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

Jun 19, 2023 ·

Chapel Hill’s Latest DEI Push

In January 2023, UNC-Chapel Hill launched its “DEI Strategic Plan” for the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS). The DEI Strategic Plan is an offshoot of Chief Diversity Officer Leah…

May 18, 2023 ·

Let’s Improve Student Engagement

Undergraduate student engagement is on the decline. That’s according to the publishing and research firm Wiley, which, in February, released a “State of the Student” survey indicating that student engagement…

Mar 13, 2023 ·

How to Make Study-Abroad Programs Better

Studying abroad presents students with opportunities to earn course credit, gain exposure to different languages and cultures, and engage with students and faculty of different backgrounds. Improving the University of…

Feb 16, 2023 ·

Buckle Up, All Ye Unvaccinated!

Scholarly research is intended to provide us with the tools to solve humanity’s most complex and challenging problems. The findings of academic studies provide the basis for school curricula, inform…

Dec 19, 2022 ·

UNC-System Employees Really Love Democrats

While North Carolina is often considered a “purple state,” the composition of UNC-System campaign contributions is anything but bipartisan. OpenSecrets data indicate that campaign contributions to Democrats among UNC-System employees…

Dec 5, 2022 ·

The NCAA’s Own Goal

This coming January, the NCAA will convene in Texas to decide the future of standardized testing requirements for student-athletes. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA and universities…

Sep 5, 2022 ·

NIL Chaos Hits College Athletics

Since the Supreme Court’s 2021 ruling in NCAA v. Alston, collegiate sports have been roiled with confusion and a lack of clarity regarding name, image, and likeness (NIL) rules. When…