If this is how Alabama universities defend employees, it's not working (COMMENTARY)

[Emile]

Alabama’s colleges and universities are scared.

And I understand why. If an administration that prioritizes ideological conformity over intellectual curiosity cut off one of my key funding sources, I’d hesitate to speak out, too.

But they don’t have a choice. Not they take their educational missions seriously.

When Alander Rocha asked some of Alabama’s key research universities about the loss of nearly $400 million in National Institutes of Health funding — money that supports research into cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and a whole host of diseases — after President Donald Trump froze the funding last month, he got silence.

The University of Alabama Birmingham, which will suffer the most from the suspension, issued a generic statement. So did the Southern Research Institute. So did the University of South Alabama.

Yes, they’re trying to figure out what’s going on. Lobbyists may be working behind the scenes to get the money back.

But for God’s sake, guys. Meekness is not a strategy. You should know that.

Last year, the Alabama Legislature — upset over intellectual debate and welcoming attitudes on college campuses — made it illegal to run a diversity, equity and inclusion program on campus, and left the door open to fire teachers who teach “divisive concepts.”

What is a divisive concept? Why, it’s anything that upsets the white Republicans in the Legislature.

Read more at: https://alabamareflector.com/2025/02/03/if-this-is-how-alabama-universities-defend-employees-its-not-working/

[AverageJoe]

1. Alabama libraries have been forced to resign

from the American Library Association. This includes both individual libraries and the Alabama Public Library Service (APLS), which is the State Library for Alabama.

This is a direct and pointed attack on intellectual freedom.

Also…

Faculty members in Alabama universities are not allowed to teach concepts, such as certain interpretations of history and cultural issues, which Republicans find objectionable.

[Emile]

2. Aladamnbama fighting socialism.

[AverageJoe]

3. This is terrifying

and it’s only going to rapidly get worse.

[eppur_se_muova]

4. Thanks, didn't know about any of this. I haven't taught here in some time.

I was born and raised here. Love the Nature that is here; the people, not so much. We did have our one brief, shining moment when we elected Doug Jones to the Senate, but that was corrected at the first opportunity. And of course we boast the lowest property taxes in the country -- and schools are paid out of property taxes. Evidently, AL voters believe keeping as much of your money as possible is way more important than educating your kids, or anyone else's. I was fortunate to grow up in the H'ville area, easily the most civilized part of the state, with the best schools and cultural amenities, thanks mostly to the US Army and our post-war influx of what were, in essence, German war vets. (The irony ...).

(For those that don't know, AL has more biological diversity than any other US state. The Northern Plateau region (shared w/TN), for example, has more species of salamanders than any place on Earth, IIRC. AL also has fossils from the Pre-Cambrian to the very Recent and is supposedly the most fossiliferous state -- most people aren't aware of this because only a few dinosaur remains have been found here (but we have our share of mosasaurs). The first fossil whale ever found -- the inappropriately named Basilosaurus (aka Zeuglodon), is our official state fossil (more irony, given common AL beliefs about evolution) . The limestone/marl streambed gravel in our area is just full of bits of Paleozoic marine invertebrate remains. Pretty exciting being a kid to just go pick up fossils from any ditch or building lot you can find.)