nearly unanimous. Click here to read the full statement.
That “climate of fear and suppression” reached a new level earlier this week when the administration suspended Students for Justice in Palestine on the New Brunswick campus. We know there are differing views within our union about what is happening in Israel and Palestine. But we believe there is near unanimity on the necessity of protecting academic freedom and free speech for ourselves, our colleagues, and our students.
Please read the Executive Council statement, share it with colleagues and friends, and discuss what we can do to make sure everyone in the Rutgers community can exercise their rights, without fear of reprisal or retaliation.
Our union is assembling resources to help us work together to defend our rights. Last week, we held a workshop, organized by the Academic Freedom Committee, on “Defending Academic Freedom in a Threatening Climate.” You can watch the presentations at that workshop by New Jersey ACLU Legal Director Jeanne LoCicero, as well as our colleagues Audrey Truschke and Britt Paris. You can also go to this webpage for a list of resources compiled for the workshop.
In solidarity,
Todd, Becky, and Miguel
Todd Wolfson, President, Rutgers AAUP-AFT
Rebecca Givan, General Vice President, Rutgers AAUP-AFT
Miguel Rodriguez, Secretary-Treasurer, Rutgers AAUP-AFT
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Freedom School YouTubeChannel: https://rutgersaaup.org/YouTube