In this issue:
Know Your Rights: Highlights from the Workshop
On March 6th, the Chapter held a Zoom training session with National AAUP Organizer Kimalee Piper and AFL-CIO trainers on Civil Rights. We covered issues such as the distinction between public and private spaces, faculty rights to protest as private citizens, and best practices for observing and recording ICE and other law enforcement. Although this article can’t recreate a two-hour training and discussion, here are some highlights and links to useful information.
- It is increasingly important for Universities to have clear plans of response for if and when ICE appears on their campuses. In the meantime, we can post signs on offices and other spaces with lockable doors declaring these spaces “private,” which can help to limit ICE’s incursion into such spaces.
- It is good to remember that the First Amendment gives you the clear right to record law enforcement out in the open and to let others know about the activities of law enforcement. Your Fourth Amendment rights include the right to refuse a search and deny entry to private areas without a warrant, and law enforcement is not allowed to seize your phone without a warrant. Your Fifth Amendment rights include the right to refuse to answer questions to avoid incriminating yourself.
- That doesn’t mean that choosing to observe ICE is easy or safe. At the training, we all found this tiny sample script to be very helpful: If law enforcement tells you to get back, comply while saying out loud that you are complying. For ex, “I’m cooperating. I’m taking a step back. I’m just exercising my legal right to observe.” You can turn your camera to the ground to document yourself moving back.
- As you may have heard already, there is a huge difference between an “Administrative arrest warrant” signed by an ICE agent and a criminal judicial warrant signed by a judge. Administrative warrants do NOT give ICE agents the right to enter a house or any other private space without permission.
- We had a fascinating conversation about the pros and cons of bringing your phone with you to a protest. Be aware that if you do have your phone with you, face or fingerprint ID can be used to unlock the phone without your consent. You can leave it at home and bring a digital camera, or you can turn off biometric ID.
Unfortunately, it seems likely that this will be a continuing issue, but we are not alone and we are not powerless. For more resources, you can visit the AFL-CIO (Know Your Rights Palm Cards and Flyers, Safe Workplace Posters); or the ACLU’s guides to Encountering Law Enforcement, Immigrants’ Rights, Protestors’ Rights, and Recording Federal Agents.
Celebrating the Paradise Scholarship Winner: Aubrey Stevens
At the Chapter Meeting on Thursday, April 9th, we had the honor of celebrating this year’s winner of the James and Charlotte Paradise Scholarship, Aubrey Stevens. Aubrey is a Junior in UC’s Bachelor of Nursing program and plans to pursue a doctoral degree to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA).
The Paradise Scholarship celebrates a partnership in life and law. James Paradise was the legal counsel of the UC AAUP through five years and three collective bargaining agreements. His expert knowledge of labor law was schooled by ten years as a National Labor Relations Board trial examiner and a General Counsel of the Brewery Workers International Union. His commitment to academic freedom was demonstrated by his tenure as President and board member of the American Civil Liberties Union. Charlotte Paradise was a teacher, an active member of the Cincinnati Women’s City Club, and her husband’s legal secretary for more than a decade. Their careers and civic activities exemplify the excellence which the scholarship is intended to reward.
Aubrey is a fine choice to honor the lives and work of James and Charlotte. In her volunteer work with a Biomedical Research and Mentoring Program, she is part of an interdisciplinary research team at Cincinnati Children’s, working on the impact of stem cell transplantation on lung function. As a Lead Tutor with Bearcat Buddies, she supports and mentors K-7 grade students in CPS, and as a Peer Tutor in her program, she helps her fellow students as they grapple with complex course work and time-management.
Even more impressive is Aubrey’s work at the Jimmy Heath House, a housing facility that promotes social and medical justice for underserved populations, including previously homeless individuals. Aubrey says that “Through this public health clinical, I have gained a deeper understanding of how social determinants of health impact patient outcomes.” This connects as well to her time shadowing with CRNAs in a rural hospital in Clinton County, where according to Dr. Lori Catalano, she learned to immerse “herself in a healthcare environment where limited resources, paper charting, and reduced access to specialized care create systemic barriers for patients. Rather than be deterred, she responded with heightened motivation and clarity of purpose. She demonstrated mature insight into how structural inequities and resource disparities affect patient outcomes, particularly in rural and underserved areas.”
Dr. Catalano concludes that “She embodies exactly the principles that guided the careers and civic lives of James and Charlotte Paradise: a willingness to stand up for others, a commitment to human rights and civil liberties, and a life lived in service to the community.” Congratulations, Aubrey, and we can’t wait to see what you do next!