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University of Oklahoma AAUP

@uoklahomaaaup.bsky.social
155 followers 207 following 31 posts

We are the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) at the University of Oklahoma. We defend academic freedom, shared governance and fundamental professional values and standards for higher education.

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University of Oklahoma AAUP @uoklahomaaaup.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
www.oudaily.com/news/aaup-su... "A log of responses from Oklahoma professors shows 64% of respondents reported they would not recommend working in Oklahoma to colleagues or graduate students."
oudaily.com
AAUP survey reveals growing concerns of political influence in higher education among instructors
An American Association of University Professors survey of faculty in southern states, now including Oklahoma, reveals growing concerns about political influence in university curriculum.
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University of Oklahoma AAUP @uoklahomaaaup.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Good to see this lawsuit and pushback. With actual actions rather than wine and whine grumbling. www.chronicle.com/article/at-t...
chronicle.com
A Bombshell Lawsuit Points to an ‘Extraordinary System of Censorship’ at Texas Tech
An 84-page complaint offers a glimpse into how the system’s curricular-review process has operated behind closed doors.
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University of Oklahoma AAUP @uoklahomaaaup.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
OU-AAUP Political Harassment Plan document is now on the OU-AAUP website and provides non-legal information in the event that an OU faculty member is harassed. It documents ways to respond to harassment and threats and lists resources. sites.google.com/view/ou-aaup...
sites.google.com
OU-AAUP - OU Political Harassment Plan
On this website is the OU-AAUP's 'OU POLITICAL HARASSMENT PLAN.' This site provides non-legal information in the event that a faculty member is politically harassed: docs.google.com/document/d/1k9kvM...
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AAUP @aaup.org · 24/04/2026
NEW today in the New York Times: In the face of unprecedented authoritarian attacks, the AAUP is building a powerful and militant resistance movement in defense of American higher education, the freedom to learn, and our democracy. Join Us!
nytimes.com
A Professor Union Grows Fast as It Ramps Up Its Fight Against Trump
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University of Oklahoma AAUP @uoklahomaaaup.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
What has the University of Oklahoma chapter of AAUP been doing to protect academic freedom and workplace rights and safety in the last six years? It turns out a lot. Check our new web page with our press releases for six years for an overview: sites.google.com/d/1IrQajK_8D...
sites.google.com
Google Drive: Sign-in
Access Google Drive with a Google account (for personal use) or Google Workspace account (for business use).
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University of Oklahoma AAUP @uoklahomaaaup.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
www.oklahoman.com/story/news/p...
oklahoman.com
Mel Curth speaks out on OU essay debate in her first media interview
In her first interview, Mel Curth spoke with The Oklahoman about Samantha Fulnecky's essay on gender norms that sparked a national debate.
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University of Oklahoma AAUP @uoklahomaaaup.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
www.theeduledger.com/faculty-staf...
theeduledger.com
Faculty Purchasing Power Declines as Inflation Outpaces Salary Growth, AAUP Finds
Preliminary data from the nation's largest faculty compensation survey shows real wages fell for the first time since the pandemic.
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AAUP @aaup.org · 13/04/2026
Today, the AAUP & @aft.org launched our national policy platform to win back an American higher education system that protects the freedom to teach & learn & strengthens our democracy. Read it in full here: www.aaup.org/blueprint-st... 🧵
aaup.org
A Blueprint for Strengthening and Transforming Higher Education
The AAUP and AFT jointly launched a new comprehensive policy platform ahead of the 2026 midterms aimed to counter the Trump administration’s far right extremist attacks on American higher education an...
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AAUP @aaup.org · 14/04/2026
“They tried to weaken higher education, but instead they built a movement to fight for the future... They can attack our institutions, but they cannot stop our movement….We will not stop until we have the higher education system and the democracy we all deserve.” — Todd Wolfson, AAUP President
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University of Oklahoma AAUP @uoklahomaaaup.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
www.insidehighered.com/news/governm... OU-AAUP: “Abolishing tenure cripples and compromises scientific and creative research that benefits all Oklahomans." “It also sends a strong message that top-tier academics seeking employment at Oklahoma universities should look elsewhere immediately.”
insidehighered.com
Bills Weakening Tenure, Abolishing Faculty Senates Advance
Alabama, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Tennessee are considering legislation that will impact tenure, faculty governance and more.
