Community Spotlight

Across the country, students, faculty, and staff are mobilizing to defend higher education and research. Each petition reflects leadership from its own community. We share them here to illustrate the shared commitment across campuses and institutions to protecting knowledge as both a public good and a common good, benefits that extend far beyond individual universities.

Refer to the Collective Action table for a shared sheet containing links to petitions and statements, organized by date, initiating body, and source. If you know of additional efforts we should include, please email us at SaveOurScienceInitiative@gmail.com so we can continue to build a more complete record of collective action.

Who They Are
The Council of UC Faculty Associations (CUCFA) is the coordinating body for the independent Faculty Associations across University of California campuses. Since its founding, CUCFA has represented faculty voices systemwide, gathering and sharing information on issues before the state legislature, UC administration, and the Board of Regents. Unlike official Senate committees, Faculty Associations are voluntary, dues-supported, and fully independent. This independence allows them to advocate without compromise for a UC system that serves all Californians. Learn more and join them here.

Why We Stand Together
On August 28, 2025, the Council of UC Faculty Associations (CUCFA) and a coalition of UC unions issued a joint letter condemning the Trump administration’s attacks on the University of California. Representing tens of thousands of UC workers, the statement called on UC leadership, the Regents, and California’s elected officials to reject federal extortion demands, defend academic freedom, and protect the UC’s role as a driver of jobs, healthcare, innovation, and economic mobility for Californians.

Just days later, on September 2, 2025, faculty, lecturers, students, staff, alumni, and community partners formed the UC SOS Coalition to defend academic freedom, clinical freedom, and the UC public good. The coalition stands against any agreement with the federal government that would harm employment, healthcare access, community diversity, student speech, or academic freedom at UC. Join the movement and learn more about the UC SOS Coalition and CUCFA here.

CUCFA’s vision is rooted in restoring public investment in higher education so that every California family has a stake in the UC system. This means defending access, accountability, and trust, values that go beyond the university and shape the broader social determinants of health. When tuition rises or public funding shrinks, it affects more than enrollment. It impacts generational opportunity, economic stability, mental health, and community resilience. CUCFA stands firm in reminding the state that higher education is a public good that safeguards equity, discovery, and the wellbeing of future generations.

What They’re Doing

• Speaking out against $300 million in cuts to UC research, which directly threaten solutions for health, climate, and equity challenges across California.

• Defending faculty and student rights to free expression, research independence, and academic freedom in the face of political interference.

• Advocating for full funding for the School of Humanities at UC Irvine, reminding us that the arts and humanities are essential for understanding social inequities and strengthening community voice.

• Calling for transparency and accountability in UC’s cybersecurity and discipline policies to ensure that faculty and students remain protected from overreach.

Take Action

Read CUCFA’s latest statements and letters here. From protecting academic freedom to restoring higher education as a true public good, their work is a reminder that defending UC is not just about preserving the university; it is about protecting the future health, opportunity, and resilience of our communities.

Who They Are
The Davis Faculty Association (DFA) has represented UC Davis faculty since 1979. As part of the Council of UC Faculty Associations (CUCFA), the DFA connects UC Davis faculty to colleagues across the UC system while advocating for salaries, benefits, and working conditions that support academic excellence.

Because Academic Senate resources cannot be used for lobbying, DFA provides a crucial independent framework for faculty to engage in advocacy. The organization is governed by an elected Executive Board and is open to all Academic Senate members, including emeriti and lecturers with security of employment. Learn more and join them here.

Why We Stand Together
For more than 35 years, the DFA has worked to protect faculty interests and defend the academic mission of UC Davis and the broader UC system. By maintaining a lobbyist in Sacramento, monitoring legislation, and coordinating with CUCFA, DFA has ensured that faculty voices are heard on critical issues like retirement, benefits, and academic freedom. 

What They’re Doing

• Advocating for fair salaries and benefits through active lobbying at the state level.

• Monitoring UC systemwide changes in wages, hours, and working conditions, and pushing back when policies undermine faculty interests.

• Hosting forums on retirement, shared governance, long-range campus planning, and faculty concerns with invited legislators.

• Supporting domestic partner benefits, protecting faculty intellectual property rights, and defending the UC Retirement System from harmful reforms.

• Opposing legislation and administrative proposals that would weaken academic freedom, increase teaching loads without support, or limit UC’s ability to provide quality education.

Take Action

Learn more about the DFA’s history of advocacy and explore how you can get involved in shaping the future of UC faculty rights and academic freedom. 

Who They Are
The UCLA Faculty Association (UCLA FA) has been an independent body since 1979. It represents UCLA faculty on employment and academic freedom issues and advocates for a vibrant, well-funded system of public higher education in California.

Through its affiliation with the Council of UC Faculty Associations (CUCFA), the UCLA FA coordinates research and advocacy with faculty across all UC campuses.

The organization believes that expanding faculty power builds a better university for everyone. Learn more and join them here.

Why We Stand Together
On August 1, 2025, the FA issued the "UC Stand Up" letter, a powerful public statement calling on UC leadership to resist unlawful federal demands, defend academic freedom, and invest in protecting the university’s mission.

On September 4, 2025, the Faculty Associations issued the "UC Stand Up, Demand No Concessions" letter, a strong call for UC leadership to fight unjust federal grant suspensions, resist unlawful demands, and protect academic freedom. The letter urges the UC to pursue legal recourse, provide interim funding, and reject concessions that threaten jobs, healthcare, research, and the university’s role as an engine of economic mobility.

On September 10, 2025, UCLA FA hosted the Science Fair for Suspended Research, making the human and scientific stakes visible and inviting co-design of next steps. Roughly 55 presenters shared posters across disciplines, and an estimated 150 to 200 people attended. Among those present were Ambar Quintanilla, district representative for State Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, Naomi Riley, outreach director for Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove, and Karen Calderon, senior field representative for Assemblymember Isaac Bryan. Their engagement connected research stories to policy conversations in real time and reinforced a just culture approach to transparency, restorative practice, and continuous improvement.

What They’re Doing

• Speaking out against the suspension of over $180 million in federal research grants to UCLA scholars.

• Defending faculty, staff, and student rights to teach, research, and speak freely.

• Calling for the UC Office of the President to take legal action and work with the State of California to protect funding.

Take Action

Read the UCLA Faculty Association’s  "UC Stand Up, Demand No Concessions" and "UC Stand Up" to understand their perspective on the current challenges facing UC.