As we experience and witness the United States lurch toward authoritarianism at the federal level and even suffer setbacks regarding academic freedom in California with disturbingly feeble support from legislators and university executives, many faculty are justifiably concerned and wondering about this vital question: Do we still enjoy the right to academic freedom in the CSU?

Our Collective Bargaining Agreement is brief, yet unequivocal, on the matter. In the Preamble, both parties – CFA and CSU management – jointly pledge a commitment to uphold the academic freedom of CSU faculty:

It is the purpose of these parties in entering this Agreement to promote high standards of education in the CSU. The CSU shall support the pursuit of excellence and academic freedom in teaching, research, and learning through the free exchange of ideas among the faculty, students, and staff.

The parties recognize that quality education requires an atmosphere of academic freedom and academic responsibility. The parties acknowledge and encourage the continuation of academic freedom while recognizing that the concept of academic freedom is accompanied by a corresponding concept of responsibility to the University and its students.

As the CFA Bargaining Team works on how to strengthen and further elucidate this right in the forthcoming version of our CBA, it is vital to remember this shared promise which appears at the outset of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and thus sets the context for, and names the values underlying, the entire body of rights we enjoy as academic workers in the CSU.

And yet, we live in truly daunting times, as we are subjected to the authoritarian rule of political leaders who openly disdain and disavow not only academic freedom, but also, our First Amendment rights under the US Constitution.

While we expect CSU managers to be courageous defenders of academic freedom and free speech rights, we know that unfortunately this is often not what we experience from them as leaders. As such, it is up to us – the academic workers who make CSU education possible – to protect, support, and defend each other. As immigrant justice advocates teach us, Solo el pueblo salva al pueblo. Only the people can save the people.

This is where being a unionized faculty member comes in. If you feel your academic freedom is under threat by anyone in your campus community, be in touch with your chapter leadership and/or faculty rights representative immediately. All consultations are confidential, and your union reps can advise you on how best to proceed in defending and protecting yourself. If you witness a colleague being attacked, lend your support and make sure they know to contact union leaders for support and advocacy.

In addition, the American Association of University Professors, a CFA affiliate, is offering some helpful guidelines for faculty being doxed in this climate of educator surveillance, assisted as it is by the profit-driven and polarizing algorithms of tech corporations and their dominance in our personal and professional lives.

AAUP’s document – “Strategies to Protect Yourself Online in the Current Climate” – offers a range of tips, including those pertaining to our participation on social media:

  1. Set your personal social media accounts to private mode. When prompted, approve the setting to make all previous posts private.
  2. Be mindful that anything you post online can be screenshotted and shared.
  3. Before posting or reposting online commentary, pause and ask yourself:
    • Am I comfortable with this view potentially being shared with my employer, my students, or the public?
    • Have I (or the person I am reposting) expressed this view in terms I would be comfortable sharing with my employer, my students, or the public?
  4. In your social media bios, state that the views expressed through the account represent your own opinions and not your employer. You do not need to name your employer.
  5. Consider posting positive statements about positions you support rather than negative statements about positions you disagree with.
    Some examples could be:
    • Academic freedom is nonnegotiable.
    • The faculty united will never be divided.
    • Higher ed research saves lives.
    • Higher ed transforms lives.
    • Politicians are interfering with your child’s education.

AAUP also offers an Academic Freedom First Aid Kit that includes general legal resources, immigration legal resources, digital security resources, dox defense resources, travel resources, and know-your-rights resources.

Many of our CFA leaders are engaged in the state and national leadership in AAUP and have been involved in crafting the coordinated fight across US universities for academic freedom, as we also wage these campaigns on our local campuses and with the support of our local chapter leadership whom you should contact if you encounter doxing, intimidation, or other threats to your academic freedom.

You can also sign up to be AAUP member as a benefit of being a CFA member.

Want to learn more? Become active with your local CFA chapter Faculty Rights team. Find your representative here.

  • Browse the faculty contract here.
  • See an archive of Faculty Rights Tips.
  • If you have questions about a faculty rights tip or would like to suggest a tip, please write us with the subject line “Faculty Rights Tip.”
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