St. John's Faculty Rallies at Board of Trustees Meeting

On Tuesday, well over 100 faculty members of the St. John’s University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the Faculty Association (FA) along with students, community members, and labor allies from PSC-CUNY and Fordham Faculty United, gathered at the main entrance to the St. John’s University Queens campus during the final Board of Trustees meeting of the 2025-26 academic year, demanding that Father Shanley and Provost Moeller come back to the bargaining table after de-recognizing the unions in a February email.

John P. Waters, a clinical associate professor of English at New York University, was one of the featured speakers. Waters’ father was a Catholic Social Justice lawyer at St. John’s and was among the founders of the AAUP chapter at St. John’s that is currently under attack. He told the crowd that St. John’s University is betraying its principles and, “We have to speak clearly to the administration that this will not stand. The faculty is the university!”

Scabby the rat stood tall at the entrance to the campus while passing cars honked in support. The rally also featured a statement of support from Rep. Grace Meng that was read aloud, and during the day both Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and
State Sen. Andrew Gounardes lent their voices to the cause. Click here to stay updated!