Author Profile

Harrington Shaw

Harrington Shaw is the managing director of the UNC Alumni Free Speech Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting free expression and academic freedom at Carolina. Shaw previously worked as an intern for UNC AFSA while serving as the president of the Student Free Speech Alliance at UNC, which he founded in 2023. He was an intern for the James G. Martin Center from 2022 to 2024, where he conducted research on higher-education policy and authored numerous articles and reports. He also interned for the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Campus Free Expression Project in Washington, D.C. Shaw graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2024 with a B.A. degree in economics and philosophy. His senior thesis, titled “Autonomy, Hate Speech, and Civil Discourse,” focused on defending free speech in the face of increasing calls for the censorship of hateful rhetoric.

Articles by Harrington Shaw


No to Rushed Renamings

Self-reflection is a necessary trait for any healthy society or institution. Grappling with the past empowers us to contextualize our lives, make positive change, and avoid repeating the mistakes of…



Are Direct Admissions the Future?

The college admissions process can be daunting for high-school students. These young adults must research prospective institutions, consider their desired course of study and career path, determine whether a particular…


What’s UNC Teaching These Days?

If I, a graduating senior, were to give one piece of advice to an incoming UNC student, it would be to research prospective classes diligently. Search online for syllabi, survey…






The UNC Covid Lawsuit Is Valid

After the coronavirus pandemic upended the spring 2020 semester for UNC students, many expected a return to quasi-normal campus life in the fall. Students registered for courses, moved back into…


The State of Legacy Admissions

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to forbid racial admissions preferences in SFFA v. Harvard and UNC, collegiate diversity proponents have taken aim at other preference regimes thought…