CUCFA lawsuit against the Trump administration
As you may recall, on September 16 CUCFA and all 10 Faculty Associations joined AAUP and UC unions to sue the Trump administration for using the August 8 UCLA “demand letter” to try to extort the UC. Given that the State’s coercion of the University is manifestly illegal, we are asking the judge for a preliminary injunction that would prohibit the Trump administration from withholding any federal funds based on alleged discrimination while the lawsuit is ongoing. The injunction would also vacate the Trump administration’s extortionist demand letter.
Last week, Judge Lin–recognizing the urgency of our motion–denied the Trump Administration’s motion to stay the case due to the government shutdown.
Our motion will be heard on November 6, at which time we hope the judge will order the preliminary injunction. These details may change; if you are interested in joining us at the hearing on Nov. 6, check the court website here the day before, under American Assoc. of University Professors v. Trump.
CUCFA lawsuit forces Regents to disclose Trump demand letter
As many of you know, the UCLA Faculty Association and CUCFA sued the Regents for refusing to disclose the proposed settlement agreement issued by the U.S. Department of Justice. Yesterday the California Court of Appeal denied the Regents’ request to overturn the lower court ruling. The Regents are due to disclose the Trump demand letter to us this Friday. Stay tuned!
Academic freedom and release of names event
Over the last month, the UC community has been reeling from the news that UCOP released personally-identifying (PII) information of 160 students, staff, and faculty to the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) in response to OCR’s investigation of antisemitism on the UC-Berkeley campus. CUCFA, along with our allies, have written open letters to the Berkeley Chancellor and to UCOP in recent weeks, demonstrating not only that releasing PII is dangerous in a moment when the federal government is attacking higher education, but also that such releases are rarely necessary in the context of Title VI investigations.
On Oct. 9, the BFA co-sponsored a panel discussion among Title VI experts Aslı Ü. Bali, Brian Soucek, and Catherine E. Lhamon who debated OCR’s use of personally-identifying information and shared recommendations to UCOP and UC faculty. All agreed that the University should fight–in court if necessary–any demands to release names to the Trump administration.
We encourage you to watch the video of these incredible panelists.
None of this vital legal and political work is possible without the support of member dues and active faculty participation! As we watch UC administrators negotiate with the Trump administration behind closed doors and fail to act in defense of UC faculty, graduate workers, students, and staff, it is AAUP and the Council of UC Faculty Associations that has been leading the way, filing lawsuits, sharing crucial information about faculty rights, and putting up a fight against Trump’s attacks on higher education.
Join your local FA and consider adding on a reduced-rate AAUP membership — your dues are crucial to our fight for the future of higher education. If you’re already a member, get a new colleague to join today and/or reach out to your FA leadership to find out how you can get more involved!