Today,the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) added a campus freedom campaign at University of Pittsburgh as part of its Campus Freedom Initiative™ (CFI). This is the second university in the state of Pennsylvania, the first being Penn State University which was initiated on October 23, 2024.
The University of Pittsburgh is the sixth American university that has been subject of a CFI campaign, the others being University of Texas–Austin, MIT, Cornell University, and Stanford University, and Penn State. The CFI also features a special page devoted to tracking which universities have adopted principles of institutional neutrality, a key component of ACTA’s Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™.
ACTA fielded a survey to assess Pitt students’ attitudes toward free expression and viewpoint diversity on campus. The Campus Experience Survey: An Assessment of University of Pittsburgh Students, designed and conducted in partnership College Pulse, queried 482 students between May 15 and August 15, 2024, and uncovered disturbing rates of self-censorship and widespread intolerance of opposing views.
As the Penn State survey found, there is deep ideological division in the student experience on Pitt’s campus; conservative students self-censor more frequently than liberal students, and viewpoint intolerance is much more common among liberal students compared to conservative students. Students also report a lack of viewpoint diversity among the faculty. As a result, students are not regularly hearing the full range of political views common in contemporary American society.
Stunningly, 80% of Pitt students report no effort on the part of the university to train them in free expression policies.
“Our survey reveals alarming evidence of self-censorship and intolerance among students at Pitt, said ACTA’s Paul & Karen Levy Fellow in Campus Freedom Steve McGuire. “The percentages of Pitt students (70%) who think professors should be reported or guest speakers shouted down (40%) reveal a surveillance culture on campus that must undermine the free exchange of ideas. More than one-in-ten students believe it is always or sometimes acceptable to use violence to stop someone from speaking. But there are also signs that students want a better campus culture, and ACTA’s Gold Standard lists a number of concrete actions the university can take to start working toward a better future. Simply teaching students about free expression and diversity of thought would be a welcome first step.”
ACTA’s Pitt survey is the most recent addition to the organization’s drive to have higher education institutions adopt its Gold Standard, a blueprint that offers colleges and universities effective, concrete steps they can take to restore, preserve, and expand a vibrant culture of freedom of expression and intellectual diversity on campus. These steps begin with the adoption of the “Chicago trifecta,” that is, adherence to the 2015 Chicago Principles on Freedom of Expression; the 1967 Kalven Report calling on institutions to maintain neutrality and avoid taking official public stands on controversial political and cultural issues; and the 1972 Shils Report, which urge colleges to rely on academic merit alone when making hiring and promotion decisions.
“Asked what kind of government his fellow founders had settled upon, Benjamin Franklin famously responded, ‘A republic, if you can keep it,’” said ACTA president Michael Poliakoff. “A Republic in which the young are not taught to explore new ideas and debate moral and political questions without fear is one that cannot last. Unfortunately, our survey of Pitt students shows that they are being taught the opposite – to hide their views and punish those with whom they disagree. At the same time, there is evidence that they want a better climate for free expression and diversity of thought. We call on university leaders to take corrective action and give Pennsylvania students the education they deserve.”
MEDIA CONTACT: Gabrielle Anglin
EMAIL: ganglingoacta.org
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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