Tenure Is under Attack Once Again, Part 3: Student-Based Challenges to Academic Freedom and Dealing with Legislatures and Boards

This article is the third in a series of four that provides an update on the activities and progress of those groups who want to eliminate tenure. Part 1 focused on why higher education is vulnerable to these attacks at this time, and Part 2 examined the efforts of some state legislatures and governing boards to eliminate or cripple tenure as well as the actions of some of our college and university administrations that failed to recognize the due process requirement granted through tenure. This article will give some examples of how students have played roles in the loss of academic freedom and will give an example of one state that found a way around legislative interference. Part 4 will discuss some steps we can take to deflect the attacks on tenure.