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The UNC Chapel Hill chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) meets regularly to discuss campus affairs relevant to academic freedom, shared governance, and other issues of concern to higher education workers.

Latest news

TODAY: Chapter Liaisons Meeting, 2:30-3:30pm

Chapter liaisons are meeting at Tru Deli, which is just across Franklin Street from campus at 114 Henderson Street. If you cannot join us in person, please let Erik Gellman know and he'll set up Zoom on a laptop so you can participate.

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

TODAY: NC AAUP All-Conference Meeting, 6-7pm (remote)

Vote on changing our bylaws to allow for electronic voting and decide which action you’d prefer to take for our conference campaign: No ICE, No Spies, No Cuts, No Lies, FIGHT for freedom to teach & learn. Register.

THURSDAY: Academic Freedom Policy vote by UNC System Board of Governors

The UNC System Board of Governors will vote to ratify the new, restrictive academic freedom policy at their meeting this Thursday, February 26th. You can read more about the revised policy.

Sign our petition. Most of our 1,000+ signatories are faculty – now it’s time to get the wider community involved. Share with anyone who cares about the UNCs!

NC AAUP will deliver the petition starting at 8:30am in Raleigh on Thursday. We need at least 10 UNC-CH members to make our presence known alongside NCSU, ECU, and NCCU colleagues – register.

Know Your Rights on Campus and Beyond: Monday, March 2, 5-6pm

The ACLU of North Carolina's legal team is giving an hour-long Zoom presentation on Knowing Your Rights on Campus for NC AAUP faculty and students. It’s one of several events we’ll be hosting over the next few months, as we ask our members to take action to defend vulnerable faculty, students, and staff at our colleges, universities, and communities.

This will be a practical overview that on understanding your rights when interacting with immigration enforcement — regardless of your immigration status. This Zoom presentation will not provide specific legal advice, but will provide an overview of what your rights are if approached by immigration enforcement and also provides crucial advice for bystanders in ICE/BP interactions. Register.

All-Member Chapter Meeting: Wednesday, March 11, 3:30-5pm (remote)

Save the date for an all-member UNC-CH AAUP meeting on Wednesday, March 11, 3:30-5pm. The meeting will be remote. Please make every effort to attend. Come here updates, learn how to get involved, and have your voice be heard!

Resolution to Keep ICE Off Campus and Protect Immigrants

The NC AAUP has passed a resolution for Campus Engagement with Federal Immigration Authorities and Protection of Privacy Rights.

If you would like to help revise this resolution for our campus so that it can be presented to Faculty Council, please contact Don Nonini at dnonini@gmail.com.

Help with Our Chapter's Elections

We are looking for a few volunteers to run our chapter elections, slated for April. Election committee members are responsible for soliciting nominations for officer terms beginning in June and running the election. If you do not plan to run for office and would like to be involved, please email Rosie Miesner: rose.miesner@gmail.com

The UNC-Chapel Hill Chapter of AAUP opposes classroom recording for any reason without the instructor’s consent. We were shocked to learn on Monday February 9th that the Interim Provost had drafted a new policy allowing the recording of classes to go into effect on Monday February 16th.

Read the rest of the UNC-CH AAUP statement on classroom recording policy.

Academic Freedom Code for UNC System

Last week the UNC System Board of Governors "unanimously approved the System's academic freedom definition," which seeks to set "limits" on academic freedom, and put it forward for a binding vote at their next meeting on Feb. 25th. The NC AAUP's Syllabus Committee (including members from our chapter) will communicate a statewide strategy in advance of the BoG mtg.

You can read the proposed revised policy. Be sure to note the "system suggestions in red."

See the letter from AAUP's lawyers to the UNC System about the proposed policy revisions. Please circulate this letter widely.

Syllabus Requests

If you receive a public records request for a syllabus, please share it -- and any subsequent correspondence -- with the NC AAUP hotline at https://www.aaupnc.org/projects/providing-legal-support.

The hotline can confidentially provide support and first-line legal advice. Compiling as much info as possible will also help us build a legal case against the UNC system and the syllabus policy.

Please also continue to share with colleagues the NC AAUP's "Guidelines for Syllabi," and encourage them to share with the hotline any requests they receive.

Duke AAUP Cut the Cuts Rally

Friday Feb. 6th, 4:30pm, Duke East Campus

UNC CH AAUP, UE150, and TransparUNCy are collaborating with Duke and several other organizations for a Durham-based Cut the Cuts rally. This is an opportunity for cross institutional solidarity in the face of ideological cuts to staff and services at public and private universities. (Following our lead, our AAUP colleagues at Duke commissioned their own independent audit). Please consider joining this Friday, February 6th at Trinity Park in Durham, 4:30 pm. More info.

Area Studies Centers closings

The Faculty Executive Council passed this resolution in support of the centers.

Chapter Organizing

Our chapter has formed a faculty governance working group. The committee will continue to report at our Friday meetings.

We are looking for a few volunteers to run our chapter elections, slated for April. Election committee members are responsible for soliciting nominations for officer terms beginning in June and running the election. If you do not plan to run for office and would like to be involved, please email Rosie Miesner: rose.miesner@gmail.com

Several of our chapter members are participating in the National AAUP "Organize Every Campus" 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 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 you are interested in participating in these sessions, or have questions.

Our next weekly working meeting will be Friday, January 30th, from Noon-1pm.

All UNC instructors are welcome to attend, to help strategize about the area studies closures, the syllabus policy, academic freedom, 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.

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