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Julie Avril Minich

@professorjulie.bsky.social
685 followers 438 following 75 posts

Latinx & disability studies | parent of twins | lover of yarn, handmade clothes, houseplants, music, orcas | author of Radical Health & Accessible Citizenships | coeditor of Crip Genealogies | views my own | she/her

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Reposted by Julie Avril Minich
AAUP chapter @UT Austin @utaustinaaup.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
“At a time when a major party nominee for statewide office can look at a diverse crowd of young Texans and see an invasion, students need more opportunities to understand one another. UT is giving them fewer.” 💯
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Reposted by Julie Avril Minich
Texas Conference of the AAUP @texasaaup.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Hey @utaustin.bsky.social, when will President Jim Davis condemn this racist attack on UT students and defend our campus community??? 🤨 www.nytimes.com/2026/09/13/u...
nytimes.com
Texas Republican’s Racist Social Media Post Draws Condemnation
Many Republicans criticized the post, some in more direct terms than others.
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Reposted by Julie Avril Minich
Stars and Stripes @starsandstripes.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
A civilian geography professor was fired from West Point for pushing back after department officials barred faculty from teaching that humans contribute to climate change.
stripes.com
West Point professor fired after pushing back on limitations to teaching climate change, lawsuit says
Adam Kalkstein pushed back after department officials barred faculty from teaching that humans contribute to climate change, the lawsuit says.
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Reposted by Julie Avril Minich
Dr. Stephennie Mulder @stephenniem.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Wait till he hears who invented the reflecting pool en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian...
Chehel Sotoun Palace, Isfahan, 17th century

A columned pavilion reflected in a pool with trees on both sides
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Reposted by Julie Avril Minich
Texas Conference of the AAUP @texasaaup.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
AAUP UT Austin Chapter Pres. Karma Chávez on faculty resistance to the closure of racial, ethnic + gender studies departments at UT: “it has felt like screaming into the void, righteous screams in solidarity with our colleagues around the state.” ✊ open.substack.com/pub/highered...
open.substack.com
Pebbles in the Ocean (or Screaming into the Void)
Karma R.
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Julie Avril Minich @professorjulie.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
And here’s a piece I wrote on recent staff purges at my university!
open.substack.com
What do Universities Lose When Staff are Fired en Masse?
Julie Avril Minich, AAUP @ UT Secretary
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Julie Avril Minich @professorjulie.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
New Substack offering analysis of the higher ed takeover in Texas - check it out! open.substack.com/pub/highered...
open.substack.com
Re-Segregating Higher Ed
We welcome readers to The Higher Ed Advocate Substack by introducing you to the kind of analysis you can expect here.
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Reposted by Julie Avril Minich
Prasad Jallepalli, MD, PhD @prasad.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
it’s shocking to me how urgently needed the AAUP is too many private and public institutions are ready to desecrate their legal, ethical, and professional commitments to academic freedom & excellence academia is far more ancient, enduring, and respected than government du jour — for good reason
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Reposted by Julie Avril Minich
Jeffrey Yost @justcode.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
"Ultimately, those who feel the effects of academic freedom most acutely are not a small group of educators, but the roughly 340 million members of the general public. Because academic freedom benefits us all, it also affects our national economy...our very system of representative democracy."
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Heather M. Haley @heatherhaleyphd.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
If I attended Texas Tech right now for my Ph.D., the university would bar me from writing my dissertation about sexuality in the Cold War U.S. Navy. If TTU receives federal dollars, is this not illegal under the First Amendment?
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Erin Reed @erininthemorning.com · 23/04/2026
1. In a draconian new policy, Texas Tech is banning writing about LGBTQ+ topics. The ban is the first don't say gay or trans policy to apply to students themselves. It applies to any thesis/dissertation moving forward. They are using AI to scan everything. Subscribe to support our journalism.
erininthemorning.com
Texas Tech Issues Ban On Students Writing On LGBTQ+ Topics
The ban applies to theses and dissertations, and is expected to begin going into effect on a rolling basis.
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Reposted by Julie Avril Minich
Ann Memmott @annmemmott.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Our usual gentle reminder to look at, every time you read, "But if we don't take even more away from people in need, there won't be enough for you!" Who has actually got nearly all the money? Not the group they've asked you to take money off. Think. Check. There's enough for everyone...