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AAUP @aaup.org · 07/04/2026
NEW: Preliminary findings released today from the AAUP’s annual Faculty Compensation Survey reveal that real wages for full-time faculty decreased & remain below pre-pandemic levels. The FCS is the largest independent source of data on faculty salaries. Check out preliminary findings below. ⬇️
aaup.org
Faculty Compensation Survey
The AAUP publishes faculty compensation survey results in the spring for the current academic year and a full report in the summer.
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AAUP @aaup.org · 06/04/2026
Money for wars but not for science, research, and education… 😒
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AAUP @aaup.org · 03/04/2026
"Eliminating tenure based on misunderstandings and misinformation will have far-reaching consequences, and it will negatively impact our students, our institutions of higher education, and ultimately our state’s economic growth."
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University of Oklahoma AAUP @uoklahomaaaup.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
oklahomavoice.com/2026/04/01/m...
oklahomavoice.com
Misunderstanding tenure leads to harmful outcomes for Oklahoma colleges, universities • Oklahoma Voice
Gov. Kevin Stitt sent shockwaves through Oklahoma’s higher education academic community earlier this year when he abruptly recommended the State Regents for Higher Education prohibit regional universi...
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AAUP @aaup.org · 02/04/2026
“They want to do things which tend to be illegal. They have a penchant for illegality. They can be as thorough as they want, but if they want to stop freedom of speech, they're going to have a problem.” — Todd Wolfson, AAUP President on the Trump admin's recent fondness for launching lawsuits.
nytimes.com
Lawsuits Are the New Trump Tactic in the Fight to Overhaul Education
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AAUP @aaup.org · 02/04/2026
Full-time salaries for most categories of faculty have remained about the same since 2002, adjusting for inflation, while admin pay soars. Faculty have had enough. We’re fighting back nationwide. ✊🏽✊🏻✊🏿 www.chronicle.com/article/amid...
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AAUP @aaup.org · 01/04/2026
Students' freedom to learn depends on faculty's freedom to teach. Texas AAUP Conference President Brian Evans on the power of unions & organizing in the fight against censorship & attacks on academic freedom in Texas 🔥 @texasaaup.bsky.social @texasaft.org @aft.org @afthighered.bsky.social
youtube.com
Academic Freedom Under Siege in Texas: How We Fight Back 📈📚
YouTube video by AFT
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AAUP @aaup.org · 30/03/2026
Now, that's a nice shirt!
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University of Oklahoma AAUP @uoklahomaaaup.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
www.historians.org/news/aha-sen...
historians.org
AHA Sends Letter Urging Recission of Oklahoma Executive Order Targeting Tenure Protections - AHA
The AHA sent a letter to Governor Kevin Stitt urging him to rescind an executive order encouraging the Oklahoma State Regents of Higher Education to gut existing tenure protections at state research u...
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University of Oklahoma AAUP @uoklahomaaaup.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
www.oudaily.com/news/ou-facu... The OU Faculty Senate was not consulted on the attack on Mel Curth despite claims by OU otherwise. OU-AAUP: “Providing OU’s version of information and not consulting any faculty member or group on campus is the opposite of this.”
oudaily.com
OU president says university met with Faculty Senate Executive Committee regarding Mel Curth’s termination
OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. told OU Daily at the March 10 OU Board of Regents meeting that he met with the OU Faculty Senate Executive Committee twice regarding former
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University of Oklahoma AAUP @uoklahomaaaup.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
www.wmnf.org/film-documen...
wmnf.org
Film on the conservative takeover of New College premieres at SXSW, draws pushback from college
A film tracking the conservative takeover of New College of Florida, titled “First They Came For Our College”, has hit the big screens.
