Three free speech scholars on why universities fail at open debate
Randall Kennedy on academic freedom at Harvard, Harvey Silverglate on campus bureaucracy and Greg Lukianoff on deplatforming and the role of administrators all argue that universities are falling short of being the freest places in society. Their overlapping diagnoses point to institutional causes that outlast any single campus controversy.
What do the three scholars say is the main reason universities fail at open debate? Show answer
Structure before students: oversized administrations, rules that compel belief, and leaders who give way.
How does Randall Kennedy describe his own experience at Harvard? Show answer
It has given him nothing but support, and his speech and teaching have not been restricted.
Why is Kennedy worried anyway? Show answer
He sees real dangers to free expression across campuses and has joined academic freedom groups in recent years.
What is Kennedy's objection to required diversity statements? Show answer
They ask applicants to declare support for a program, which is unfair to someone who disagrees.
What test does Kennedy propose for such requirements? Show answer
Ask how people would react if applicants had to pledge loyalty to a cause from the opposite politics.
What does Harvey Silverglate say administrators believe their job is? Show answer
To keep order and make sure no feelings are hurt, which leads to speech codes and unfair hearings.
Where does Silverglate say a university's duty to protect students ends? Show answer
It should protect them from physical assault but not from insult.
What figures does Greg Lukianoff give on punishing professors? Show answer
Well over a thousand attempts from 2014 to mid-2023, about two-thirds leading to punishment and roughly 190 firings.
What does FIRE's faculty survey show about self-censorship? Show answer
Ninety percent of professors report self-censoring.
Is the pressure on campus speech only from the left? Show answer
No. About one third of successful campaigns against professors come from the right, and some state laws restrict topics.
Where do the three disagree about Harvard? Show answer
Kennedy has never been restrained there. FIRE's ranking places it last, and Silverglate is critical.
What limits apply to the data in this piece? Show answer
The counts and surveys are FIRE's own, reported by its president, and conditions vary widely between schools.