piece of paper with the word SUSPENDED stamped in red; a rubber stamp with a red handle rests on the paper

Why Columbia’s Interim Suspensions Are Wrong

BY JOHN K. WILSON Yesterday, Columbia threatened student protesters, “if you do not leave by 2 p.m., you will be suspended pending further investigation.” This interim suspension included banishment from campus, a prohibition on attending classes, and eviction from campus housing. All organizations committed to campus free expression should call for a total ban on…

blue neon sign saying "DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS" surrounded by red circles above and below on a dark brick wall background

Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s Attack on Academic Freedom

BY JOHN K. WILSON On March 27, 2024, Texas governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order compelling “all Texas higher education institutions” to “update free speech policies to address the sharp rise in antisemitic speech and acts on university campuses and establish appropriate punishments, including expulsion from the institution,” ensure that “groups such as the…

Buildings at Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, with trees and grass in the foreground along with two parked cars and a small construction crane

In Defense of Melissa Goldberg and Academic Freedom at Catholic Colleges

BY JOHN K. WILSON Last week, the Catholic University of America (CUA) fired psychology professor Melissa Goldberg one week after she invited doula Rachel Carbonneau to address her class, Psychology 379: Lifespan Development. Doulas coach women during the birthing process, and Carbonneau discussed helping “birthing persons” deal with having abortions and assisting transgender men. One…

view of Harvard Yard with dormitories and Harvard Computer Society building with gray winter sky and bare trees

Harvard’s Misguided Guidance on Protest and Dissent

BY JOHN K. WILSON On January 19, 2024, PEN America held a major summit on free expression at Harvard University. But it seems top administrators at Harvard are the ones who really need a lesson on the topic, since that same day they announced a new “Guidance on Protest and Dissent” that restricts the right…

Indiana state flag with blue background and golden torch surrounded by golden stars appears over a white backgrouns in distorted form, suggesting an incomplete or erased image of the flag with jagged edges

In Defense of Abdulkader Sinno

By JOHN K. WILSON In a breathtaking assault on academic freedom, Indiana University has suspended Abdulkader Sinno, an associate professor of political science and Middle Eastern studies, for the crime of reserving a room for a speech that the administration (in direct violation of the First Amendment) attempted to ban. Sinno reserved a room for…

spotlight focuses on a dictionary definition of the word "conflict"

In Defense of the AAUP Statement on Polarizing Times

BY JOHN K. WILSON It’s always distressing during contentious times when neutral statements for free speech are twisted beyond recognition with false smears of bias and bigotry. In a November 27 essay in The Hill, Northwestern law professor Steven Lubet denounced the American Association of University Professors for a November 15 statement, “Polarizing Times Demand…