Search Results for: Middlebury College

Middlebury College cancels another controversial speaker because of “safety concerns”

UPDATE: I have sent this letter to the President, the Dean, and the Provost of Middlebury: Dear President Patton, Provost Cason, and Dean Taylor, I was appalled to hear that Middlebury College has canceled a talk by Ryszard Legutko because the safety of the College community could not be guaranteed if he appeared. The report … Continue reading Middlebury College cancels another controversial speaker because of “safety concerns”

Yascha Mounk: Dorian Abbot’s cancellation is novel—and dangerous

I’ve written a few posts about my Chicago colleague Dorian Abbot, who got in trouble here on campus for making YouTube videos criticizing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. College members demanded punishment, but that didn’t occur because the University of Chicago considers Abbot’s videos free speech, and we don’t punish that. Abbot continued his … Continue reading Yascha Mounk: Dorian Abbot’s cancellation is novel—and dangerous

FIRE has a chat about free speech with the University of Chicago’s incoming President

As of September 1, our estimable leader, Bob Zimmer, is retiring as President of the University of Chicago and will become Chancellor, retaining his interest in the free-speech principles that he supported so strongly over the past 15 years (I hope he’ll also keep his interest in our ducks as well!). Our new President is … Continue reading FIRE has a chat about free speech with the University of Chicago’s incoming President

FIRE’s annual spotlight on college speech codes

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) has a particularly useful new report that gives the annual “free speech” ratings of American colleges and universities (478 of them). There are three ratings; going from worst to best they are red light, yellow light, and green light. You can access the full report here or … Continue reading FIRE’s annual spotlight on college speech codes

Wesleyan University president purports to comport intellectual diversity with “hate speech” ban; the result is still censorship

A friend affiliated with Wesleyan University sent me the New York Times article below, saying that I should be aware of the school’s efforts to “encourage a diversity of opinion in public debates on campus while barring hate speech and so on.”  Intrigued but doubtful, I read the article by Wesleyan President Michael S. Roth, … Continue reading Wesleyan University president purports to comport intellectual diversity with “hate speech” ban; the result is still censorship

Oxford students pass anti-“hate-speech” motion

Offense for offense, a woke British university can match the likes of The Evergreen State College or Middlebury College any day. British woke schools have included the London School of Economics, the rest of the University of London, and, of course, Oxford University (called “Oggsford” in The Great Gatsby). And Oggsford students has now solidified … Continue reading Oxford students pass anti-“hate-speech” motion

FIRE’s yearly Hall of Shame: the 10 worst colleges for free speech

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) has issued their booby prize for the ten worst colleges for free speech of the year. (The prize is for 2020 but reflects what happened in previous year.) Click on the screenshot below to go the article. What bothered me, but didn’t really surprise me, is that … Continue reading FIRE’s yearly Hall of Shame: the 10 worst colleges for free speech

University of Wisconsin mandates punishments for violating free speech

I have mixed feelings about this report from The Cap Times of Madison, Wisconsin, because while the University of Wisconsin’s (UW) regents seems have taken the issue of students disrupting free speech seriously, I worry about the regents (the University’s governing board) mandating punishments for a single student misbehavior when it doesn’t do that for … Continue reading University of Wisconsin mandates punishments for violating free speech