An illustration of two almost identical scenes.  The first is set in 1982 where a rich individual in a business suit has hoarded nearly all the cookies.  A worker sits next to him, with only one cookie.  Opposite, a person with no cookies at all.  The rich person says to the person with one cookie, "Careful, buddy, that foreigner wants your cookie".

In the next illustration, it's now 2025, and the rich person's stash of cookies is now about 100 times bigger.  The worker only has one cookie. The other person still has no cookies at all.  The rich person tries the same line again.
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Reposted by Julie Avril Minich
Texas Conference of the AAUP @texasaaup.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Julie Minich, AAUP UT Austin chapter executive committee member: “This timeline is really detrimental for students’ education..[It] effectively means that the primary consideration here is politics and not the education of students." www.kut.org/education/20...
kut.org
Facing political pressure, UT Austin speeds up ethnic and gender studies consolidation to this fall
In a meeting with faculty, the dean of the College of Liberal Arts said changes needed to be made before the next Texas legislative session, which starts in January 2027.
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Reposted by Julie Avril Minich
Texas Conference of the AAUP @texasaaup.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
📣 Today the Latinx Studies Association condemned the closure of the Department of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies at UTAustin. LSA Pres. David J. Vázquez emphasized the need to protect MALS in the “birthplace of our profession, of our field.” @utaustinaaup.bsky.social @utaustin.bsky.social
President of the Latinx Studies Association David J. Vázquez at a press conference. He wears a yellow shirt and sunglasses.An individual holds a cardboard sign reading “Hands Off Ethnic Studies.”An individual stands in front of a group of people holding a cardboard sign that reads, “You Can’t Erase Us!”
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Julie Avril Minich @professorjulie.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
The idea that “woke” professors indoctrinate their students is a smoke screen to enable a fascist takeover of the higher education system.
kjzz.org
New survey: Most college students say professors encourage them to share their views
A new survey finds up to three-quarters of college students — of all political leanings — say their professors encourage them to share their views; it also found 2% of college students say they feel l...
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Julie Avril Minich @professorjulie.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
My colleague!
austinchronicle.com
UT Head of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Speaks Out • The Austin Chronicle
On Monday, the Chronicle spoke with Lisa Moore, who has served since 2023 as the chair of UT-Austin’s Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department – a department that is now being collapsed with ...
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Julie Avril Minich @professorjulie.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
This one from a UT grad student is especially powerful.
statesman.com
The University of Texas is clipping the wings of students of color | Opinion
Students from different races and ethnicities had to fight to find belonging at the University of Texas. Now they are being asked to shrink themselves, Mateo Vallejo writes.
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Julie Avril Minich @professorjulie.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Friends, I wrote a thing. This is a gift link, but if you are in Austin I hope you will consider subscribing to our local paper. Journalists are necessary for democracy!
statesman.com
This is not how you improve education at the University of Texas | Opinion
The provost’s decision to eliminate key teaching and advising units threatens students, staff and educational quality, Julie Minich writes.
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Reposted by Julie Avril Minich
ACLU @aclu.org · 18/02/2026
BREAKING: The Department of Education has ended its directive that attempted to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in schools nationwide. This is a victory for academic freedom and education equity.
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Reposted by Julie Avril Minich
AAUP chapter @UT Austin @utaustinaaup.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
www.statesman.com/opinion/colu...
statesman.com
Students can solve controversial problems. UT must trust them to do so | Opinion
A vague proposed policy on “controversial topics” risks narrowing what students can learn at the University of Texas, David Gray Widder writes.
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Reposted by Julie Avril Minich
AAUP chapter @UT Austin @utaustinaaup.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
www.kvue.com/article/news...
kvue.com
UT Austin students protest looming consolidation of race, ethnic and gender studies
UT President Jim Davis said the university will merge seven Liberal Arts departments, with no confirmed timeline.
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Reposted by Julie Avril Minich
🌶 David Gray Widder @davidthewid.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
University of Texas is set to curtail teaching of "Controversial Topics", per agenda item added before the holiday weekend for Board of Regent's meeting Thursday. Texas students deserve to learn to think critically about pressing concerns of our day. @aaup.org archive.is/rvbwz
Page 1 of agenda item here: https://www.utsystem.edu/sites/default/files/offices/board-of-regents/board-meetings/agenda-book-full/2-2026AB.pdfPage two of agenda item previously linked.
