Universities have a free speech problem, but they don't want to admit it

In Alcoholics Anonymous, the first step to recovery is recognizing that you have a problem. You can’t get better until you admit that you’re not okay.

But our universities will not do it.

Look no further than the recent report of the Foundation for Individual Rights of Expression, or FIRE. Surveying more than 6,000 faculty members at 55 colleges and universities, FIRE found that a quarter of faculty felt unable to express themselves freely for fear of backlash from administrators, colleagues and students. And a third of professors surveyed said they had recently toned down their writing for the same reason.

The response from universities? Crickets.

Our entire model is based on the free exchange of ideas. However, when the FIRE report was released, not a single college president said we were failing to meet this goal.

Instead, university leaders have bitten their tongues – just as faculty members do – or issued bland statements reaffirming their commitment to open expression and dialogue. Invited to comment on the FIRE report, a Columbia University official said the school “remains committed to the principles of academic freedom and inclusive pluralism that define a great university.”

Really? Why, then, did two-thirds of faculty surveyed at Columbia tell FIRE that they sometimes or often felt like they couldn’t express their opinions on campus? That doesn’t seem like freedom to me.

Simply put, college professors are afraid. And it is not possible to have a real dialogue – or a real university – when people are afraid to say and write what they think.

“Even as a tenured full professor, I feel pressure to hide certain opinions,” said a University of Texas faculty member. “The atmosphere in some academic units can be sectarian and fascist. »

Another professor said he had been afraid to take the FIRE survey for fear of losing his job. In today’s universities, it seems that the mere mention of free speech can provoke self-censorship.

As you might guess, given the preponderance of liberals on university faculties, conservative professors are more reluctant to express their opinions. But if you think this fear only comes from the right, think again.

A faculty member at the University of Illinois at Chicago said he wanted to sign a petition for a ceasefire in Palestine, but he was afraid of being doxxed – that’s that is, his personal information would be published online – and the university would do so. I’m not defending him. And a black professor from the South noted that his state’s legislature had moved to ban classroom discussions about racism, making him wary of broaching the topic with his colleagues.

Dozens of states have attempted to restrict how K-12 and college teachers address race and gender, which currently poses the greatest censorship threat to education. But our universities will not be able to resist attacks from outside their doors if they do not put their own free speech space in order.

Consider diversity, equity and inclusion, a touchstone of campus controversy in recent years. Sixteen anti-DEI laws have been proposed this yearthat threaten to restrict what faculty members can say in grant applications and even course syllabi. Yet the university’s own culture discourages faculty members from discussing DEI in a free and open manner, as the FIRE report demonstrates.

“You can’t question DEI, or reason against DEI, or talk about anything related to DEI,” said a University of Michigan professor. Only people who “unquestionably support it” are allowed to give their opinion on the DEI, the professor added.

We have not established an official ban on free speech, which is what state legislatures are trying to do. Instead, we have created a climate that is hostile to it.

“You don’t fear discipline so much as you fear being banned or blacklisted,” said a Columbia professor. “It’s all about gossip and collusion.”

You never know what words might land you in hot water or which colleagues might try to burn you. This is why so many people are afraid to speak out.

So it’s time for our leaders to stand up and tell the plain truth: we believe in the free exchange of ideas, but we have failed to protect it.

Universities should also commit to defending anyone – faculty, student or staff – who feels threatened or intimidated for expressing their opinion. Of course, no one has the right to be immune from criticism. But everyone should feel free to say what they think.

At the moment, they don’t. And no one at the top of our institutions is willing to say it out loud. We should have enough courage to recognize the fear within us. This is the first step on the road to recovery.

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