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Read the AFT's New Statement on Academic Freedom
In response to ongoing political attacks on higher education faculty and staff, as well as the increasing reliance on contingent faculty who have little or no academic freedom protections, the AFT has just released Academic Freedom in the 21st-Century College and University: Academic Freedom for All Faculty and Instructional Staff. To learn more, read the press release and the full statement.
Higher Ed local sponsors police training
What if the unthinkable happened and your campus came under siege from terrorists, or even just a lone gunman intent on killing students and teachers? Would your campus officers be prepared to deal with the situation?
Last year the Employee Federation of North Harris Montgomery Community College District—a Texas AFT local affiliate--began sponsoring a crucial training program for college campus police officers and other local law enforcement agencies on how to deal with crisis situations and assaults.
The program is conducted by the Counter Terrorism Intelligence Group, a FBI task force working with officers from local agencies, including the Houston Police Department, the Harris County Sheriff’s Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and federal air marshals. “The response has been phenomenal,” said Alan Hall, president of the Employee Federation. “The Houston task force has been extremely effective and even received the FBI Director’s Award in 2004.”
Hall said the AFT local has been a strong supporter of training for the college district’s campus officers and sponsors this program out of a concern for the safety of students, employees and officers. The training is timely in the face of school violence at Virginia Tech, as well as past incidents at Columbine High School and the Beslan school siege in Russia.
Three training sessions have been completed so far and have been a great success. Hall noted that many of the officers attending made a point of stopping to thank the union for sponsoring such “an outstanding program.” The training also generated media attention for the college and union, with stories on Channel 11 TV and in the Houston Chronicle.
Hall also has negotiated with the task force to offer this training at secondary school campuses where Texas AFT has local affiliates.
There is no charge for the training, and the task force will make the presentation in cooperation with local union affiliates. For more information, contact Alan Hall at alan.hall@nhmccd.edu.
