To the Editors:

The following letter, organized by the new Brandeis chapter of the American Association of University Professors, was delivered to President Levine and the Brandeis Board of Trustees on April 17. 

A complete list of those who signed it can be found here. They include professors from more than 35 departments and programs, among them recipients of the Nobel Prize, MacArthur “genius” grant,  Guggenheim fellowship, etc. Together they make up more than a quarter of the faculty—more than one of them has probably taught you.

Dear President Levine and Members of the Brandeis Board of Trustees:

Ongoing attacks on American universities threaten bedrock principles of a democratic society, including rights of free expression, association, and inquiry. In light of this unprecedented assault, we urge Brandeis’s leadership to do four things:

1. Legally contest and refuse to comply with unlawful demands that threaten academic freedom and university self-governance. Freedom from political interference has allowed American universities to lead the world in scientific and medical innovation, from which our entire country benefits.

2. Work with other universities and  Brandeis’ own alumni networks to mount a coordinated opposition to these anti-democratic attacks.

3. Protect science and other research at Brandeis from funding cutoffs by providing legal and financial support to affected scholars and research units, mobilizing extraordinary resources as necessary.

4. Defend the rights to free speech on campus recognized in the Principles of Free Speech and Free Expression, including by assisting community members at risk of government infringement on this right, whether through immigration action or other means. Protect students by developing a clear “anti-Doxxing” policy based on our Handbook prohibitions on bullying, intimidation and harassment.

Signed,

(128 faculty as of 4/17/25, with others adding their names later)