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University of Oklahoma AAUP @uoklahomaaaup.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
www.oklahoman.com/story/opinio...
oklahoman.com
Anti-tenure bill would hand political win to lame-duck Stitt | Opinion
SB 1782 doesn't solve higher education's problems. It restricts tenure tracks, hands a political win to Gov. Kevin Stitt, who has unfinished business.
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erindyke.bsky.social @erindyke.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
No to SB 1782! Read Alyssa’s excellent piece - we need to protect (and expand) due process protections for all of Oklahoma’s public university and community college faculty.
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AAUP @aaup.org · 16/03/2026
“Removing tenure protection does not make universities more accountable to students or taxpayers. It makes faculty more vulnerable to political interference. For anyone who has watched what politically motivated meddling does to institutions, that should not be a selling point.” #AcademicSky
oklahoman.com
Anti-tenure bill would hand political win to lame-duck Stitt | Opinion
SB 1782 doesn't solve higher education's problems. It restricts tenure tracks, hands a political win to Gov. Kevin Stitt, who has unfinished business.
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AAUP @aaup.org · 10/03/2026
“There’s kind of a defeatism, this idea that there’s no stopping technology & that resistance is futile, everything will be crushed in its path. That needs to change … We can decide that we want to be human.” #AcademicSky
theguardian.com
‘I wish I could push ChatGPT off a cliff’: professors scramble to save critical thinking in an age of AI
As AI has upended the way students learn, academics worry about the future of the humanities - and society at large
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University of Oklahoma AAUP @uoklahomaaaup.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
nondoc.com/2026/03/09/e... Weeks later, the OU President weighed in on the political and academic freedom attack on Mel Curth. He *claims* noninvolvement: “That’s not my role in these,” Harroz said. “As you see, there’s an appeal process going on right now that’s taking place."
nondoc.com
Essay controversy spurs OU criticism across spectrum
After an OU student's essay referencing her religious beliefs received a failing grade, the University of Oklahoma drew fire from all sides.
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AAUP @aaup.org · 06/03/2026
The far right's new politicized higher ed accreditor is illegitimate. "Rather than protecting educational quality, the CPHE appears designed to give partisan political actors a powerful new tool to pressure universities to conform to a narrow ideological agenda" — Todd Wolfson, AAUP President
aaup.org
New CPHE Accrediting Body Is Illegitimate
Rather than protecting educational quality, the CPHE appears designed to give partisan political actors a powerful new tool to pressure universities to conform to a narrow ideological agenda—backed by...
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University of Oklahoma AAUP @uoklahomaaaup.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
www.oudaily.com/news/oklahom... “It also sends a strong message that top-tier academics seeking employment at Oklahoma universities should look elsewhere immediately,” Givel wrote. “Why pursue a job here, including at OU, under such a repressive climate?”
oudaily.com
Oklahoma legislature advances bill that would remove tenure at OU, public universities
The Oklahoma legislature advanced a bill Tuesday that would remove the possibility of tenure for OU faculty, limit contract agreements to five years and require each state institute for higher
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AAUP @aaup.org · 04/03/2026
“Abolishing tenure cripples scientific & creative research... This sends a strong message that top-tier academics seeking employment at Oklahoma universities should look elsewhere immediately. Why pursue a job here under such a repressive climate?” — Michael Givel, OU AAUP President
oudaily.com
Oklahoma legislature advances bill that would remove tenure at OU, public universities
The Oklahoma legislature advanced a bill Tuesday that would remove the possibility of tenure for OU faculty, limit contract agreements to five years and require each state institute for higher
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AAUP Texas A&M-College Station Chapter @tamu-aaup.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
The goal is to destroy knowledge.... #LetUsTeach #LetStudentsLearn
msmagazine.com
Texas A&M’s Women’s and Gender Studies Closure Signals a Wider Crackdown on Academic Freedom
Texas A&M’s Women’s and Gender Studies Closure Signals a Wider Crackdown on Academic Freedom
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Todd Wolfson @proftwolf.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Please sign and share this petition!