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Lisa L. Moore @lisalmoore.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
Please read. The sidelining of scholars from our distinguished Department of Mexican-American and Latinx Studies, alongside the rise of billionaire-funded new programs in “civic leadership,” in a state that is 40% Latino, is a shameless assertion of white supremacy. latinopia.com/latino-liter...
latinopia.com
GUEST BLOG ALFONSO AYALA III ELIMINATION OF MEXICAN AMERICAN STUDIES AND LATINA/O STUDIES
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Reposted by Julie Avril Minich
AAUP chapter @UT Austin @utaustinaaup.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
thedailytexan.com/2026/02/12/w...
thedailytexan.com
What students lose in the name of ‘efficiency’
The Editorial Board argues UT’s decision to eliminate 4 student services departments will cause students and faculty to lose access to valuable resources.
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Julie Avril Minich @professorjulie.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
My friend drew a thing and it’s beautiful!
muthamagazine.com
On Wild Geese
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Julie Avril Minich @professorjulie.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
At least 24 staff members, with a wealth of expertise and institutional memory and whose jobs primarily exist to support the undergraduate teaching mission of the university, have been laid off. Why?
thedailytexan.com
Office of Undergraduate Research, additional programs, to shut down at end of semester
Four student support programs — the Office of Undergraduate Research, Office of Community Engagement, Vick Advising Excellence Center and The Center for Teaching and Learning — will be shut down by th...
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Reposted by Julie Avril Minich
Kelly @broadwaybabyto.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
Everyone deserves shelter, food, water & healthcare. Even the people you don’t like. Even the people you feel made “bad lifestyle choices” Even the people who you don’t think “contribute enough” Every person should have their basic needs met This shouldn’t be controversial.
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Julie Avril Minich @professorjulie.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
Who is on the board right now for the American Studies Association? Doesn’t ASA often use Hilton brands for their conference hotels? Hope they speak up!
independent.co.uk
Hilton drops Minnesota hotel that banned ICE agents from staying in its rooms
Hilton issued an apology, saying the hotel would be removed from the company’s systems
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Reposted by Julie Avril Minich
derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 03/01/2026
people offended by $600 shoes are going to be in for a surprise when trump eventually reshores US manufacturing
A page showing two Alden shoe models. Each cost $686. They are made in the USA. A page showing a Yuketen suede boot that was made in the USA. It retails for $1,012.
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Reposted by Julie Avril Minich
I Scare You Like Sound Dog @chadstanton.blacksky.app · 23/12/2025
I don’t mean to sound extreme, but I don’t think we should have torture camps for people with criminal records either.
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Reposted by Julie Avril Minich
Kate Jackson @katejackson.bsky.social · 07/12/2025
“The Daily Nebraskan found in the leaked spreadsheet that every program eliminated appeared to be profitable…every program that the chancellor proposed eliminating generated more money from tuition dollars than the department costs to run”
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Reposted by Julie Avril Minich
Roxane Gay @roxanegay.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
The depth of the shame of a country this wealthy and abundant allowing its people to go hungry is impossible to measure. The fact that a handful of people could fix this by paying their fair share of taxes while still remaining obscenely wealthy makes it even worse.
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AAUP chapter @UT Austin @utaustinaaup.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
💔This is a heartbreaking story. We support our students, whatever their identities, and we deplore the political environment that is making their experience in Texas public universities so painful—while also harming the learning environment for everyone. www.texastribune.org/2025/10/21/t...
texastribune.org
Texas trans students fear identity erasure at college
Once considered a safe haven to explore identity, Texas campuses are invalidating and alienating trans people, students say.
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Reposted by Julie Avril Minich
wkow27news.bsky.social @wkow27news.bsky.social · 18/10/2025
The battle for academic freedom and institutional sovereignty in higher education continues to play out as another university has rejected a White House offer for expanded access to federal funding in return for agreeing to a series of demands.
wkow.com
6 universities reject White House funding deal with attached demands. Multiple other schools have yet to respond
(CNN) — The battle for academic freedom and institutional sovereignty in higher education continues to play out as another university has rejected a White House offer for expanded access to
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Dom Evans @domevans.electricmarshmallow.com · 14/10/2025
I honestly wonder what's wrong with people that don't believe everyone deserves access to healthcare. Like what is broken in you that you don't see other people as human beings?
