On the Spectrum Between Free Speech and Cancel Culture, Where are Today’s Colleges?
As political polarization intensifies, America’s colleges and universities face threats to free speech from both the left and right. Campus conservatives risk ostracization, shaming or social media mobbing for expressing unpopular views on hot-button identity and social justice issues. Complaints about progressive faculty periodically go viral, triggering torrents of online abuse. Students protesting Israel’s conduct […]
The Jefferson Council: Democrat’s Win May Upend a Conservative Push in Virginia Universities
When she takes office as governor of Virginia in January, Abigail Spanberger will step into a partisan war over the political direction of one of the nation’s most respected public university systems. The schools have lately been at the center of a push by Republicans to overhaul universities that they see as having liberal biases. […]
Furman: Dear President Davis
“It was a pleasure to speak with you and Dr. Beth Pontari after the Tocqueville Center’s discussion on The Crisis in Higher Education during Homecoming. Your remarks and those of Ben Sasse, John Tomasi, and Brent Nelsen explored some of the fundamental political, economic, and technological challenges facing colleges today. And of course, we were […]
Justice Department Says It’s Investigating “Violent Riots” at UC Berkeley Turning Point USA Event
The Justice Department is investigating protests outside of a Turning Point USA event on the University of California, Berkeley’s campus, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Tuesday, which she suggested was part of President Trump’s crackdown on the antifa movement. Bondi wrote in a post on X that the “violent riots” Monday evening at the California […]
Trump’s Cornell University Deal Leaves a ‘Zombie’ DEI Agenda Ready to Rise From the Dead
Cornell University’s deal with President Donald Trump, announced Friday, ended the administration’s civil rights investigations into the school — and left Cornell’s destructive Diversity, Equity and Inclusion agenda diminished, but not destroyed. What remains of Cornell’s DEI apparatus now resembles a zombie: It exists but is not quite alive. And it could yet resurrect itself. […]
The First University has Admitted to Race-Based Hiring
The University of Virginia’s interim president and Board of Visitors have been widely criticized by the left for their standstill agreement with the Justice Department, in which the university agreed, most notably, not to take race into account in admissions and employment decisions. In exchange, the Justice Department is suspending a handful of civil rights […]
From the Monthly Forum: UVA rejects Trump administration compact for preferential funding
This article was highlighted in last night’s AFSA Members Forum discussion. We hope you’ll join us for the next session to be part of the conversation. After mulling its response for a few weeks, UVA in mid-October became the fifth school to decline a Trump administration compact promising preferential treatment in return for committing to […]
At Harvard Talk, Princeton President Says Colleges Should Set Clear Time, Manner, Place Rules for Protests
Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber said at Harvard talk on Wednesday that universities should enforce clear time, place, and manner rules against student protesters — and refuse to negotiate with activists while they are violating university rules. The Princeton president’s talk, which was moderated by Harvard College Dean David J. Deming drew dozens of […]
The Push for Viewpoint Diversity Misses the Point
Much of the controversy around the Trump administration’s “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” has focused on its push for viewpoint diversity and the claim that open inquiry does not exist in our classrooms. That push builds on a long-standing conservative critique that today makes hay out of the fact that the vast majority […]
No, Heckling Is Not Protected Speech
Recent essay in these pages by Charles F. Walker posits that the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression’s rankings don’t actually measure the speech climate of college campuses because they penalize colleges for disruptive speech that is constitutionally protected. Walker’s argument is rooted in a number of misconceptions, not the least of which is that […]
