I am saying it once more.

If #academia and #highered do not QUICKLY develop a coordinated strategy of resistance, then MAGA will pick them off one by one.

“Half of this stuff you can’t just do and the other half is insane,” said Joseph Howley, a professor of classics at Columbia. “If the federal government can show up and demand a university department be shut down or restructured, then we don’t have universities in this country.”

#uspol #democracy

apnews.com/article/columbia-un…

in reply to Alexander Karn

What could this look like?

The most direct way for #highered and #academia to hit back is through military contracts and biotech.

Basically, R1 schools would need to halt all cooperation with the government and starve them of tech transfer and technical competencies they need to maintain national security and compete with rivals.

Ask Americans, would they like to see China vault head ahead of them and assume the mantle of global hegemon because Trump wanted to own the libs?

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in reply to Alexander Karn

There is a collective action challenge here.

Can faculty move without support of administrative leaders?

Can administrators move without support of trustees, regents, etc.?

I don’t claim that this is an easy strategy to implement, and I don’t imagine we can bring every major institution into perfect alignment.

I AM saying that we’ll all be destroyed on the tarmac if we don’t plan and execute a proactive strategy/mission very soon.

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in reply to Alexander Karn

I can't like this hard enough and one thing to do could be for AI researchers to make *very* clear in this RFI that closes in 24 hours that they will NOT be participating in any federal-related, federal-involved AI research until they stop harassing universities.

federalregister.gov/documents/…

#AI #StopTheCoup #academia

(also, fascists doing RFIs is just so weird. I think it's code for 'tell me which grift you prefer.')

Alexander Karn reshared this.

in reply to Alexander Karn

an obvious one would be exile. There are sadly plenty of recent examples like NAUKMA's foreign campuses (Toronto/Glasgow/NIessen/Viadrina) following the #Ukraine war.
diplomaticourier.com/posts/the….

No doubt #EU #universities & research institutes are seeing this as "a sad opportunity, but it is an opportunity all the same," to quote the head of the Pasteur Institute. france24.com/en/live-news/2025…

We have collective experience of complex international funding & collaboration models : let's use it!

This entry was edited (8 months ago)
in reply to Alexander Karn

@mloxton

M.A.G.A. seems to be made-up of people who feel about acadæmia roughly this: 'We only respect RealMen®, and RealMen® are interested only in money and p-s-y… Interested in knowledge? liking a school environment? you are not RealMen®, or RealAmericans®.'

Note that Mr Trump grew-up hearing his father mock his[D.T.'s] uncle John FOR BEING A PROFESSOR OF PHYSICS AT M.-FRIGGIN'-I.T..

in reply to Alexander Karn

The US university in which I did a graduate degree has closed its diversity & inclusion program, laid off staff, cancelled a black alumni reunion and suspended a women's history month event.

The fragility of white male supremacy in America is something to behold. I will be removing myself from the alumni mailing list.