Present: Hadi Esfahani, Robin Kar, Richard Laugesen, David O’Brien, Robert Parker, Dana Rabin, Daniel Steward, Leslie Struble, Carol Symes, Carol Tilley, H. F. Williamson
The meeting began at about 11:00 a.m. with Symes presiding.
(1) Welcome and Introductions.
Symes welcomed the attendees and thanked them for their service. Since there were no guests today, introductions were not needed. She noted that there have been individuals interested in attending these meetings and hope to have them attend in the future.
(2) Review of the Minutes for the April 30, 2026 Meeting of Policy Committee.
There was a correction in the first line of item (3), the Presidents Report, in that it was Robin Kar and Carol Symes (not Carol Tilley) who had a conversation with President Killeen. Since there were no objections, Symes announced that the corrected draft of the minutes was adopted by unanimous consent.
(3) President’s Report.
Symes thanked everyone who had shared with her information and items of interest for the Chapter. She and Carol Tilley represented the Chapter at the new faculty orientation session. They took down at least a dozen names which they sent to Laugesen to be added to our friends mailing list. Many of the attendees had come from campuses, institutions, or parts of the world where academic freedoms have been withdrawn or are under assault and so they were glad to see us. Our booth was between those for the AFT and the CFA providing effectively a “corner of solidarity.”
(4) Consideration of Mutual Defense Compact for Protection of Academic Freedom and Tenure (Big Ten).
Symes started the discussion by noting that this document has been forwarded to the Big Ten Alliance from colleagues at the University of Oregon. The administration there has a budget shortfall and is considering various options to deal with it including possibly cutting tenured faculty lines and firing people. It will be a topic for the Alliance at a meeting planned hopefully for next week.
Symes noted there was particular concern about the resolutions listing steps to be taken regarding any Big Ten University that lays off tenure-related faculty without cause. There was a lengthy discussion of the wording of the resolutions; of how this would be reviewed on each campus (e.g., should it go to the relevant Senate Committee); and even of the sanctions that might be imposed if violations occurred. Symes concluded by noting that we are not being asked to edit or vote on the document at this time. Instead, the discussion will enable her to present more effectively our thoughts when she attends the meeting of the Big Ten Alliance.
(5) Review of the Annual Meeting and Program on May 7, 2026.
Symes asked Kar to review what had occurred. He and Kathryn Clancy were the panelists discussing “Antidiscrimination Legislation & the Chilling of Academic Freedom.” Clancy spoke on the weaponization of anti-discrimination legislation in our current context. He noted that she understands how some of these anti-discrimination regulations are really important to support a inclusive culture and climate around a variety of issues. The difficulty is that people will also use these tools, whether in good faith or not, to chill the kinds of speech that they oppose.
(6) Review of Policy Committee roster.
(a) Current Roster. Laugesen asked the members to review the roster and to let him know if information needs to be corrected in their or another entry.
(b) New Members. Several individuals were suggested as candidates whom Symes could invite to be a member of the Policy Committee. A motion that Symes invite three individuals was made, seconded, and passed. Struble noted that when potential candidates want to know more about our activities, it is important that the attend at least one meeting of the Committee, since just reading the minutes does not capture the importance of the discussions that we have.
(7) Meetings with Campus Administrators.
There was a general discussion of whom we might invite to join us and the procedures we need to put in place. In addition to our usual guests such as the Chancellor and the Provost, it was agreed to consider one or more Deans from Colleges of particular interest.
(8) Report on the Membership Analysis.
Hadi Esfahani presented his comparison of our membership for the years 2017 and 2025. Esfahani noted that the main driver for new members was the election of Donald Trump. It is likely that they were reacting to the attacks on academia and academic freedom. He hopes that the increased diversity and number of our members will give us the chance to increase our prominence on campus. Symes and O’Brien both thanked Esfahani for his presentation and agreed with his comment about the importance of acting quickly while our message has more purchase.
(8) Adjournment.
A motion was made, seconded and passed to adjourn the meeting at about 1:30 PM.
The next meeting of the Policy Committee will be on Thursday, October 8 at 12:30 PM. The remaining fall meetings will be November 5 and December 3
NOTE: Laugesen pointed out a news report that the Provost at the University of Oregon has announced that no tenured or tenure-track faculty will be laid off and no degree programs eliminated, as the campus addresses its budget problems.