TODAY: Protecting Noncitizens, 5-6pm

AAUP NC has organized an info session for Monday, January 19, 5-6 pm, about ways to protect the rights of noncitizen faculty, students, and staff on our campuses. We'll hear from AAUP senior counsel Aaron Nisenson; and learn from faculty members about models and plans for protecting noncitizens on campus, as well as where and how to work with local groups, such as Siembra NC, in the broader community. We'll also talk about how to pressure/encourage university administrations to better communicate with and protect their noncitizen communities.

To register: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/GjG7tINsTxuZlSgGl4DlaQ#/registration

All are welcome. Please share.

TOMORROW: TransparUNCy teach-in about Area Studies Centers closures

TransparUNCy is hosting a teach-in tomorrow, Jan. 20, 4:30pm in 3411 Student Union. You can follow TransparUNCy at https://substack.com/@transparuncy and https://www.instagram.com/transparuncy/.

Personal letters to administrators with details about the importance of the centers and the impact of their closure on UNC's reputation are also reportedly having an impact.

Roberts, Lee Harriss
lhrunc@email.unc.edu

Knuffman, Nathan L
nknuffman@unc.edu

White, James William Carl
jwcwhite@email.unc.edu

Dean, Jr., James W.
James.Dean@unc.edu

And keep circulating the results of the independent audit of UNC we co-sponsored last Fall.

Faculty Governance working group

If you would like to join a working group of chapter members interested in working with faculty governance groups, contact Mehdi Shadmehr: mshadmeh@gmail.com

Our next weekly working meeting will be Friday, January 16th, from Noon-1pm. All UNC instructors are welcome to attend, to help strategize about the area studies closures, the syllabus policy, and to bring other issues for us to discuss as well.

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89195114865?pwd=qf2kY5jKF6utphBBKn4ghkszHa6lLT.1

If you are interested in serving as a liaison for your department or unit, please email Erik Gellman at esgellman@gmail.com.

If you would like to help with these updates or with our chapter's website and social media, email Michael Palm at mwpalm@gmail.com

NC AAUP is the fastest-growing non-union AAUP chapter in the country. Encourage colleagues to join at https://www.aaup.org/join.

National AAUP is offering its next "Organize Every Campus" or "Skills to Win" training in February 2026. If you are looking for ways to join other colleagues to more effectively resist the far right's and UNC's violations of academic freedom, threats of violence and harassment, this training could be right for you! "Organize Every Campus" training will take place over 5 sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays, February 2, 4, 9, 11 and 18, from 6:30 PM-8:30 PM ET. Participants are expected to attend the entire training for all five sessions, since each session builds on the previous ones. In order to sign up, you do not have to register directly. Email Don Nonini at dnonini@gmail.com if you are interested in participating in these sessions, or have questions.

Today the UNC-Chapel Hill chapter of the AAUP, UE 150, and TransparUNCy sent a joint statement to Chancellor Roberts, Interim Provost Dean, Dean White, and Dean Rieckenberg demanding that UNC Chapel Hill ensure the safety of its students and staff in the face of domestic terrorism.

In his November 13 presentation, independent auditor Dr. Howard Bunsis (Professor of Accounting, Eastern Michigan University) posed the question to everyone in the audience, “Why is a university with a AAA bond rating and billions in reserves considering layoffs and cutting budgets?” UNC Chapel Hill learned this week that all three independent bond rating agencies -- Moodys, S&P, and Fitch -- gave it an outstanding AAA bond rating, placing it in a small minority of universities at the top rank. Not only that, the University currently has $1.9 billion in unrestricted reserves, and $1 billion cash on hand. Bunsis made it clear that one of the things the University is dedicated to is spending its money on high-level administrators and their salaries. From 2016-2024, the number of administrators in Chapel Hill has increased by 51.1%, but the full-time faculty by only 10.8%, and the staff has been shrunk by 5.3%. Over the same period, administrators’ salaries in the UNC budget have increased by 106%, but the instructional budget only by 36.2%, and research budget by 41.7%. Yet the Chapel Hill administration and its Board of Trustees are seeking to implement a $70 million austerity cut.

Michael Palm, President of the AAUP chapter, UNC Chapel Hill, stated: “This audit lays bare the truth: any cuts to programs or personnel at UNC-Chapel Hill are the result of political pressure, not financial constraints. UNC’s budgeting decisions must be transparent and inclusive of students, faculty, and staff as well as accountants, lawyers, and administrators.”

Read the full press release and watch the presentation revealing that the university is in stellar financial condition, has a huge buildup in administrators and their salaries, but seeks to impose a $70 million cut on its lowest-paid staff.