Google-News-Lab-Header.png

KOCHS OFF CAMPUS! AND THE FREEDOM CENTER IN THE PRESS

 
 

4/15/2024 "Raising Arizona The Koch network’s war on education goes west” An in-depth report of the Freedom Center’s troubled history from 2006 to the date of this article. https://thebaffler.com/latest/raising-arizona-schivone

Freedom Center sit-in - Dr. Patrick Diehl and Rev. Kenneth Brown

11/2/2021 “One Arrested During Freedom Center Sit-in Protest.” Coverage of protests associated with Kochs Off Campus! and UnKoch My Campus National Kochbusters Day of Action. https://www.wildcat.arizona.edu/article/2021/11/n-kochs-off-campus-protest

3/3/2021 UnKoch My Campus director, Jasmine Banks’s letter to the AZ Daily Star explaining why the For The People act is crucial to fighting the insidiousness of the Koch Network and for defending the democratic process.

10/31/2020 “Kochs Off Campus! stages a day of action to highlight the encroachment of corporate influences on public institutions and public educational facilities in Arizona.” Desmog Blog https://www.desmogblog.com/2020/10/30/faculty-and-alumni-call-demand-university-arizona-kick-koch-money-campus

6/20/20 “To support libertarian and conservative thought at the University of Arizona, the Legislature poured money into the Center for the Philosophy of Freedom, previously funded by the Charles Koch Foundation. That bought some good work but made the center politically untouchable and above normal governance.” (KOC! is mentioned as a ‘campus group’ in paragraph 3) Tucson.com Tim Steller's opinion: Taxpayers give UA 'Freedom Center' prominence, conflicts after Koch money dwindles

KOC! protests the 2019 ALEC Arizona convention

12/5/19 Kochs Off Campus! and Unkoch My Campus included in Phoenix New Times coverage about the protest of ALEC's 2019 annual States and Nation Policy Summit in Scottsdale.  https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/alec-arizona-protest-koch-brothers-corporate-money-politics-11403094

8/24/19 David Koch post-mortem by Jasmine Banks, Executive Director of UnKoch My Campus, discusses Kochs Off Campus! work in Arizona. Truthout https://truthout.org/articles/david-koch-is-dead-we-must-now-take-on-his-harmful-legacy-in-higher-education/

5/14/19  AZ Senate Republicans Push For a New NAU "Freedom School" While They Undercut University, K-12 Funding - David Safier, Tucson Weekly  https://www.tucsonweekly.com/TheRange/archives/2019/05/14/az-senate-republicans-push-for-a-new-nau-freedom-school-while-they-undercut-university-k-12-funding

3/26/19  Amphi District Cancels High School Course Created By the Freedom Center - David Safier, Tucson Weekly https://www.tucsonweekly.com/TheRange/archives/2019/04/26/amphi-district-cancels-high-school-course-created-by-the-freedom-center

3/23/19  Cash For the Koch's University Outposts: Watch This Budget Item - David Safier, Tucson Weekly  https://www.tucsonweekly.com/TheRange/archives/2019/04/23/cash-for-the-kochs-university-outposts-watch-this-budget-item

2/22/19  OP-ED: Koch Network Pushes Deceitful Textbook on Cash-Strapped Schools Truthout https://truthout.org/articles/koch-network-pushes-deceitful-textbook-on-cash-strapped-schools/

2/16/19  Arizona “Ground Zero” for Koch Attack on Public Education Truthout https://truthout.org/articles/arizona-ground-zero-for-koch-attack-on-public-education/

KOC! SPEAKATHON - Betts Putnam-Hidalgo addresses TUSD board

12/14/18  TUSD Rejects Freedom Center’s High School Course, David Safier, Tucson Weekly.  https://www.tucsonweekly.com/TheRange/archives/2018/12/14/tusd-rejects-freedom-centers-high-school-course

9/19/18  UA Freedom Center Authors Refuse To Put Their Textbook Online For Review As Requested By TUSD, David Safier, Tucson Weeklyhttps://www.tucsonweekly.com/TheRange/archives/2018/09/18/freedom-center-affiliated-authors-refuse-to-put-their-phil-101-textbook-online-for-tusd-review

9/13/18   Digital Access Denied, TUSD Postpones Review of Economics Textbook: The authors refused to make the book available online for a review of a controversial economics course removed from TUSD AZ Public Media  https://www.azpm.org/p/home-articles-news/2018/9/13/137083-digital-access-denied-tusd-postpones-review-of-economics-textbook/ 

8/29/18  TUSD to Start Review of Controversial Textbook at Teachers’ Request – The economics course was canceled at TUSD last year. It could be back in front of the board for approval in November. AZ Public Media https://news.azpm.org/p/news-topical-edu/2018/8/29/136063-tusd-to-start-review-of-controversial-textbook-at-teachers-request/

