The AAUP’s…public inactivity on academic freedom violations threatens the future of the organization. Usually, only obscure colleges run by intransigent or idiotic administrators ever get censured, and many of the worst violations of academic freedom are never condemned by the AAUP…
Administrators have learned that the AAUP probably will never do anything, and a simple payout usually solves the problem quietly…
Today, administrators are much more fearful of condemnation by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) than the AAUP. FIRE, unlike the AAUP, acts quickly rather than glacially. FIRE, unlike the AAUP, acts publicly rather than quietly… unless [the AAUP’s] policies are backed by an activist group, they may not matter much.