Fighting for Academic Freedom in Hempstead, NY
Join the Hofstra University AAUP Chapter in the fight for academic freedom and the faculty voice. Become an AAUP member today and contribute to preserving academic freedom in Hempstead, NY.
Defending Academic Freedom
Academic Freedom, including comments made by faculty outside the classroom and on social media, is essential to the American conception of academic freedom, which the Hofstra University AAUP Chapter has played a central role in defining and refining. All academic community members have a responsibility to defend academic freedom and freedom of speech and assembly.
Standing Against Systemic Racism and In Support of Black Lives
As the ongoing demonstrations of the past few weeks have shown, our nation is once again being called on to reckon with systemic racism and its impact on Black, Latinx, indigenous, and other people of color. Black Lives Matter and the Hofstra University AAUP Chapter stand in solidarity with all those who are protesting racism and police brutality.
We stand ready to support faculty, academic professionals, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and all those engaged in teaching and research in higher education whose affiliated institutions take or threaten to take negative action against them as a result of their exercising their right to protest.
We recognize that our BIPOC members and colleagues are considerably more vulnerable when they exercise this right and, as such, are most in need of support and protection. We call on our chapters, our members, and campus administrations to stand firm in their support of members of the campus community who speak out in the name of anti-racism and racial justice, and we offer the following guidance and recommendations.
Defending Academic Freedom
Freedom of extramural, including comments made by faculty outside the classroom and on social media, is essential to the American conception of academic freedom, which the Hofstra University AAUP Chapter has played a central role in defining and refining. All academic community members have a responsibility to defend academic freedom and freedom of speech and assembly.
Safeguarding Faculty Expression
Calls for civility and campus speech codes have the potential to restrict the extramural speech of faculty.
As we recognize in our statement On Freedom of Expression and Campus Speech Codes, “offensive style or opprobrious phrases may, in fact, have been chosen precisely for their expressive power.” The faculty must not be disciplined for engaging in “uncivil” or “offensive” speech.
Upholding Academic Freedom in Today's Climate
In the current political climate, faculty members who engage in protest are more likely than ever to face targeted online harassment as a result of their activities—harassment that, again, disproportionately targets non-white faculty. Institutions must recommit to the defense of academic freedom and institutional autonomy, which includes protecting the institution from undue public interference.
We call on administrations and governing boards, in particular, to condemn targeted harassment and intimidation and to reject calls for dismissal or suspension of faculty members who have exercised their right to protest.
Protecting Ethnic Studies Programs
We further recognize that in the current political climate, Black studies, Latinx studies, indigenous studies, and other ethnic studies programs are especially vulnerable to political interference, including cuts to funding and program elimination.
The COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated threats to these programs. We call on our chapters, members, and campus administrations to defend these programs from cuts and undue interference and to affirm the importance of programs that challenge systemic racism to fulfill higher education’s fundamental contribution to the common good.
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