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AAUP @aaup.org · 22/02/2026
What is being labeled “controversial” today is the very knowledge Texas will need to survive tomorrow. The question is no longer whether higher education can be saved as it is. The question is whether we are ready to imagine—and build—what comes next. Important op-ed in the @texasobserver.org.
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AAUP @aaup.org · 21/02/2026
Reinstate the Fired Six at VSU! Six tenured & tenure track faculty members were abruptly fired at Virginia State University without cause or any semblance of due process. Sign this petition to demand their reinstatement & a public commitment from VSU to honor tenure & end arbitrary dismissals.
actionnetwork.org
Reinstate the Fired Six at VSU
On December 16, 2025, Dr. Harbans L. Bhardwaj, Dr. Adnan Beker Yousuf, Dr. Vitalis W. Temu, Dr. Maru K. Kering, Dr. Toktam Taghavi, and Dr. Molla Fentie Mengist were abruptly removed from Virginia Sta...
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University of Oklahoma AAUP @uoklahomaaaup.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
www.oudaily.com/news/ou-facu... Faculty Senate’s resolution insists “OU Faculty Senate Executive Committee and Faculty Senate were neither solicited for input nor endorsed the decision of the administration on this matter.” Despite the OU Administration claiming they did.
oudaily.com
Faculty Senate to consider stand against OU’s handling of grade dispute despite university claims
OU Faculty Senate aims to vote on a resolution to affirm the senate did not endorse the university’s termination of graduate teaching instructor Mel Curth in a virtual ballot.
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University of Oklahoma AAUP @uoklahomaaaup.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
cz.boell.org/en/2023/05/1... Where else were professors stripped of tenure? That would be in right-wing authoritarian Hungary. Make no mistake Gov. Stitt's removal of tenure at Oklahoma regional & community colleges & universities is an authoritarian attack on ideas presented in college classrooms.
cz.boell.org
Hungary’s “revenge bill” against teachers, students and parents | Heinrich Böll Stiftung | Prague Office - Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary
The Hungarian Interior Ministry (because there has been no Education Ministry in Hungary since 2010) is planning to apply stricter, more detailed disciplinary rules as a result of a new bill on teache...
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University of Oklahoma AAUP @uoklahomaaaup.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
www.theeduledger.com/leadership-p... "The AAUP president framed the executive order within what he described as a pattern of "democratic backsliding," arguing that weakening independent academic institutions threatens democratic norms."
theeduledger.com
Oklahoma Governor Eliminates Tenure at Regional Universities and Community Colleges
The executive order strips tenure protections from faculty at institutions including the state's six regional universities and its community college system, though it does not apply to the University ...
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University of Oklahoma AAUP @uoklahomaaaup.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
www.oudaily.com/news/america...
oudaily.com
Gov. Kevin Stitt orders budgeting, tenure changes; AAUP responds
The American Association of University Professors issued a statement following the passing of two Oklahoma executive orders aimed at higher education reform, including eliminating professors’ tenure a...
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University of Oklahoma AAUP @uoklahomaaaup.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
www.oudaily.com/news/america... Given this development, now is a really good time for OU to resume DEI efforts on campus.
oudaily.com
National college association reaffirms support of DEI, encourages return to ‘equity-centered’ practices
The American College Personnel Association posted an open letter reaffirming its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion on Instagram Tuesday. The announcement follows the U.S. Department of Edu...
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AAUP @aaup.org · 06/02/2026
AAUP President Todd Wolfson issued the following statement in response to Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt's Executive Order issued today immediately eliminating academic tenure at the state’s public regional universities and community colleges.
aaup.org
AAUP President on the Elimination of Tenure at Oklahoma Regional Universities and Community Colleges.
WASHINGTON—AAUP President Todd Wolfson issued the following statement in response to the Governor of Oklahoma’s signing of Executive Order 2026-07, which immediately eliminates the conferral of academ...
