Much has been written about the recent NIH cuts in the science community in the past week, but many of my non-scientists friends still seem unaware of this particular aspect of the ongoing coup.
So I made a short comic to explain what these cuts mean in practice, because behind the abstract label of ‘overhead costs’ are real people, doing important work. And just to be clear – while I’ll be the first to admit that universities are full of inefficiencies – this order has nothing to do with ‘cutting costs’. This is a deliberate strategy to cripple scientific research and academic freedom more generally.
Full disclosure: my job is part of the ‘overhead’ (Administration) but it is important to understand that this fight – like all good fights – is intersectional. I have been on both sides of research (direct and indirect) and in my experience, the support staff as a whole is way more diverse (and lower income) than the faculty receiving these grants. The people who are going to suffer are not the tenured professors (although their job will certainly become harder) but, as always, those with less representation.
This is not the time for universities to negotiate reform, this is the time to stand together against the fascist millionaires who are dismantling democracy!
What can you do?
Join the Nationwide Day of Action on 02/19
Read more on The War on Science
Support the Federal Union Network
