Students and Faculty Hold “Teach-Ins” at Nine Schools Targeted by Trump’s "Loyalty Oath”

Momentum grows as protests spread and PENN & USC join M.I.T. and Brown in rejecting Trump offer

AAUP & AFT Hold National Online Teach-In on the Growing Movement to Fight Back Against Trump's Compact

NATIONWIDE — Today, thousands of students, faculty, and campus workers will participate in teach-ins and rallies on the campuses of nine universities that received Trump’s offer of preferential treatment in exchange for unprecedented government control and allegiance to numerous partisan ideological demands. Campus events will examine the long history of higher education institutions standing up for academic freedom and urge their administrators to reject Trump’s attempt to force his authoritarian ideology through bribery.

The day of action comes on the heels of University of Pennsylvania and University of Southern California becoming the third and fourth universities to reject Trump’s ultimatum. Students, faculty, and campus workers are leading the wave of unified rejection of Trump's agenda and see clear signs that the tide is turning. Student organizations representing nearly 1000 campuses today are launching a nationwide campaign to expand protests to schools around the country.

The AAUP and AFT will hold a National Teach-In on Trump's Loyalty Oaths at 2 PM ET today on Zoom. Press are invited to attend.

*Register Here*

“No amount of federal inducement is worth surrendering the freedom to question, explore, and dissent," said Todd Wolfson, president of the American Association of University Professors. In rejecting Trump's attempts to coerce loyalty oaths from American colleges and universities, M.I.T., Brown, Penn, and USC stand as bulwarks for higher ed's sacred commitment to academic freedom and institutional self-governance. Trump's corrupt bribery attempt would usher in a new draconian era of thought policing in American higher education, cripple our technological innovation capacity, and assault our very democracy. Now is the time for all who care about the future of higher education to resist."

“At a time when higher education is under relentless political attack, the universities that refused to sign onto Trump’s Faustian bargain showed real courage and integrity,” said Randi Weingarten, president of AFT. “They chose to stand with students, educators, and the principles of academic freedom, institutional integrity, and the very soul of higher education instead of bowing to partisan pressure. It takes courage to stand up against authoritarian attacks on higher education. AAUP, AFT, our members, our students, and our communities are standing up and standing together—and it’s working.”

“Trump thought he could steamroll these nine schools and then make hundreds more fall in line,” said Simon Aron, a sophomore with Brown Rise Up. “He was wrong. Tens of thousands of students and workers fought back against Trump’s attacks and won. We won’t let Trump dictate what we are allowed to study and research, who is safe on campus, and what we can speak out about. When he comes for our campuses again, we’ll be ready.“

“Trump is following the authoritarian playbook to a 'T”, said Sunrise Movement Executive Director Aru Shiney-Ajay. “He wants to silence dissent and make our schools his personal playground. He wants to dictate what students are allowed to study and research, who is safe on campus, and what students can speak out about. Students, workers, and alumni are joining together to refuse to cooperate with business as usual, and demand our institutions rebuff Trump’s attacks.”

"Young people are making their message very clear: universities should be a place of learning, not propaganda machines. That's why students, workers, and alumni around the country are taking action. And it's working. Already MIT, Brown, UPenn, and USC have rejected the compact. We stand strong in our belief that these campus teach ins and wider wave of action will lead all the remaining schools to reject it as well,” said Alicia Colomer, Managing Director at Campus Climate Network and former leader of Divest NYU. 

About the American Association of University Professors:

The mission of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) is to advance academic freedom and shared governance; to define fundamental professional values and standards for higher education; to promote the economic security of faculty, academic professionals, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and all those engaged in teaching and research in higher education; to help the higher education community organize to make our goals a reality; and to ensure higher education's contribution to the common good. Founded in 1915, the AAUP has helped to shape American higher education by developing the standards and procedures that maintain quality in education and academic freedom in this country's colleges and universities.