BY JOHN K. WILSON I fully agree with the first line of Tom Ginsburg’s attack in the Chronicle of Higher Education on the AAUP: “Colleges are entering what is likely to be their greatest crisis since the McCarthy period.” Although I don’t work for or speak for the AAUP, I strongly disagree with the rest…
BY JOHN K. WILSON The AAUP has issued a new statement, “Against Anticipatory Obedience,” that warns colleges to avoid “acting to comply in advance” before repression is actually required by the Trump administration. The danger of anticipatory obedience applies not just to colleges censoring speech, but also to national organizations seeking to influence Trump’s actions.…
BY JOHN K. WILSON The new year brings a wide range of different events related to academic freedom and deadlines for opportunities. Here’s a quick summary of some activities, and you are encouraged to add any additional opportunities (such as AAUP state conference and chapter events) in the comments. The AAUP’s Journal of Academic Freedom…
BY JOHN K. WILSON In the war of words between advocates of the AAUP and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), we need to recognize the value of both organizations. I wrote an essay at Inside Higher Ed, “In Defense of FIRE,” responding to Joan Scott’s critique of FIRE. FIRE president and CEO…
BY JOHN K. WILSON The temptation to regulate free speech in the name of a higher good is a constant danger on the left, and the right. Too often, we ignore how centrist administrators and thinkers endorse censorship too easily, and how much power they hold. I think the greatest threats to campus free speech…
BY JOHN K. WILSON Sixty years ago, a revolution in campus free speech began. Unfortunately, it’s an anniversary being celebrated in the midst of extraordinary repression on college campuses against the right to protest. The Free Speech Movement at Berkeley and around the country was a direct outgrowth of the Civil Rights Movement and the…
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…
BY JOHN K. WILSON Former AAUP President Cary Nelson’s latest book is Hate Speech and Academic Freedom: The Antisemitic Assault on Basic Principles (Academic Studies Press, 2024). John K. Wilson interviewed him by email about the book in Part I of this discussion. Here in Part II, Nelson examines issues raised since the manuscript was completed last…
BY JOHN K. WILSON Former AAUP President Cary Nelson has just published his latest book, Hate Speech and Academic Freedom: The Antisemitic Assault on Basic Principles (Academic Studies Press, 2024). John K. Wilson interviewed him by email about the book. John K. Wilson: You and I disagreed about the Steven Salaita firing at UIUC. You argue…
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…