Academic freedom concerns spark a surge of professors joining AAUP teacher union
Two university professors were fired the same week in September — one at Texas A&M and another at Texas State — shortly after they each drew conservative outrage on social media.
Over the next 30 days, about 800 faculty, staff and graduate students across Texas joined their union, according to the state’s organization of the American Association of University Professors, part of the American Federation of Teachers. Leaders with the group say it was a peak moment in a year already marked by rapid growth, as federal and state lawmakers target classroom instruction and personal speech in higher education.
“It's a way for folks to do something,” said Ira Dworkin, vice president of A&M’s chapter. “People are angry, frustrated, but also kind of mobilized.”
The union, known as the AAUP, has emerged as one of the country’s most active voices for professors and researchers navigating immense changes in higher education. The group is becoming more visible in Texas, testifying before the Senate Subcommittee on Higher Education on many occasions, and sending press releases and warning letters to university administrators at an increasingly fast clip.
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/education/article/texas-firings-aaup-surge-21347568.php
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