The following Sense of Faculty Motion passed with 96% support at a special plenary meeting of faculty council on Thursday May 22nd, 2025.

SENSE OF THE FACULTY MOTION – ON MEETING THE MOMENT
Sponsored by the AAUP Executive Committee

Motion:
We, the Middlebury Faculty, commend our trustees and administrators for their explicit support of Academic Freedom and Freedom of Expression; for signing the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration amicus curiae brief in AAUP v. Rubio; for endorsing A Call for Constructive Engagement by the American Association of Colleges and Universities; and for signing onto Community Letter Reaffirming the Independence of Higher Education Governance by Association of Governing Boards.
We, the Middlebury Faculty, urge our trustees and administrators to consider additional, concrete steps, including:
Committing to provide all necessary resources—including additional draws from the endowment—to protect Academic Freedom, Freedom of Expression, and our community values by all available means.
Ensuring access to effective legal counsel for members of our community targeted for transmitting knowledge on their academic fields in exercise of said freedoms, as well as for members of our community targeted for constitutionally protected political speech on campus.
Being prepared to legally challenge any unlawful federal demands and decisions, including the termination of grants not in accordance with approved contracts and any federal attempts to interfere with curricular or administrative autonomy.
Defending all academic disciplines, and supporting scholars whose fields may be mischaracterized as political speech or be deemed objectionable for accreditation under recent Executive Orders by the federal administration.
Recommitting to Middlebury’s Privacy Policy and expanding its scope to include anti-doxxing and privacy support for students, staff, and faculty—especially those at risk due to their political or academic work. The College should adopt minimum-necessary standards in policies that govern personal information and may expose academic or expressive activity.
Retaining immigration legal counsel to protect international scholars—faculty, staff, and students—who may face arbitrary visa termination, detention, or deportation.
Expanding our commitment to a diverse and inclusive community, including non-citizens, undocumented and under-documented individuals, and trans/gender-nonconforming students, staff, and faculty, in the form of access to legal services, summer housing, employment assistance, and financial stipends.
Rejecting federal pressure to adopt policies or definitions—in areas such as antisemitism or gender—that may be used in ways incompatible with academic freedom, or to violate the rights to free expression and assembly, putting members of our community in danger.
Pursuing alliances with peer institutions to commit substantial funding and shared resources to address these concerns collaboratively, and to mount a collective defense against potential punitive actions by the federal government.
Working collaboratively with faculty, students and staff, to strengthen our strategic response to the issues outlined above—as well as those sure to arise in the ongoing attack on higher education.
Establishing a media strategy that clearly and publicly articulates our principled positions, affirming the value of higher education and Middlebury’s contributions to it.

There was a rationale with this motion that was not voted on.