AFT Higher Education

05/26/2026

05/19/2026

Is your local proactively defending free speech and freedom to learn? We want to know!

SB 2202 would prohibit public institutions of higher education from disciplining faculty members solely on the basis of speech or other communication that is protected by the First Amendment when engaged in activities outside the campus. It also ensures that control of teaching and research remain in the hands of faculty. The bill is sponsored by Senator Graciela Guzmán.

This bill is a baseline protection for educators and students who exercise their constitutional rights as private citizens. It should not be controversial, but it does require active pressure to pass.

Whom to Contact — Read Carefully
You must contact your ILLINOIS STATE SENATOR in Springfield.
If you are unsure who represents you in the Illinois Senate, look up your state senator here: https://www.commoncause.org/find-your-representative/

After entering your home address, click “details” next to your Illinois State Senator to find their Springfield office phone number and email address. Use the SPRINGFIELD office number.

Please Call if Possible
A short, polite phone call is by far the most effective action you can take. If calling is not possible, email, but please prioritize the phone. A 60-second call from a constituent carries significant weight with legislative staff during the final days of session.

Call Script:

Hello, my name is ______________________ and I am a constituent residing at/in ______________________. I am also a member of Cook County College Teachers Union, IFT Local 1600.

I am calling to urge Senator ______________________ to vote YES on SB 2202, the Academic Freedom of Expression Act, sponsored by Senator Guzmán.

This bill is important because:

• Illinois currently has no statutory definition of academic freedom. Faculty and students depend entirely on the goodwill of local institutions for protection.

• SB 2202 ensures that faculty cannot be disciplined by their college or university solely for engaging in speech that is protected by the First Amendment when expressed off campus.

• At a time when academic freedom is under coordinated attack nationally, Illinois must lead by codifying these basic protections into state law.

• This bill protects science and the search for truth which is at the heart of higher education.

I ask that Senator ______________________ vote YES on SB 2202 when it comes to the floor, and, if the Senator is not already a co-sponsor, that they sign on as a co-sponsor of the bill.

Thank you for your time.

———

05/18/2026

"The long list of programs affected includes work with towns on predicting and mitigating natural disasters and power outages; developing new antiviral drugs; reducing opioid misuse; preventing cancer through stress reduction; and improving mental health services in schools and communities."

The money comes out of CT's Federal Cuts Response Fund, which lawmakers created last year to prop up programs cut by Trump administration.

05/18/2026

"Community colleges are often the only affordable pathway to higher education for working-class students, first-generation students, veterans and adults trying to improve their lives. Yet instead of strengthening these institutions, this legislation would undermine them in order to provide more tax breaks to billionaires who don’t even need them."

The proposed megaprojects bill represents a major transfer of public resources away from schools and into the hands of ultra-rich developers, writes John Miller, president of UPI Local 4100.

05/01/2026

05/01/2026

𝗧𝗢𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗪𝗘 𝗪𝗜𝗟𝗟 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗕𝗘 𝗦𝗜𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗧! ✊
3PM – NY Metro Coalition for Higher Ed May Day Pre-Rally
Meet at The New School, 63 5th Ave (13th and 5th Ave)

4PM – Citywide May Day March
PSC members meet between 4:00-4:30PM by the Garibaldi Statue at the East End of Washington Square Park

➡️ psc-cuny.org/MayDay

04/29/2026

Are you ready for May Day? CFT is mobilizing members across the state to fight back and fight forward!

Check out our Organizing Toolkit and be sure to tag us in your social media posts on May 1! ✊📣

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1n_e8r1SoNzIq0pM2sqaIDRJ6FL_J9G_cl7-ssdLJjoY/edit?usp=sharing

04/28/2026

Join the AFT and thousands of workers for a day of civic action on May 1. The AFT is encouraging members to take action by pledging to vote, checking their registration, and finding ways to get involved ahead of upcoming elections.

Check out the toolkit ⤵️
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jR6vPyWnZCUEmeWov96ugJbHldga9_5sfSPg2wbx9Yo/edit?usp=sharing

04/28/2026

Students in Connecticut are fighting for the funds their colleges, and their fellow students, NEED.

"Connecticut must fully fund the PACT/Finish Line Scholarship and the CT Student Loan Reimbursement program. Students are refusing to be silenced. We refuse to be treated as symbols of revenue. We demand education to be treated as a human right. " Check the comments for the full post.

04/27/2026

Can't say it plainer than that. Full story in comments.

“This is the latest stupid move made by a president who continues to harm science and American innovation,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren (California), the ranking Democrat on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee. “The NSB is apolitical. It advises the president on the future of NSF. It unfortunately is no surprise a president who has attacked NSF from day one would seek to destroy the board that helps guide the foundation.”