Why Evolution is True is a blog written by Jerry Coyne, centered on evolution and biology but also dealing with diverse topics like politics, culture, and cats.
Brian Leiter, a law school professor here and my partner in crime in finding Kalven Report violations, is touting Kalven’s Principle of institutional neutrality in this new letter from the Chronicles of Higher Education. Click to go to the site, but I’ve reproduced the letter below. As instantiated several times this week, college administrators who … Continue reading Brian Leiter defends the Kalven Report
Just to emphasize again how strongly Chicago sticks to its policy of institutional neutrality as embodied in the Kalven Report, here is the only statement that the University of Chicago issued on the Israel/Hamas war after October 7. We have not gotten into trouble; our President has not been called to testify in front of … Continue reading An example of institutional neutrality
John K. Wilson is identified in the new article below in the Chronicle of Higher Education (CHI) as “the author of eight books, including Patriotic Correctness: Academic Freedom and Its Enemies and the forthcoming The Attack on Academia.” In the piece below (access by clicking the headline), Wilson says that the concept of “official” academic neutrality, as … Continue reading Speaking of Kalven and ideological neutrality. . .
“Defund the police and fund DEI,” were common cries on campuses in the last few years. But, in at least one case, the funding directions have suddenly reversed. As NBC News reports, this happened at the flagship campus of the University of North Carolina (UNC): UNC at Chapel Hill. As I’ve reported, this was only … Continue reading In light of protests, UNC Chapel Hill cuts diversity funding and beefs up security funding
The University of Chicago is well known for adopting the principle of “institutional neutrality”—the dictum that our university should take no official position on ideological, political, or moral matters except in the rare situation that such matters directly affect the workings of the school. This principle is embodied in our “Kalven Report.” We see this … Continue reading Three important groups endorse institutional neutrality for colleges and universities
After Harvard’s President and administration sent out a mealymouthed email to the College on October 8 about the Israel/Gaza situation, they were criticized by more than 350 Harvard faculty for their failure to draw any moral lessons from that war. Gay and the admin were criticized for missing a “teachable moment” by “contribut[ing] to the … Continue reading Harvard’s President is STILL trying to get it right
Agustín Fuentes is surely bucking for Social Justice Scientist of the Year, as I’ve documented in numerous posts. Whenever there’s an article about how scientists are bigoted, racist, and sexist, including Darwin, or there’s an article to be written that extols social justice in science but will have little or no effect on society, you’re … Continue reading In what ways should scientific organizations remain politically neutral?
As regular readers here know, since 1967 the University of Chicago has had a policy of institutional neutrality, a policy embodied in our Kalven Report. This report forbids the University from making official pronouncements on any political, ideological, or moral issues, with the few exceptions being those issues that directly affect the workings of the … Continue reading Four Northwestern University profs endorse adoption of Kalven Principle
