National Free Speech News & Commentary

Robert H. Fogel and Peter N. Jones
The Harvard Crimson

Excerpt: In an op-ed published on Thursday, Institute of Politics student president Pratyush Mallick argued that the organization must abandon its practice of nonpartisanship.

We disagree. Adopting a partisan stance would jeopardize the fundamental mission of the IOP, inhibit necessary conversations, and further isolate students from perspectives held by a majority of Americans.

Jonathan Turley
Jonathan Turley’s Blog

Excerpt: As academics, we are dealing with the election on campuses across America. After the election, I had some valuable discussions with students who supported Harris and some who supported Trump. I wish there would be more interaction between the two groups. That is why this story stood out for me. I do not believe that further separation or isolation will help this country or these individuals.

Greg Lukianoff
The Dispatch

Excerpt: Our institutions of higher education should protect their activists, but they should also prioritize recruiting scholars. The ideal student should think more like a field anthropologist, someone who is trying to figure out where the other side is coming from, rather than a strident warrior in a battle of good versus evil. That open, curious, intellectually humble, and receptive mindset is the foundation of actual learning, and is critical to fostering an educational environment that lives up to its intended purpose.

Chance Layton
National Association of Scholars

Excerpt: Today, many Americans are heading to the polls to vote for our next President and administration. We Americans will also decide which party will control both houses of Congress. There have been several successes over the last few years, thanks primarily to the actions of courts and state legislatures. Much more is to be done to reform higher education so that it better serves Americans. The National Association of Scholars has spent considerable time thinking about the various reforms we’d like to see.

Brad Polumbo
Washington Examiner

Excerpt: Voters are fortunate to have seen a decisive presidential winner early Wednesday morning. But, tragically, there was always going to be one clear loser of the November presidential contest: the First Amendment.

Why? Well, in Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, both mainstream political parties ran candidates who, in different ways, have made their contempt for free speech clear over the years.

Ryan Quinn
Inside Higher Ed

Excerpt: Two free expression advocacy groups say they’ve sent letters to Pennsylvania public colleges and universities “urging them to protect students’ expressive rights leading up to election day,” according to a news release sent Friday.

The groups are the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania.