From: Kathy Fischer
Date: Sunday, May 4, 2025
To: Maric, Radenka
Subject: From the UCPEA Executive Board
Dear President Maric,
I am writing on behalf of the UCPEA Executive Board to amplify the letters that have been sent to you from UConn AAUP and UCHC AAUP, as well as the Resolution and Statement that will be brought before the Senate tomorrow.
We too are acutely aware of the threats and potential impacts on institutions of higher education from the Trump administration. This, coupled with uncertain support from the state and a potential budget shortfall, has created momentous threats to our continued strategic goals.
We wholeheartedly agree with the University’s decision to not act on the “Dear Colleague” letter aimed restricting and dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. This is absolutely the right strategy for this. However, we feel strongly that this is not the right strategy around federal funding and other types of economic intimidation.
Like you, our primary goal is to preserve jobs for our employees and ensure that we avoid widespread layoffs. To achieve this, we must take action to protect “the essential freedom to determine, on academic grounds, whom to admit and what is taught, how, and by whom. Our colleges and universities share a commitment to serve as centers of open inquiry where, in their pursuit of truth, faculty, students, and staff are free to exchange ideas and opinions across a full range of viewpoints without fear of retribution, censorship, or deportation.” (AAC&U, 4/23/25)
We believe that the Trump administration will act regardless of whether we are “laying low” or actively collaborating with other institutions of higher education in the collective defense against these existential threats. They know we are here, what we do, and what our funding is. As labor unions, we know the power of collective action and are committed to being part of the resistance with you. While other institutions, both in the state and across the country, are taking the risk of proactively and collectively combating these threats, UConn’s lack of collaboration has the real potential to have a dire impact. When they come for us in significantly more brutal ways than they currently are, we may very well be resented for our lack of solidarity and be standing alone in the fight.
UCPEA has been and will continue to be a vocal and persistent advocate for state support, and we believe that broader coalitions with other colleges and universities are required to counter threats is essential. As writer, professor, philosopher, poet, and civil rights activist Audre Lourde taught us, “Your silence won’t protect you.” We are the “you” here. We implore the University to reconsider the current strategy.
In solidarity,
The UCPEA Executive Board
–––––
Kathy Fischer she | her
President
UCPEA, AFT Local 3695
