Campus Protests and Free Expression

Juan Carlos Lara
KQED News

Excerpt: Most Bay Area universities are back in session for the fall semester, and with the return of classes comes the return of student organizers whose mass demonstrations and encampments rocked campuses across the country last spring.

Those organizers say they haven’t given up on their demands, but they are shifting tactics away from the 24/7 encampments. In recent weeks, university leaders have also announced policy changes that students fear will violate their first amendment rights and hamper their ability to organize effectively.

Johanna Alonso
Inside Higher Ed

Excerpt: The University of Texas system and its institutions are no longer permitted to “adopt positions based on political or social passions or pressures,” according to a new rule approved by the Board of Regents on Thursday, The Austin American-Statesman reported.

“Rooted in the Kalven Report from the University of Chicago, the policy reflects the principle that the institution’s role is not to take positions on political, social, or other matters unrelated to its operation but to uphold a community where students, faculty, and staff have the freedom to do so,” a system spokesperson told the American-Statesman.

Susan Svrluga
Washington Post

Excerpt: Columbia University is bracing for disruptive protests to resume as students arrive on campus this week, even as some hold out hope that the new administration will be able to broker peace. The days before the start of classes have been marked by restricted campus access, talk of giving campus security officers more clout and last-minute discussions about rules.

Many faculty, students and others have said they expect protests over the Israel-Gaza war to erupt with equal or greater intensity and predicted another chaotic year ahead.

Scott Alexander
Substack

Excerpt: In a recent post, I said that part of opposing cancel culture is to rigorously define it. Greg Lukianoff, president of FIRE, took up the challenge.

Greg Lukianoff
The Eternally Radical Idea

Excerpt: Two things became inevitable after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump: Some people who don’t like Trump would make edgy social media posts about it, and some people who have chafed under Cancel Culture in left-leaning spaces for the last decade would call for cancellations in response. Just as with censorship more broadly, too many folks hate it when it’s done to them but can’t wait to do it to others once they have the chance.

The Editorial Board
Wall Street Journal

Excerpt: Another day, another Biden Administration regulation, and another loss in federal court. This time it’s the Education Department’s 1,577-page rule on Title IX, the law that prohibits sex discrimination. The Supreme Court on Friday upheld lower judges who stayed the regulation and, despite quibbles by four Justices, all nine seem to believe the rule is an overreach.