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Texas Conference of the AAUP @texasaaup.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
MIT rejects the compact! 👏👏👏👏
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AAUP @aaup.org · 10/10/2025
Professor Karma Chávez of @utaustinaaup.bsky.social explaining how the abolishment of faculty senates in Texas strips away democracy & any notion of shared governance in TX higher education. #defendhighered
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AAUP chapter @UT Austin @utaustinaaup.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
www.statesman.com/opinion/colu... Great opinion piece from UT Austin faculty member Lisa Moore. 👏🏽👏🏽
statesman.com
After 35 years at UT Austin, I hardly recognize my university | Opinion
What was once a beacon of access and discovery is now fighting for its soul and mission as political attacks upend norms, rules and rights, Lisa L. Moore writes.
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AAUP chapter @UT Austin @utaustinaaup.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
“LGBTQ+ history has reshaped how historians understand American citizenship, the Cold War and the civil rights movement, among many subjects. Officials may succeed in driving LGBTQ+ history out of Texas’s public universities — but they will not erase the past. LGBTQ+ history belongs to all of us.”
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Dorit Reiss @doritreiss.bsky.social · 11/10/2025
Reminder: the President may be allowing his secretary to undermine access to vaccines for others and promote anti vaccine misinformation, but he himself is fully vaccinated, including this year’s flu and Covid vaccine. In this, do as the president does, not as his secretary ‘s ACIP minions say.
Letter saying President Trump got his annual flu and Covid vaccine.
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Kim Weeden @weedenkim.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
Academic freedom means that a course that teaches students to critique settler colonialism can be taught alongside one that teaches students to maximize shareholder value. Both are "biased" in their framing. Only one is currently at risk of being cancelled by state and/or institutional actors.
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Kelly @broadwaybabyto.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
Healthcare should be a basic human right. People shouldn’t have to fear bankruptcy for needing the ER. They shouldn’t end up homeless because they became ill. They shouldn’t have to “prove they matter” to get Medicaid. For profit medicine is cruel & punitive. Universal healthcare saves lives
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 30/09/2025
the president of the united states wants to use the american military to kill american citizens on american soil. that's the whole story!
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Julie Avril Minich @professorjulie.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
Showed up for my COVID vax appt today and got turned away. I answered the health risk questions honestly (not medically high risk, a caretaker for a child who is). Not surprised, but surprised how angry I am. How are people getting this vaccine? Are they accurately reporting their health status?
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The Humanities Institute at The University of Texas at Austin @ut-hi.bsky.social · 15/09/2025
Join us for an evening with Mimi Khúc, who is, in her own words, "a writer, scholar, and teacher of things unwell," as she discusses her 2024 publication, dear elia: Letters from the Asian American Abyss. RSVP: bit.ly/4nm6YgZ @slothprof.bsky.social @vjohsu.bsky.social @professorjulie.bsky.social
Photo shared by Humanities Institute at UT Austin on September 15, 2025 tagging @inkblotjo, @mellonfoundation, @ut_english, @liberalartsut, and @slothprof. May be a graphic of 1 person, magazine, poster and text.
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Gillian Branstetter @gbbranstetter.bsky.social · 13/09/2025
I am having a hard time reconciling "Charlie Kirk was a fierce advocate of open dialogue and free expression" with "we must identify and persecute everyone who is insufficiently mournful"
nbcnews.com
After Charlie Kirk's death, teachers and professors nationwide fired or disciplined over social media posts
At least a dozen faculty and staff have faced fallout over insensitive comments online.
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George Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · 22/08/2025
Masked raids are tools of fear, not freedom. Despite what this administration wants you to believe, they are not about “safety.” They are about letting ICE agents hide from accountability while carrying out inhumane acts.
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Bradley Whitford @bradleywhitford.bsky.social · 23/08/2025
If you’re a convicted felon and your character witness is your dear old friend, the convicted child sex trafficker and enabler of your other dear old friend, the most notorious raper of children in modern history, you’re definitely a total piece of shit.
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K.B. Wagers @kbwagers.com · 21/08/2025
A delighted reminder that if you don't want people celebrating your death, don't be a huge piece of shit.
media.tenor.com
a close up of a man 's face looking over his shoulder
Alt: a close up of a man 's face looking over his shoulder and winking gif
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