(NEW YORK CITY) – More than 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 (Professional Staff Congress-City University of New York) 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 2025-2026 academic year, demanding the University come back to the bargaining table after de-recognizing the Unions in a February e-mail. Scabby the Rat stood tall at the entrance to the campus while passing cars honked in support. The rally also featured support from a number of Elected Officials. John 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!”

Photo Courtesy Of The AAUP.