Academic Freedom Field Guide

Increasingly, academic freedom is being threatened from a whole host of directions. Politicians in many states have passed laws banning the teaching of certain “concepts” and shuttering DEI offices. The Trump administration, state governors and legislators, partisan activists, media outlets, congressional committees, and online trolls have targeted faculty for their teaching, research, and public speech. This field guide offers a collection of resources designed to help faculty, and their supporters, respond to attacks on their academic freedom.

Should you have concerns that your academic freedom is being violated, here are some organizational and individual responses you can take.

AAUP Resources

Organized AAUP advocacy chapters and collective bargaining units are the best way to defend academic freedom. Here are some resources for forming an AAUP chapter and accessing services provided by the national AAUP office.

AAUP Advocacy and Collective Bargaining Chapters

Whether you are a graduate student or a tenured, tenure-track, or contingent faculty member, your AAUP advocacy or collective bargaining chapter can help defend your academic freedom. AAUP advocacy chapters are campus organizations that work to defend academic freedom and support academic workers, even if the institution does not have a recognized union.  

You can find your campus AAUP chapter here or by emailing [email protected]. If you do not have a campus chapter, here is a step-by-step guide for creating one.  

AAUP's Department of Academic Freedom, Tenure, and Governance (DAFTG)

If you are facing a threat to academic freedom on your campus, you can also reach out to the staff at the AAUP’s Department of Academic Freedom, Tenure, and Governance ([email protected]). DAFTG responds to queries from AAUP members and non-members, and provides advice regarding Association-supported principles and standards.

The DAFTG staff regularly write to university administrators to inform them of Association-supported standards with regard to specific faculty cases. If a case is especially egregious, DAFTG may begin the process of initiating a formal investigation by an ad hoc committee of AAUP members. In determining which cases to recommend for investigation, the DAFTG staff consider the potential educational value of the anticipated report, the degree to which the issues of concern bear upon the AAUP’s core principles and recommended standards, and the seriousness of the departures from those principles and standards.

AAUP Statements

The AAUP has also produced a number of widely regarded policy statements on academic freedom, shared governance, institutional autonomy, and the freedom to protest. Sections of the 1940 Statement and the Statement on Government of Colleges and Universities are incorporated into faculty manuals and collective bargaining agreements and already serve as the basis of faculty governance at many institutions.

For faculty committees, AAUP advocacy chapters, and collective bargaining units, these statements can be helpful tools in framing campus issues, advocacy, and for writing campus statements. Advocacy chapters at the University of Pennsylvania and at Columbia University have produced a number of powerful statements drawing upon AAUP principles.    

A list of some of the most relevant policy statements regarding the defense of academic freedom can be found here.

Legal Defense of the Higher Education Sector

The AAUP engages in litigation to defend academic freedom and institutional autonomy. Recent cases include lawsuits challenging the Trump administration’s funding cuts to Harvard and Columbia as well as a challenge to the DEI executive order. The AAUP has also provided advice to university General Counsel offices about how to respond to requests for student information from the Trump administration.

Additional AAUP Resources

The AAUP provides other resources that can be drawn upon in campus organizing.

Legal and Personal Security Resources

Legal Benefits and Professional Liability Insurance

If you are an AAUP/AFT member you have access to AFT legal benefits, which include a free 30-minute consultation (and 25% off legal fees). For a fee, you can also enroll in a MetLife Legal Plan, which offers additional legal protection. AFT now offers Professional Liability Insurance; email [email protected] in order to purchase.

Additional Legal Resources

The AAUP does not provide legal representation or legal advice to individual faculty members. This page, however, provides a curated list of existing legal resources, including groups that respond to discrimination, violations of academic freedom and free speech, and risks associated with immigration status.

Digital Security Resources

This page provides a curated list of general guidelines for digital security, an overview of existing resources, and recommendations about encrypted platforms that can enhance digital security.

Dox Defense Resources

Doxing, or the malicious online dissemination of personally identifiable information, has become a major threat to faculty in recent years. These resources provide guidance on how to preemptively secure personal information and how to respond to doxing should it occur.

Freedom of Information Requests (FOI)

The Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom has published an Action Report providing detailed information about how to respond to FOI requests.

Developing Campus Policies to Protect Faculty from Targeted Harassment

Many colleges and universities do not have a strong track record of vigorously defending faculty and graduate students from targeted harassment. Faculty First Responders, PEN America, the AAUP, and the Researcher Support Consortium (RSC) provide valuable resources about how faculty and institutions can respond to targeted harassment. In particular, the RSC has created a “Toolkit for Institutions” which includes detailed resources for setting up a proactive institutional response to targeted harassment, including developing procedures, policies, and establishing a research support team and a communications strategy. 

AAUP advocacy chapters and unions can encourage institutions to adopt such policies.

Mental Health 

AAUP and AFT members have access to AFT benefits, including Talkspace therapy and/or trauma counseling member benefits.