I teach at a small rural regional state univ in a red MAGA part of a blue state. I address this moment in every single class meeting. I can enumerate my methods-not gentle but welcoming all views- in a later thread in case they are helpful to others, but I had to reply right away as I'm so grateful for your article.
At our last dept meet (humanities) I said to colleagues "I hope everyone is keeping a journal bc we're living through a coup. Elon Musk has your SS number. Our students need to understand this. They're set to lose everything if they don't pay attention and we don't step up."
The room was silent for a beat, then chair said "don't say anything to anyone" by which she meant ICE, which can now come on campus anytime. Our profs are on this, but the young nontenured ones must be protected too.
We're talking about it in my classes for my MLIS. I'm working on an op-ed research paper for my Academic Library course assessing how this will affect academic libraries and the importance of taking a stand that I will be trying to get published in a major journal related to library science.
I'd humbly suggest that having professors tell students that MAGA is attacking academic institutions and undermining the foundations of knowledge is infinitely less effective and more self-involved, than telling students that by attacking universities MAGA is diminishing the value of the degrees they'll receive and damaging their future earning potential.
Thank you for all the 🦋 professors. I just followed them all.
Walking my neighborhood this morning, I realized how easy it is to slip back into believing everything is ok. Maybe we need to do that briefly everyday to preserve our sanity. But we need to understand that this will impact all of us. We have more power to help before it does.
PS chair didn't mean to be quiet about the authoritarian takeover. She meant not to talk to anyone in federal govt who tries to get up in our business on campus. Our univ administration and state system are on the side of democracy too.
As an academic professor emeritus of one of our service academies (and 37+ year active duty retiree) this troubles me on so many levels. First and foremost for the civilian academic world, this "defunding" of our public and private universities is going to raise the cost of education for all as sure as bid flu affects the price of eggs or steel tariffs the price of a refrigerator. This will make higher education even more out-of-reach for average Americans, especially when coupled with the anticipated reductions in financial aide and any affirmative action in most states. Of course, this is all part of the MAGA plan of decreasing trust in institutions where knowledge and expertise, science and research are valued. The "enshitification" of academia will ensue: cut funding and then claim that the institution is failing so you can cut more funding, rinse and repeat until only horrendously expensive, (essentially) for-profit-only exclusive alternatives exit. This has worked in the K-12 public school world and will expand in the public university realm now.
I am an academic and I teach courses directly related to government and policy. It is no longer possible to be neutral. Fascism is not a both sides topic. I do give my students the opportunity to explore authoritarian rule but it is still what it is and I dont mince words. I wont.
The most hopeful feeling I've had in I don't know how long came from reading these Bluesky responses from college/university educators who are finding effective ways to engage their students with what's going on. Keep on crushing it, teachers!
I teach at a small rural regional state univ in a red MAGA part of a blue state. I address this moment in every single class meeting. I can enumerate my methods-not gentle but welcoming all views- in a later thread in case they are helpful to others, but I had to reply right away as I'm so grateful for your article.
At our last dept meet (humanities) I said to colleagues "I hope everyone is keeping a journal bc we're living through a coup. Elon Musk has your SS number. Our students need to understand this. They're set to lose everything if they don't pay attention and we don't step up."
The room was silent for a beat, then chair said "don't say anything to anyone" by which she meant ICE, which can now come on campus anytime. Our profs are on this, but the young nontenured ones must be protected too.
This is an emergency.
Education is our collective memory.
We're talking about it in my classes for my MLIS. I'm working on an op-ed research paper for my Academic Library course assessing how this will affect academic libraries and the importance of taking a stand that I will be trying to get published in a major journal related to library science.
I'd humbly suggest that having professors tell students that MAGA is attacking academic institutions and undermining the foundations of knowledge is infinitely less effective and more self-involved, than telling students that by attacking universities MAGA is diminishing the value of the degrees they'll receive and damaging their future earning potential.
Thank you for all the 🦋 professors. I just followed them all.
Walking my neighborhood this morning, I realized how easy it is to slip back into believing everything is ok. Maybe we need to do that briefly everyday to preserve our sanity. But we need to understand that this will impact all of us. We have more power to help before it does.
PS chair didn't mean to be quiet about the authoritarian takeover. She meant not to talk to anyone in federal govt who tries to get up in our business on campus. Our univ administration and state system are on the side of democracy too.
As an academic professor emeritus of one of our service academies (and 37+ year active duty retiree) this troubles me on so many levels. First and foremost for the civilian academic world, this "defunding" of our public and private universities is going to raise the cost of education for all as sure as bid flu affects the price of eggs or steel tariffs the price of a refrigerator. This will make higher education even more out-of-reach for average Americans, especially when coupled with the anticipated reductions in financial aide and any affirmative action in most states. Of course, this is all part of the MAGA plan of decreasing trust in institutions where knowledge and expertise, science and research are valued. The "enshitification" of academia will ensue: cut funding and then claim that the institution is failing so you can cut more funding, rinse and repeat until only horrendously expensive, (essentially) for-profit-only exclusive alternatives exit. This has worked in the K-12 public school world and will expand in the public university realm now.
I am an academic and I teach courses directly related to government and policy. It is no longer possible to be neutral. Fascism is not a both sides topic. I do give my students the opportunity to explore authoritarian rule but it is still what it is and I dont mince words. I wont.
The most hopeful feeling I've had in I don't know how long came from reading these Bluesky responses from college/university educators who are finding effective ways to engage their students with what's going on. Keep on crushing it, teachers!