The "New Civics" in Action

BY AARON BARLOW In an opinion piece published by The New York Times, Leon Botstein, president of Bard College, writes: American colleges and universities, public and private, are properly seen as nonpartisan elements in civil society, committed to research and teaching in a manner that transcends ordinary politics. But to succeed, these institutions must ensure…

Being Harassed in the Wake of Milo

BY ALAN-MICHAEL WEATHERFORD This is a cross-post of an editorial by Alan-Michael Weatherford. It originally appeared as a guest editorial on the website of The Daily, the student newspaper of the University of Washington. The Daily Editor’s Note: Story includes vulgarity, anti-gay, and transphobic slurs.  When internet hate-monger and Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopolous spoke on University of…

black chalkboard with the word TENURE in chalk; a chalk imprint of an eraser appears in the lower-right corner

The Tenure Top Ten

POSTED BY HANK REICHMAN The following is taken from an op-ed piece, “Top 10 ways tenure benefits students and all Iowa residents,” by Katherine Tachau and Lois Cox of the University of Iowa AAUP chapter, published yesterday in the Cedar Rapids Gazette. The University of Iowa chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP)…

On Milo's Right to Speak

BY HANK REICHMAN Yesterday a minor moronic bigot by the name of Milo Yiannopoulos was prevented from speaking at the University of California at Berkeley campus by protesters, some of whom set fires, smashed windows, and attempted to assault police officers.  Yiannopoulos has gained undeserved notoriety through his vile assaults on liberals, minorities, women, gays,…

Targeted Online Harassment of Faculty

POSTED BY HANK REICHMAN The following statement was issued by the AAUP earlier today, February 1, 2017. The 2016 election has exacerbated a political climate that was already inimical to academic freedom. Six years ago the American Association of University Professors conveyed its concern that “the war on terror, the conflict in the Middle East,…

Prospects for Academic Freedom Under the Trump Regime

BY HANK REICHMAN The following is the text of a talk I delivered on January 30 at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington.  I want to thank the Whitman AAUP chapter, the faculty committee on academic freedom and due process, and the Whitman administration for their invitation, hospitality and support during my illuminating two-day visit.…