LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Major UNM organizations call for administration to do more to protect academic freedom

Academic freedom is under attack. Long a cornerstone of higher education, academic freedom creates space for faculty to research, to teach, and to speak in the public arena without threat of institutional censorship or reprisal.

This attack on academic freedom is part of a broader assault on higher education, one that puts real people at risk for doing the work they were hired to do. The pressure from federal investigations and funding cuts has contributed to a growing culture of fear, one where academics are wary to speak out and voice their concerns. But silence is not going to save us. 

Per the American Association of University Professors Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure, "[f]reedom in research is fundamental to the advancement of truth,” and in the classroom, faculty must have the right to “stimulate[] debate and learning that is germane to the subject matter.”  

The University of New Mexico Faculty Senate recently passed a strong academic freedom resolution rejecting external attempts to "restrict university curriculum on any matter, including matters related to racial and social justice." 

As institutions navigate this pressure, we see divergent paths emerge. Some, like the administrations of UC Berkeley  and Columbia, are taking alarming actions against academic freedom, while others, such as the signatories of the Wesleyan letter  and the Mutual Academic Defense Compact, are offering models of integrity and inspiration. 

Here at UNM during contract negotiations, the administration proposed eliminating contractual protections that shield faculty from being disciplined for their speech as citizens. This act of anticipatory obedience sets a dangerous precedent. In response, the faculty union organized to condemn the proposal, successfully forcing the administration to withdraw it just two months later.

Compounding these concerns is the labor precarity of part-time faculty who do not enjoy the same protections as full-time faculty. UNM’s reliance on part-time labor intersects with the dangers to faculty academic freedom as a class writ large. 

As always, the antidote to silence is solidarity.  It is incumbent upon all faculty to stand against any attempts to weaken academic freedom. Together, we call on the UNM administration to join us in a participatory process, one that ensures robust protection of academic freedom for all UNM faculty.

We ask that the UNM Administration

1. Refuse to provide the names of or information about UNM faculty, students or staff to Federal requests, unless compelled to do so by the courts
2. Commit to a participatory process with faculty and students to revise free speech policies, especially the restrictive time, place and manner policies
3. Support robust academic freedom policies in the faculty and graduate worker collective bargaining agreements and bolster academic freedom by strengthening paths to permanency for part-time faculty. 

SIGNED

UNM for Justice in Palestine (UNM4JP)

United Academics of UNM (UA-UNM)

United Graduate Workers of UNM (UGW-UE)

UNM Faculty Senate Social Justice Committee (FSSJC)