academic freedom

• 
• SOURCE: Politico
  11/30/2022
  

  DeSantis-Backed School Boards Flex Power to Oust District Leaders

  "Both Sarasota and Brevard’s school boards put the superintendents on the chopping block the same day that new members endorsed by DeSantis and conservative organizations like Moms for Liberty were sworn into office."

• 
• SOURCE: Chronicle of Higher Education
  11/30/2022
  

  Separating Good and Silly Criticism of FIRE in the Campus Speech Debate

  by Jeffrey Sachs

  One leading commenter on questions of academic freedom evaluates the criticism of an oganization on the front lines, concluding that many critics are asking silly questions and leaving significant ones aside. 

• 
• SOURCE: Chronicle of Higher Education
  11/28/2022
  

  The "Private Little Hell" of Florida's 1950s Anti-Gay Faculty Investigations

  At least 39 faculty members were forced out of Florida universities under the Johns Committee's investigation of alleged homosexual behavior. But the figure doesn't include the other lives and careers wrecked by the crusade. 

• 
• SOURCE: Inside Higher Ed
  11/9/2022
  

  U of Chicago Postpones (not Cancels) Course on "Problem of Whiteness" For Security Concerns

  The course, which examines the makings and effects of the historical, political and cultural category of "whiteness" was a target for critics who mistakenly presented it as an example of "anti-white hate." 

• 
• SOURCE: Inside Higher Ed
  11/7/2022
  

  Controversial Stanford "Academic Freedom" Panel Proceeds

  "While many other speakers described higher education’s commitment to the pursuit of truth as fading, the conference was heavy on anecdotes and speculative diagnostics relative to clear data."

• 
• SOURCE: Chronicle of Higher Education
  10/24/2022
  

  What Should Stanford Make of a Closed "Academic Freedom" Conference?

  by Len Gutkin

  "A conference on academic freedom to which the uninvited are unfree to attend is a parody."

• 
• SOURCE: Chronicle of Higher Education
  10/18/2022
  

  The Insidious Two-Step University Administrations Use to Squelch Faculty Speech

  by Joshua Clover

  Carnegie Mellon's treatment of a professor who made a controversial tweet about Queen Elizabeth and colonialism shows the willingness of universities to capitulate to outrage at the expense of free speech, as well as their lack of support for their faculty. 

• 
• SOURCE: Politico
  10/16/2022
  

  Inside DeSantis's Efforts to Reshape Florida Universities

  Many conservative politicians have attacked universities to win votes. But close observers of higher ed in Florida say Governor Ron DeSantis is making real and consequential institutional changes that may establish more political control over colleges in the state. 

• 
• SOURCE: Inside Higher Ed
  10/11/2022
  

  Sasse Visit to U of Florida Dogged by Protests

  Sasse was cagey about his thoughts on legislation like Florida's "Stop WOKE" act and suggested he would be vigilant against "indoctrination" in the classroom. Faculty questioned his commitment to tenure and student protesters decried what they saw as a partisan political appointment. 

• 
• SOURCE: Chronicle of Higher Education
  10/10/2022
  

  The Attack on Public Higher Ed is Part of Right's War on Independent Expertise

  by Brendan Cantwell and Barrett J. Taylor

  While culture war flareups get media attention, two education professors argue that the right is going further, attacking the idea that public universities should operate outside of partisan political control. 

• 
• SOURCE: Academic Freedom Alliance
  10/5/2022
  

  Amna Khalid and Jeffrey Snyder on the State of Academic Freedom

  Two scholars at work on a project to examine how anti-CRT legislation is affecting academic freedom on the ground explain the context and stakes of their project. 

• 
• SOURCE: Made By History at the Washington Post
  10/3/2022
  

  The Freedom to Teach About Racism Has Always Been Threatened

  by Eddie R. Cole

  Academic freedom isn't a color-blind value, because the principle has historically been needed to defend those who advocated for racial equality. 

• 
• SOURCE: Chronicle of Higher Education
  9/26/2022
  

  Law is Unclear Whether Public College Faculty Have Free Speech Rights in Classroom

  The state of Florida contends that, when operating within approved curricula, in-class instruction becomes the state's speech, obviating the First Amendment. It's unclear how much traction this argument will get in court. 

• 
• SOURCE: Chronicle of Higher Education
  9/26/2022
  

  U of Idaho Advises Faculty of Legal Jeopardy for Discussing Abortion in Classrooms

  The university's general counsel warned that the vagueness of the state's abortion restrictions means faculty are at risk of prosecution for how they discuss the issue in their classrooms. 

• 
• SOURCE: Made By History at the Washington Post
  9/26/2022
  

  Why Conservatives Have Turned Against Academic Freedom Again

  by John K. Wilson

  The legacies of William F. Buckley and Ronald Reagan suggest that the right demands freedom for its own perspective that it actively seeks to deny to radical critics of capitalism, religion, and conservatism. 

• 
• 9/25/2022
  

  Around the World, Censorship of Historians is Tied to Attacks on Democracy

  by Ruben Zeeman

  Teachers and researchers of history are under attack – sometimes literally – by regimes who seek to make history a foundational element of their legitimacy and authority.

• 
• SOURCE: Politico
  9/7/2022
  

  Miami-Dade Schools Reject Proposal for LGBTQ History Month for Fear of Violating "Don't Say Gay" Law

  Though the school board's counsel said that the proposal was likely compliant with the law, the board voted 8-1 against it largely because of the pressure of a vocal group of parents in opposition. A contingent of the Proud Boys neofascist paramilitary organization was seen outside the meeting. 

• 
• SOURCE: Chronicle of Higher Education
  9/6/2022
  

  The Academic Freedom Crisis at the University of Florida

  An investigation documents the way that academic freedom has been subordinated to the presumed interests of the State of Florida (as aggressively determined by the administration of Governor Ron DeSantis). 

• 
• SOURCE: Texas Observer
  9/8/2022
  

  I was Fired for Asking My Students to Wear Masks

  by Michael Phillips

  Sometimes academic freedom is about the ability of professors to advocate on behalf of the campus community's health against administrators who prefer silence as a matter of political expediency. 

• 
• SOURCE: Chronicle of Higher Education
  9/6/2022
  

  Colleges Should Quit Trying to Appease the Right

  by Silke-Maria Weineck

  "When J.D. Vance says that 'professors are the enemy,' he is correct. He is our enemy, and we must be his. I welcome his hatred."