AAUP University of Alabama

The 2026 AAUP Faculty in the South Survey is live. Please take a moment to fill it out. The link is in the comments.

The UA administration continues to demonstrate that some students' experiences matter to them, and some do not. We stand for the rights of all students to a safe and enriching learning environment.

UA removes explicit discrimination, harassment protections for sexual orientation, gender Last November, The University of Alabama System quietly removed “sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression” from the list of protected classes in its Harassment and Equal Opportunity and Non-Discrimination policies. The change is reflected in documents available on the UA System ...

Extorted Compliance: A Threat to Institutional Autonomy, Academic Freedom, and Shared Governance Published July 2026.This report was prepared by a joint subcommittee of the Association’s Committee A on Academic Freedom andTenure and the Committee on College and University Governance and was approved by both parent committeesin May 2026.

Many thanks to Williesha Morris for covering this important issue.

Public comment on the proposed changes to federal grants rules are due TONIGHT! Please submit comments if you haven't done so yet.

Alabama university professors, researchers oppose proposed federal grant overhaul The Office of Management and Budget proposal calls for senior appointees to evaluate funding proposals and banning diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility.

Submit comments now: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/05/29/2026-10817/regulation-for-federal-financial-assistance -comment

See our posts from last week for resources detailing the damage this rules change will do to our work.

Check out Elizabeth Ginexi's excellent breakdown of the OMB's proposed changes to the federal grant rules: https://open.substack.com/pub/elizabethginexi/p/summary-of-key-changes-in-ombs-proposed

Public comments on the proposed change close Monday, 6/13, so we're holding a drop-in Comment-a-Thon tomorrow on Zoom to work on writing comments together. Comments must be unique, but we'll have some talking points available for you to work from. Message us for the link!

The proposed OMB rules changes will radically alter the future of research and federal funding. Here are just a FEW of the ways this proposed change will harm research here in Alabama. Make your voice heard through a public comment before Monday, July 13!

Join the UA AAUP this Thursday at 2:30 for a comment-a-thon, where we'll share ideas for writing comments and take some time to get our individual comments submitted. If you can't make the event but still want to comment, swipe to the fifth slide for details on leaving your own comment at regulations.gov/commenton/OMB-2026-0034-0001.

Comments MUST be unique to be counted by OMB. You can use our points as a foundation, but make sure your voice is your own.

Check back this week for more information about the other negative impacts of this proposed change.

What happened at Auburn last week is a travesty that takes curriculum decisions out of the hands of experienced faculty and into the hands of people who have never led a class.
“Faculty are not employees in a corporate structure to be managed through top-down authority,” Auburn AAUP's statement said. “They are experts entrusted with educating students and advancing knowledge, and that work depends on collaboration, shared governance, and strong academic freedom protections.”

The Auburn University Board of Trustees Friday dissolved the university’s faculty senate and replaced it with a body appointed by university officials. The board also voted to implement a new policy giving the board and university officials more direct control of the curriculum. https://ow.ly/NVYT50Z94nk

HB 580 passed Senate committee and goes to the Senate floor TODAY. Call your senators now and tell them to on this wasteful bill.