We hope you enjoy this issue of The AAUPdate! If you are a member of our chapter, you’ll get these updates regularly in your inbox. If you’re not a member, you are invited to subscribe to receive these updates by email. Please also feel free to forward this along to colleagues! Past issues of the newsletter are online.
★ ★ We begin with a message from our colleagues at the Student Workers of Columbia (SWC), who had the following to share… ★ ★
“Hello AAUP! We’re excited to be able to include a short update from the Student Workers of Columbia UAW 2710 (SWC) on our bargaining process and other student worker issues in this newsletter.
We are hosting Faculty Town Halls:
Thursday, February 5th at 10am (RSVP here)
Thursday, February 5th at 6pm (RSVP here).
At these townhalls, we will discuss our contract campaign timeline and our upcoming bargaining session on February 11th, where we will share with the university our proposed articles on Academic Freedom and AI. You can also find bargaining updates on our blog here, info about our contract proposals here, and sign up for our mailing list here.
Last week, we had a bargaining session where we introduced our demands for compensation, including a living wage and cost of living adjustments. Columbia’s bargaining team avoided responding to member testimonies and to the substance of our compensation proposal, instead focusing on semantic questions such as who qualifies as a student or a worker.
After declining to respond for three months, the University finally produced a counter to our article about protections for non-citizen workers, but removed key provisions that would protect our community. We know that this is one of the most pressing issues for our community, and we will be fighting hard for each of the points in our article (you can find our language and the university’s counter here). Please reach out to us if you have questions or ideas for how to collaborate and win these protections for our non-citizen community members! You can reach us at [email protected] from a non-Columbia address.”
AAUP@CU Chapter Committee Activities:
★ The Advocacy Committee is actively involved with New York State legislators and elected officials in promoting and supporting the Empire Biomedical Research Initiative (EBRI). This initiative was spearheaded by the Associated Medical Schools of NY (AMSNY), which has developed a proposal to spur NYS take bold action to advance its global leadership in biomedical science, capitalize on opportunities to advance academic research and our life sciences sector and ultimately, ensure access to the highest quality healthcare for all New Yorkers. As AAUP we joined the EBRI initiative and are actively involved in lobbying legislators to approve a request for $500 million to start a NY State biomedical funding agency and a subsequent investment of $6 billion for a 10 year project. The proposal is here.
The Advocacy Committee will work on a persuasive bargaining/lobbying message framework that AAUP could use to support the initiative. AAUP’s participation can strengthen this initiative by framing it not only as an institutional need, but as a public investment in New York’s educational, economic, and workforce infrastructure. The messaging should emphasize shared benefits for students, communities, and the state. The EBRI will be crucial for defending NY higher education from federal attacks, promoting collaboration across NYS universities, preserving academic freedom, advancing the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
★ The Organizing Committee is focused on broadening visibility and deepening support across the university for our chapter’s board of trustees reform campaign. In partnership with students, our members posted flyers across campus to bring attention to the need for open nominations and direct elections of BOT members. We are also partnering with 31 departmental liaisons who are helping to amplify the BOT Reform campaign across schools and departments. If you would like to learn more, or sign up to help this campaign, sign up here.
To strengthen the chapter’s organizing capacity, the OC is investing in relational organizing and core skills development. We are participating in next month’s AAUP Core Skills Organizing Training. These activities build toward a stronger, more connected organizing network, building power and engagement among our faculty. Are you interested in joining us? We invite new committee members: email [email protected]
This Spring semester, the Academic Freedom Statement Initiative (formerly known as Syllabus Pledge) continues. More than 120 Columbia faculty participated in the fall, when the initiative was covered by the Columbia Spectator in September as a meaningful, faculty-led action to affirm the classroom as a space for open, respectful, and critical inquiry.
When we work together, we win! As of January 15, 2026, the Provost’s Advisory Committee on Academic Freedom has included the language from our AAUP Academic Freedom Statement as part of its preliminary recommendations and has endorsed their inclusion on syllabi for spring 2026.
The academic freedom statement itself is available at the link in the registration form. Faculty who choose to participate are invited to complete a brief form so we can aggregate how many instructors across the University have included the statement in their materials. You do not need to be a member of AAUP to participate.
★ The Communications Committee has been working on forthcoming opinion pieces connected to the trustee reform campaign for The Spectator and for national media outlets. The committee has also been social media content, including videos, to get the message out. Follow @aaupcu on instagram!
★ The Senate Committee invites and encourages all members to register and attend the next Senate Plenary on Friday, February 6, 2026, at 1:15 pm. Please share with YOUR Senator any concerns or questions you would like raised to the Senate Executive Chair or the President during Q&A. We have not received any further information regarding the Administration's review of the Senate or related changes. Nor have we heard any more about the long-overdue release of the Hadden report.
★ The Coalitions Committee has strengthened its coalition connections to CU grad student workers and, in recent days, participated in toward solidarity and support for the Minneapolis community, including the Twin Cities AAUP chapter (see recent email to AAUP members). More forthcoming about that soon.
Relevant News & Links:
Federal judge blocks Trump administration from deporting noncitizens for pro-Palestinian activity (Spectator)
Hundreds of medical students author letter asking for greater transparency, action in Hadden case (Spectator)