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      Universities, Free Speech, and Trump: Columbia’s Settlement is a Watershed Moment

      By Tal Fortgang ‘17

      READ

      The Ivy League Apology Show: Princeton and Penn as Case Studies

      Tal Fortgang ‘17

      READ

      Princeton Should Be More Elitist

      By Khoa Sands ‘26

      READ

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      2025 Student Free Speech Survey

      PFS Student Survey Shows Increased Awareness of Free Speech Principles, but Little Understanding of What Free Speech Looks Like in Practice

      VIEW SURVEY READ OUR ARTICLE

      Join the Inner Circle

      Inner Circle members help us fight for our mission to restore academic freedom, viewpoint diversity and free speech on campus through your contributions and insight.

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      What does it mean to Stand Up For Princeton?

      Tal Fortgang ‘17

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      Princeton Free Speech News & Commentary

      Universities, Free Speech, and Trump: Columbia’s Settlement is a Watershed Moment

      August 19, 2025 7 min read

      August 19, 2025
      By Tal Fortgang ‘17

      Columbia University’s recent settlement with the Trump administration represents a long-awaited watershed moment in the ongoing battle between the federal government and American universities. Its arrival is enormously symbolic within the ongoing saga and is a sign of things to come. How would the federal government treat free speech and academic freedom concerns? Was it looking to avoid going to court, or would it welcome the opportunity to litigate formally? And how much would each side be willing to compromise on its deeply entrenched positions? 

      A settlement – better described as a deal, not merely because dealmaking is the President’s preferred framework for governance but because the feds did not actually sue Columbia -- was always the most likely outcome of the showdown. It is not inherently inappropriate as a resolution to legitimate civil rights concerns, though the administration probably could have achieved its objectives more sustainably had it followed the procedure set out in civil rights law. Nevertheless, a deal has been struck, and assessing it is more complex than simply deeming it good or bad by virtue of its existing – though many certainly wish each side had simply declined to negotiate with the other. 

      Digging into the deal – and attending to its silences -- reveals a combination of promising reforms, distractions, and even some failures. Most critically, the agreement’s silence on admissions and hiring practices suggests that the underlying issues that precipitated this crisis will likely resurface, creating a cycle of federal intervention that will relegate this episode to a footnote. 

      Read More

      U. investigating swastika graffiti in graduate student apartment building

      August 15, 2025 1 min read

      Sena Chang
      Daily Princetonian 

      Excerpt: Antisemitic graffiti of a gray swastika was found on the wall of a graduate student apartment building inside the Lakeside housing complex in mid-July. The graffiti was removed immediately following multiple reports, with the Department of Public Safety (DPS) opening an investigation into the incident and increasing foot patrols in the area in response, according to University spokesperson Jennifer Morrill. 

      Construction was underway inside Lakeside at the time of the incident, and the University has not yet determined whether the graffiti was the work of a student or contractor. No suspects have been named.

      Read More

      Controversial Princeton prof with strong Iran ties steps down after campaign from dissidents, senator to remove him

      August 12, 2025 1 min read 1 Comment

      Isabel Vincent and Benjamin Weinthal 
      New York Post 

      Excerpt: A controversial Princeton professor with strong ties to the Iranian regime has quietly stepped down from the Ivy League school, following a campaign from dissidents to remove him. 

      Seyed Hossein Mousavian, a Middle East security and nuclear policy specialist, retired from his position after 15 years as the head of the school’s Program on Science and Global Security on June 1, according to an announcement listing retiring employees on Princeton’s website. The professor is controversial for being heavily involved in Iran’s chemical and nuclear programs beginning in 2004, long before the country was known to have been building up its nuclear arsenal, according to German journalist Bruno Schirra.

      Read More
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      National Free Speech News & Commentary

      A Critic of Universities Is Rallying to Defend Them in the Trump Era

      August 22, 2025 1 min read

      Jennifer Schuessler and Vimal Patel
      New York Times

      Excerpt: The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, an increasingly prominent free-speech organization, has long been known as a fierce opponent of campus political correctness. Since its founding in 1999, it has been celebrated for defending conservatives and other dissidents from the prevailing liberal culture at America’s universities.

      Read More

      Harvard To Remove Black Lives Matter Message From Biology Professors’ Office Windows

      August 21, 2025 1 min read

      William C. Mao and Veronica H. Paulus
      Harvard Crimson 

      Excerpt: A Harvard administrator told two professors on Tuesday that a Black Lives Matter sign displayed in their office windows would be taken down by this Saturday, describing it as a violation of University-wide rules on using campus space.

      Bence P. Ölveczky and Mansi Srivastava, professors of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, posted large block letters in their windows spelling out “Black Lives Matter” in 2020 as protests broke out nationwide over the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. Since then, the letters have faced out from the Northwest Science Building, where their labs are located.

      Read More

      Commentary: Business Schools Are Embracing Left-Wing Activism

      August 20, 2025 1 min read

      Allen Mendenhall and Daniel Sutter
      City Journal 

      Excerpt: Business schools were once temples of market wisdom, teaching future executives how profits fuel prosperity and voluntary exchange lifts societies out of poverty. Yet our research suggests that these institutions today would rather pursue social change, preaching progressive doctrines with the zeal of converts.

      In business schools across the globe, this transformation is well underway. Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives have proliferated. Diversity, equity, and inclusion programs have become regular fixtures.

      Read More
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      Newsletter Archive

      June 2025 Newsletter

      June 2025 Newsletter

      July 01, 2025 5 min read

      July 1, 2025

       

      Dear PFS Subscribers, Members and Friends,

       

      June provides a welcome pause for PFS to try to make sense of a year uniquely disruptive in the history of American higher education. There was no better place to do this than at Heterodox Academy’s third annual conference, Truth, Power and Responsibility, held June 23 - 25 in Brooklyn, New York.

      May 2025 Newsletter

      May 2025 Newsletter

      June 02, 2025 6 min read

      May 30, 2025

      PFS Subscribers, Members and Friends,

      Reunions ‘25 is the focus of this month’s PFS Newsletter. While Princeton and other elite institutions of higher education are under intense and unprecedented scrutiny from the federal government, on campus PFS held a highly successful Reunions ‘25 event featuring John Tomasi, President of Heterodox Academy, in conversation with Princeton Professor of Politics John Londregan.

      See an excerpt and a link to a YouTube recording of the entire event below.


      Princeton FIRE Rankings
      Princeton Flops in FIRE Free Speech Rankings

      223 out of 251. A “red light” institution has at least one red light policy that both clearly and substantially restricts freedom of speech.

      GET FULL REPORT

      Princetonians for Free Speech

      PFS fights for free speech alongside Princeton alumni, staff and students. Princetonians for Free Speech is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit registered in the US under EIN: 85-3710034. Donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowable under the law.

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