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Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
"Targeting regional universities and community colleges reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of tenure—as if it were a privilege reserved for a select few rather than an essential working condition for all faculty responsible for teaching and research." @proftwolf.bsky.social @aaup.org
aaup.org
AAUP President on the Elimination of Tenure at Oklahoma Regional Universities and Community Colleges.
WASHINGTON—AAUP President Todd Wolfson issued the following statement in response to the Governor of Oklahoma’s signing of Executive Order 2026-07, which immediately eliminates the conferral of academ...
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AAUP @aaup.org · 05/02/2026
“Contrary to claims of being ‘1 University’ & supporting shared governance, OU has not yet deigned to respond to GSS & OU AAUP statements addressing the campus issues of transparency in the grade appeals process, including with Mel Curth, support of academic freedom & to counter political attacks."
oudaily.com
OU Graduate Student Senate to meet with university on transparency, removal of graduate instructor
Following the passing of a bill calling for transparency from the university regarding its termination of graduate teaching instructor Mel Curth, the OU Graduate Student Senate is set to meet
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University of Oklahoma AAUP @uoklahomaaaup.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
www.oudaily.com/news/graduat... The University of Oklahoma (OU) Graduate Student Senate (GSS) is demanding answers now from OU regarding the political attack on Mel Curth, the undisclosed process in firing Mel Curth, and OU's substandard academic reputation due to firing Mel Curth. OU-AAUP agrees.
oudaily.com
OU Graduate Student Senate to meet with university on transparency, removal of graduate instructor
Following the passing of a bill calling for transparency from the university regarding its termination of graduate teaching instructor Mel Curth, the OU Graduate Student Senate is set to meet
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AAUP @aaup.org · 28/01/2026
Education is a public good for all. When politicians censor classroom teaching in order to narrow the field of topics that students can engage in, they rob them of a stellar world class education. This is what is happening at Texas A&M & other institutions in the state. 🧵
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AAUP @aaup.org · 25/01/2026
If Texas A&M truly believes in the values of leadership, integrity, & service, it must defend academic freedom & protect student learning. Please sign & share this petition to TAMU leadership demanding an end to all censorship of instruction & retaliation against faculty who refuse to censor.
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University of Oklahoma AAUP @uoklahomaaaup.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
www.insidehighered.com/news/governm... One of the claims about "Illegal DEIA" just disappeared. Time for a new OU Provost Office secret memo reversing the August 2025 secret memo about supposed "illegal DEIA" being essentially verboten at OU?
insidehighered.com
ED Drops Appeal of Order Blocking Anti-DEI Guidance
First Amendment advocates and higher ed leaders are declaring victory, and some say it’s the “final defeat” of Trump’s attempt to rid colleges of race-based student supports.
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
“University administrators and state lawmakers are saying, in effect, that academic freedom won’t protect you if you teach ideas they don’t like. Never mind that decades ago, the Supreme Court described classrooms as the very embodiment of the “marketplace of ideas” www.nytimes.com/2026/01/12/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | This Is No Way to Run a University
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University of Oklahoma AAUP @uoklahomaaaup.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
www.kosu.org/2025-06-18/o... A recap of a key July 2025 court victory in which the Oklahoma Supreme Court upheld academic freedom for public colleges and universities in Oklahoma. OU-AAUP has been one of the plaintiffs.
kosu.org
Oklahoma Supreme Court says HB 1775 ban does not apply to university courses
The Oklahoma Supreme Court decided Tuesday the state's law banning certain discussions on race and sex does not apply to college and university classrooms.
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AAUP @aaup.org · 16/01/2026
“We urge OU to publicly and unequivocally affirm the right of OU faculty and instructors to conduct teaching, grading, and research without political interference, unlawful mandates, or external pressures that hinder academic freedom.” — Todd Wolfson, AAUP President
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AAUP @aaup.org · 16/01/2026
Read AAUP President Todd Wolfson's full statement here👇
aaup.org
AAUP Condemns OU Suspension, Political Interference
We urge OU to affirm the right of instructors to teach, grade, and research without political interference, unlawful mandates, or external pressures that hinder academic freedom.
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