On Academic Freedom, Public Comments, and the “Fitness” of Faculty
Editor’s note: This is part 1 of a two-part series of articles. Part 2 can be found here. Does academic freedom protect faculty members who promote such activities as genocide,…
Posts tagged with
“First Amendment”
The UNC Alumni Free Speech Alliance: A Conversation with a Founding Member
Alumni have been making their voices heard over the past few months. After seeing the alarming direction that their alma maters are taking, alumni at institutions such as Davidson College,…
What Should We Teach in Journalism Schools?
There’s something rotten in American journalism schools. From a tendency toward bias to outright activism, journalism in higher education is not what it should be: a place to guide young…
College Officials Should be Responsible When They Violate People’s Rights
Here is a recurring situation on American college and university campuses—an official acts in a way that violates the constitutional rights of students or faculty members, usually by trampling on…
College Athletes’ Payment Rights: A Question of When and How, Not If
College athletes’ rights, including their economic rights, have long been denied. American college sports have existed under an antiquated and oft-changing definition of amateurism that requires athletes to forfeit any…
Did You Know? The UK Wants Free Speech on Campus
In a new law that will change the direction of higher education in the United Kingdom, the British government is drafting the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill, which might…
This Case Gives the Supreme Court a Chance to Protect Campus Free Speech
Over the last 30 years, federal courts have consistently ruled that restrictive speech codes and minuscule free speech zones on college campuses violate the First Amendment. So, why do college…
What’s in a Syllabus? The Keys to Undoing Academic Freedom, If We’re Not Careful
The syllabus is such a basic document that most of us tend not to think much about what goes into making one. What are its necessary ingredients? A listing of…
The Campaign to Stamp Out Academic Heresy
Back in the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries, church officials felt it necessary to scrutinize every book or pamphlet for the slightest hint of heresy. If the work deviated from…
Censoring a Thousand Words: Universities Must Cease Punishing Students for Their Online Pictures
In 1980, Apple founder Steve Jobs called the computer “a bicycle for our minds.” Today, the advent of smartphones gives individuals the power to share images instantaneously with the rest…