When Andrea Brower was hired two years ago as the lead instructor for Gonzaga University’s solidarity and social justice program, she thought she had landed a dream job. Brower was tasked with “mentoring students in their social justice pursuits” at the private, liberal arts university in eastern Washington state. The school’s Jesuit mission highlighted a commitment to diversity, global engagement and “solidarity with the poor and vulnerable” – a perfect fit for Brower, who had come to academia by way of grassroots, environmental activism in her native Hawaii.
Brower felt at first that her activist credentials were welcome, but when she started organizing around issues on campus – criticizing the treatment of adjuncts and rising administrator salaries and speaking out against the university’s investments in fossil fuels – she began to run into opposition from university administrators.
