Free Speech
At Rebranded Diversity Forum, Garber Calls for More Disagreement to Bolster Harvard’s Academic Mission
Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76 urged affiliates last Tuesday to treat disagreement as a core feature of academic life, arguing that engaging with competing ideas is essential to how the University teaches and produces knowledge.
Psych Professor Steven Pinker Criticizes Cancel Culture in Academia, Promotes Ideological Openness at IOP Forum
Harvard Psychology professor Steven A. Pinker condemned the rise of cancel culture in higher education at an Institute of Politics Forum on Wednesday, telling his audience that academics must avoid punitive reactions to peers who voice unorthodox beliefs.
Harvard AAUP Asks Judge To Extend Speech Protections to International Students, Faculty Nationwide
After winning a court victory against the Trump administration in September, a Harvard faculty group is asking a federal judge to extend protections for noncitizens’ speech nationwide.
ACLU President Deborah Archer Receives PBHA ‘Call of Service’ Award
American Civil Liberties Union President Deborah N. Archer delivered a grim assessment of the state of civil rights protections on Friday at a Phillips Brooks House Association event honoring her with the annual Robert Coles “Call of Service” award.
Harvard Faculty Adjust to Teaching in the Political Hot Seat
As Harvard spends another year under the glare of a political spotlight, its instructors face a new challenge: teaching students about the same topics that draw furious headlines.
Harvard Salient’s Editor Says Conservative Student Magazine Will Not Obey Suspension by Alumni Board
Harvard Salient editor-in-chief Richard Y. Rodgers ’28 announced on Tuesday that the conservative student magazine would remain active despite a Sunday statement from its board of directors suspending its operations pending a conduct investigation.
Harvard Events Turn To Chatham House Rule As Political Tensions Rise
The Chatham House Rule, a diplomatic convention dating back to the 1920s, has taken root at Harvard in recent years as faculty and administrators try to combat self-censorship amid rising political tensions.
Journalist Melanie Amann Condemns Politicization of Free Speech in Germany and at Harvard
German journalist Melanie Amann said that politicizing free speech regulations restricts discourse while creating artificial viewpoint diversity at a talk on Tuesday afternoon.
Harvard Medical School Cancels Student Groups’ Pro-Palestine Vigil
Harvard Medical School canceled a pro-Palestine vigil organized by two recognized student groups on Thursday, alleging the groups violated the school’s campus use rules by distributing and posting event flyers without authorization.
Harvard Unions Stage Poster Campaign in Protest of Black Lives Matter Sign Removal
Members of three Harvard unions plastered hundreds of Black Lives Matter posters across campus on Thursday to protest the University’s decision to remove a sign bearing the same message from two professors’ office windows this summer.
Harvard Is No Longer Last in FIRE’s Free Speech Rankings. What’s Behind the Numbers?
For the first time in years, Harvard didn’t come dead last in the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression free speech rankings. But experts say the rankings have never told the full story.
Harvard Grad Union Requests Academic Freedom Protections in New Contract Proposal
Harvard’s graduate student union requested that the University guarantee academic freedom protections for graduate students’ teaching and research pursuits in a new contract proposal on Thursday, joining a growing roster of graduate unions that have requested similar provisions in recent years.
Harvard To Remove Black Lives Matter Message From Biology Professors’ Office Windows
A Harvard administrator told two professors on Tuesday that a Black Lives Matter sign displayed in their office windows would be taken down by this Saturday, describing it as a violation of the University’s campus use rules.
More Than 14,000 Urge Harvard To Refuse Oversight and ‘Extortion’ From Trump
More than 14,000 students, faculty, alumni, and members of the public signed a letter urging Harvard to reject any deal with the Trump administration that would sacrifice the University’s autonomy.
On Harvard FAS Survey, 85% of Faculty See Government Pressure as Major Threat to Academic Freedom
More than half of faculty members who responded to The Crimson’s survey of Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences said the Trump administration’s actions have discouraged them from expressing their political views.
Alumni Group Urges Harvard Not To Sacrifice Academic Freedom in Talks with Trump Admin
Harvard alumni and an external faculty group sent letters to the University’s leaders on Monday urging them not to compromise their commitment to academic freedom as they resume negotiations with the Trump administration.
At Rally in Harvard Square, Protesters Accuse Harvard of Complicity With Trump
More than 100 protesters gathered in Cambridge Common on Friday evening at a rally accusing Harvard of censoring pro-Palestine speech and scholarship even as it resists the Trump administration’s demands.
In Court Filing, Trump Administration Blasts AAUP Lawsuit Against Immigration Orders
Lawyers for the federal government asked a judge to reject a lawsuit from the Harvard chapter of the American Association of University Professors, arguing that the group misapplied the First Amendment in their condemnation of Trump’s crackdown on pro-Palestine speech.
Kenneth Roth Says Universities Must Stand Up To Trump’s Attack on Academic Freedom
Former executive director of Human Rights Watch Kenneth Roth said universities must unite against the Trump administration’s “autocratically-inclined” attack on campus free speech at a Thursday evening book talk at the Cambridge Public Library.
The FAS Dean Told Centers To Comply With Classroom Norms Committee Report. The Committee’s Co-Chair Was Surprised.
History professor Maya R. Jasanoff ’96, who co-chaired the Classroom Social Compact Committee, was caught off guard when FAS Dean Hopi E. Hoekstra cited the CSCC’s report to justify requiring FAS center directors to show their centers promote viewpoint diversity.
Hoekstra Defends CMES Dismissals at Faculty Meeting, but Wavers on Harvard’s Next Move
Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Hopi E. Hoekstra stood by the decision to dismiss the director and associate director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies last week at a Tuesday FAS meeting.
FAS Dean Asks Center Directors To Show Compliance With Viewpoint Diversity Guidance
Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Hopi E. Hoekstra told directors of FAS centers they would be required to meet with their divisional deans to explain how their programs are complying with recent guidance on intellectual diversity in a Tuesday email.
More Than 600 Harvard Faculty Urge Governing Boards To Resist Demands From Trump
More than 600 Harvard faculty signed a letter to Harvard’s governing boards urging the University to publicly condemn attacks on universities and defy orders that interfere with its independence.
More Than 500 Alumni Ask Harvard To Defend Free Speech Under Trump
More than 500 Harvard alumni signed an open letter to President Garber urging the University to make a public statement committing to protect free speech and maintain its independence.
Harvard AAUP Sues Trump Administration Over Attempts To Deport Pro-Palestine Students, Faculty
The Harvard chapter of the American Association of University Professors filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Tuesday morning for allegedly violating its members’ First Amendment rights by arresting and attempting to deport noncitizens for expressing pro-Palestine views.
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