Dear Colleagues,

as we deal with the onslaught of changes coming at higher education (and everything else)  we want to let you know about the actions that American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts and American Federation of Teachers National are taking to resist these changes, and how you can keep yourself informed about what is going on. 

As is happening on many college campuses around the nation, the faculty and staff at UMass Dartmouth are trying to navigate the changes the Trump administration is attempting to make in higher education and we are concerned about how these will affect student enrollment, our ability to conduct scholarship, and our right to determine the content and methods in our classrooms. 

The AFT has begun pushing back against the damage being done to research. On February 25, scientists, researchers and faculty rallied in Washington DC to protest the cuts being made to NIH, attacks that harm not just university researchers but the millions of people who rely on their work for cures and treatments for everything from cancer to diabetes and Alzheimer’s.

Most recently, AFT is working to defend higher education against the attacks coming from the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s DOGE. In the courts, AFT together with AAUP (American Association of University Professors) and other unions, have filed lawsuits to try and prevent some of the most egregious of these attacks: 

• to challenge a “Dear Colleagues” letter from the Dept. of Education Office of Civil rights threatening to withhold federal funding from institutions that teach about slavery, diversity and inclusion

• to stop the Dept. of Education from sharing private, personal data with DOGE

• to block efforts that threaten academic freedom and access to higher education for everyone

To help you understand everything that is happening, AFT has a collection of resources at Defending Higher Education in 2025

The AFT and AAUP will also be hosting a series of webinars through Spring. These will focus on topics important to the members of the Faculty Federation:

• March 4, 3 pm: Exploring Faculty Perspectives on Academic Freedom and Civil Discourse
  Register HERE This will report on the findings from a recent “National Study of Faculty Attitudes and Perceptions” done by AAUP.

• March 20, 3-4 pm: What We Expect for Federal Funding Cuts and Policy Changes in Higher Education 
  Register HERE Expert panelists will provide insight and practical tools to help members interpret the federal budget’s content and advocate for policies that support the advancement of higher education.

• April 17, 3-4 pm: Navigating the Attacks on America’s Classrooms and the Freedom to Learn 
  Register HERE This session will examine the ongoing attacks on DEI initiatives by the new administration, and how these intersect with broader debates about free speech and academic freedom on the federal and state levels.

And from AAUP there are a series of workshops dealing with online safety

• March 10, 3 pm: Digital Safety Workshop: Wait, what info is available about me online? How to think like a doxxer. 
  Register HERE Discover what information about us is available online, including on our social media accounts, and what we can do to remove it.

• March 17, noon: Digital Safety Workshop: What can I do about the trolls?! How to respond when online abuse strikes. 
  Register HERE Practical tips for documenting and reporting abuse as well as examples of how faculty and staff have pushed  back.

• March 24, 3 pm: Digital Safety Workshop: What can I do to help my colleagues? How to be an ally online. 
  Register HERE Strategies for being an effective ally and building a supportive cyber-community.

In Solidarity!