ACTA in the NewsFree Speech
ASU professors fail to cancel Christian speaker’s ‘dangerous’ guest talk titled ‘Family Under Attack’
Arizona State University hosted an event yesterday featuring attorney Mary Hasson, whose Christian […]
Chaos ensued at UC Berkeley this week, following a planned speech by provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos. Instead of rescinding the invitation, UC-Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas Dirks used Yiannapoulos’s impending visit as a teachable moment to stand by the principles of free expression. Unfortunately, cooler heads did not prevail—violent protests erupted at Berkeley, forcing police to evacuate Yiannapoulos before the planned event could take place. In response, the Chancellor released a statement in strong support of free speech: “UC Berkeley condemns in the strongest possible terms the actions of individuals who invaded the campus, infiltrated a crowd of peaceful students and used violent tactics to close down the event. We deeply regret that the violence unleashed by this group undermined the First Amendment rights of the speaker as well as those who came to lawfully assemble and protest his presence.”
The situation follows a similar issue at UC─Davis, where Interim Chancellor Ralph Hexter firmly upheld the right of free expression last month when he decried the protests that led to the abrupt cancellation of a scheduled presentation by Yiannopoulos and controversial “Pharma Bro” CEO Martin Shkreli. “Our community is founded on principles of respect for all views, even those that we personally find repellent,” Dr. Hexter observed. “As I have stated repeatedly, a university is at its best when it listens to and critically engages opposing views, especially ones that many of us find upsetting or even offensive.”
These university leaders have it exactly right. ACTA calls on all campuses nationwide to adopt the Chicago Principles of Free Expression or similar commitments to free speech and free expression and to live by them. In these turbulent times, higher education leaders must safeguard free speech by proactively warning students of the consequences of disrupting scheduled events and enforcing those rules. Sadly, they must also be ready to call on campus police and city police to ensure that the dialogue and debate on which education depends do not fall victim to mob rule.
Arizona State University hosted an event yesterday featuring attorney Mary Hasson, whose Christian […]
Like many universities, Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh are struggling to protect free expression, encourage a plurality of views and foster habits of civil discourse on their campuses.
As a new administration comes into office and Congress begins its first session, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) calls on our representatives to turn their attention to American higher education and finally take decisive action. There is much to be done, but change is most urgently needed in the following five areas: […]
Launched in 1995, we are the only organization that works with alumni, donors, trustees, and education leaders across the United States to support liberal arts education, uphold high academic standards, safeguard the free exchange of ideas on campus, and ensure that the next generation receives an intellectually rich, high-quality college education at an affordable price.
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