About us

 

Kochs Off Campus! is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit incorporated in the state of Arizona. We are a grassroots group of Tucson residents and UA faculty, alumni, and students working to get the University of Arizona to sever all ties to the Center for the Philosophy of Freedom (the "Freedom Center”).

Kochs Off Campus! opposes the ideological influence of Big Corporate Money on higher education. We also oppose the use of any public monies for the so-called “freedom schools” at Arizona's three public universities.

 

KOCHS OFF CAMPUS! IS COMMITTED TO

 

Defending Public Education from the Koch Network

WHAT WE’VE DONE

  • Got the Freedom Center’s high school course (Ethics Economy & Entrepreneurship) and textbook (now called Commercial Society) out of the Tucson Unified School District [TUSD]. Read about this HERE

  • Got Amphitheater Unified School District [Amphi] to stop using the textbook and course. Read the Tucson Weekly’s coverage of this win HERE

  • Got the University of Arizona [UA] to review the Freedom Center, accept and consider input from the public, and release its report to the public

  • Successfully pressured the Democratic Caucus in the Arizona State Legislature to “zero out” funding for the “freedom schools” at UA, ASU, and NAU in their proposed budget in Spring 2020

  • Successfully lobbied Governor Katie Hobbs to delete line items in the 2023 state budget that would have dedicated millions of dollars to the Koch-sponsored “freedom schools” at Arizona’s three public universities.

  • Helped organize an anti-Koch student club at UA named Students for Transparency (S4T)

  • Successfully lobbied the UA Faculty Senate to form a Faculty Committee on Donor Influence. The Committee presented its report in September 2023, which included a recommendation that the Senate censure the Freedom Center.

  • Obtained over 100 UA faculty signatures on a petition to UA President Robbins to disaffiliate from the FC

  • Obtained documents implicating the Freedom Center via public records requests

  • Held well-attended community forums on campus and in labor union halls. Participating groups included: Outlaw Dirty Money, Save Our Schools Arizona, Save Our VA, Jobs With Justice, and Democratic Socialists Of America         

  • Communicated and met with faculty at ASU and NAU, the two other Arizona public universities, about a coordinated anti-Koch campaign

  • Partnered with UnKoch My Campus and the Corporate Genome Project

WHAT WE’RE DOING NOW

  • Continuing to gather documents exposing the Freedom Center via public records requests

  • Monitoring the UA Department of Political Economy and Moral Science [PEMS], the new masters degree in Legal Studies, Law and Economics, and the Philosophy, Politics, Economics, and Law [PPEL] major and masters degree programs - - all created and/or controlled by the Freedom Center

  • Working with the UA Faculty to investigate the Freedom Center and PEMS, and re-vamp UA’s gift acceptance policy to prevent future donor influence on curriculum and hiring

WHAT WE HOPE TO DO

  • Investigate the Freedom Center’s use of “Take Charge Today” - a national “financial literacy” program - to expand its high school course throughout the US

  • Organize an "UnKoch Arizona" coalition to fight the many ruinous Koch donor network projects in our state.

  • Help create organized student campaigns against the “Freedom Schools” on the ASU and NAU campuses

  • Keep the Freedom Center’s course and textbook out of Tucson area schools

  • Collaborate with groups in other states that are working against the Koch donor network and Koch-backed entities like ALEC to build a national movement

  • Cut off all state funding for the “Freedom Schools” at UA, ASU, and NAU

  • Get UA, ASU, and NAU to rid themselves of the “freedom schools”

Educating The Public

WHAT WE’VE DONE

  • Created and distributed literature at marches, rallies, festivals, and on the UA campus

  • Disseminated information via this website and through social media

  • Wrote press releases, letters to the editor, and op-eds

  • Tabled and/or spoke at rallies, community gatherings, political meetings, etc.

  • Honk-and-waves on Tucson street corners

  • Worked with local news media to get the word out

  • Presented this forum on Koch state capture

  • Produced a series of webinars in 2020 and 2021, featuring nationally known experts and authors

  • Collaborated with the Pima Area Labor Federation [PALF] on a joint panel webinar entitled “UnKoch My Workplace”

WHAT WE’RE DOING

  • Sharing news and investigative articles about Koch influence on public education on our Facebook page

  • Inviting supporters and the interested public to monthly general meetings and to help with our work

 

YOUR INVOLVEMENT IS KEY!

To put it bluntly, we the Arizona public are getting rolled. The enemy is well-organized, well-funded, and relentless - but we have beaten them before and we can again! To do that, we need your help to turn the tide. If you are a UA student you can also become involved on campus. Students For Transparency is a UA student group also concerned about the UA Freedom Center. There is a lot of work that needs to be done, and we invite you to join us to help make it happen!