8/3/18 No Controversial Economics Class at TUSD this Year; Board Opts for Review, Brandon Mejia, AZ Public Mediahttps://news.azpm.org/s/58771-controversial-economics-course-could-make-its-way-back-into-tusd/

7/12/18  Controversial Course with Links to Koch Network Won’t Be Offered in TUSD Schools this Year, Hank Stephenson, AZ Daily Starhttps://tucson.com/news/local/controversial-course-with-links-to-koch-network-won-t-be/article_c6b72b68-faf4-5979-b1ca-fdce67399320.html

7/11/18  TUSD Won’t Revive Controversial Economics Class this Year, Hank Stephenson, AZ Daily Starhttps://tucson.com/news/local/tusd-won-t-revive-controversial-economics-class-this-year/article_cb9e8208-84ba-11e8-98c9-079b6b59ad1c.html 

7/9/18  TUSD Weighs Reviving Controversial Economics Class with Ties to Koch Network, Hank Stephenson, AZ Daily Starhttps://tucson.com/news/local/controversial-economics-class-with-ties-to-koch-network-could-return/article_9bd92879-b47b-59f8-a300-2b8940185869.html

7/6/18  Freedom Center’s Philosophy Course Is on the TUSD Board Agenda, David Safier, Tucson Weeklyhttps://www.tucsonweekly.com/TheRange/archives/2018/07/06/freedom-centers-philosophy-101-course-is-on-the-tusd-board-agenda 

5/28/18  Koch Foundation Dramatically Increases Higher Ed Donations Amid Scrutiny, Matthew Barakat, Wichita Eagle/Tribune News Service, https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/koch-foundation-increase-higher-education-donations

5/5/18  What Charles Koch and Other Donors to George Mason University Got for Their Money, Erica L. Green & Stephanie Saul, NY Times (Online), https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/05/us/koch-donors-george-mason.html

5/2/18  GOP Legislature Sending More Money to “Freedom Schools,” Despite Existing Surplus, Jim Small, Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting, in AZ Capitol Times, https://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2018/05/02/gop-legislature-sending-more-money-to-freedom-schools-despite-existing-surplus/

5/1/18  Koch-backed Freedom Schools in Arizona to Get Money in University Funding Budget, Rachel Leingang, AZ Republichttps://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona-education/2018/05/01/arizona-koch-backed-freedom-schools-get-money-budgets-university-funding/567164002/

11/2/17  Guest Opinion: The UA Freedom Center Responds: We Are Not a Nest of Koch Brother Acolytes, Michael McKenna, Tucson Weeklyhttps://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/guest-opinion/Content?oid=12652092

10/12/17  Are the Koch Brothers entering Tucson’s high schools via the UA’s “Freedom School”? David Safier, Tucson Weeklyhttps://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/guest-opinion/Content?oid=12119561

5/10/17  Letter: Koch Brothers and the University of Arizona, Charles Smith, Tucson Weeklyhttps://tucson.com/news/opinion/letters/politics-local/letter-koch-brothers-and-the-university-of-arizona/article_80f622c6-35ae-11e7-889e-a76e2bcb2cac.html

3/3/17 The Handmaiden of Entrepreneurship: Philosophy in the time of Charles Koch - by David V. Johnson. (This article was where Kochs Off Campus! first learned of the UA Freedom Center’s high school textbook) https://thebaffler.com/latest/the-handmaiden-of-entrepreneurship

5/2/16  Koch Money To Arizona Universities Comes Without Conditions, Except For All The Conditions, Real Koch Facts http://www.realkochfacts.com/koch-money-to-arizona-universities-comes-without-conditions-except-for-all-the-conditions/

4/30/16  For “Freedom,” Legislature Scrounges Up $5 Million, Tim Stellar, AZ Daily Star, https://tucson.com/news/local/columnists/steller/steller-for-freedom-legislature-scrounges-up-million/article_927b7aad-0800-5b7a-bc38-a637faa0b629.htm 

4/28/16  Arizona Republicans Want Funding for Koch-Backed Schools, Ryan Van Velzer & Bob Christie, AP Newshttp://apnews.com/27088ac377e444258a6672995644d5cb/arizona-republicans-want-funding-koch-backed-schools

6/11/15  The Virtues of Political Disagreement, Gary Gutting & Jerry Gaus, New York Times Opinionatorhttps://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/06/11/the-virtues-of-political-disagreement/

8/11/11  Freedom’s Ring: The mysterious funding behind a new UA philosophy think tank continues to raise concerns, Tim Vanderpool, Tucson Weekly https://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/freedoms-ring/Content?oid=3133482

5/5/11  Freedom from Regulation? The Koch Brothers Pump Money into a New UA Center, Tim Vanderpool, Tucson Weeklyhttps://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/freedom-from-regulation/Content?oid=2744162