National Free Speech News & Commentary

Commentary: Harvard, Reaffirm Your Commitment To Racial Diversity

February 23, 2025 1 min read

Santiago A. Saldivar
Harvard Crimson

Excerpt: In the face of brazen governmental recommendations, Harvard must uphold the value of diversity.

About two weeks ago, the Department of Education released a Dear Colleague letter declaring all race-based decision-making by federally funded institutions illegal under the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision outlawing race-conscious admissions. Last year, after the long-overdue release of the class of 2028 admissions data revealed a four percent drop in Black enrollment, I called on Harvard to lay out its plans for increasing racial diversity in admissions. In light of the Trump administration’s attacks on race-conscious practices, that call to action remains more important than ever.

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‘Arbitrary and discriminatory’: Judge blocks Trump’s effort to deter DEI programs

February 21, 2025 1 min read

Kyle Cheney
Politico

Excerpt: A federal judge blocked President Donald Trump’s bid to deprive federal funding from programs that incorporate “diversity, equity and inclusion” initiatives.

U.S. District Judge Adam Abelson ruled that Trump’s policy likely violates the First Amendment because it penalizes private organizations based on their viewpoints. And the judge said the policy is written so vaguely that it chills the free speech of federal contractors concerned they will be punished if they don’t eliminate programs meant to encourage a diverse workforce.

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Commentary: The AAUP abandons its mission to defend academic freedom

February 20, 2025 1 min read

Jerry Coyne
Why Evolution is True

Excerpt: In less than a year, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) has completely abandoned its mission.

As U. Chicago law professor Tom Ginsburg points out in a Chronicle of Higher Education piece, however, the AAUP, however, has taken several positions within the last year that are either inimical or orthogonal to academic freedom. To put it frankly, the AAUP has become authoritarian, adhering to “progressive” politics and abandoning those precepts that it once adopted to further academic freedom.

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Commentary: Trump Wants to Destroy Higher Education

February 20, 2025 1 min read

John Warner
Inside Higher Ed

Excerpt: Together, we should be clear on what President Donald Trump is trying to do to higher education.

Destroy it. Whatever public rationales he or his administration release, the intent of his actions is clear, so if we’re going to discuss responses to those actions, we must remember, always, that Donald Trump is trying to destroy higher education.

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More tips for being non-partisan in a partisan age

February 20, 2025 1 min read

Greg Lukianoff
The Eternally Radical Idea, Substack

Excerpt: Over the past couple of months, I’ve explored how (despite numerous, contradictory, and ridiculous accusations to the contrary) FIRE has been able to remain non-partisan even in an era punctuated by intense partisanship. I also tried to turn that reflection into advice for others on how they can do the same.

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Commentary: Universities Must Reject Creeping Politicization

February 19, 2025 1 min read

By Daniel Diermeier and Andrew D. Martin
Chronicle of Higher Education

Excerpt: American research universities are vital to the nation’s economy, security, and democratic systems. Their capacity for research and innovation is unmatched. They offer students a proven path to higher wages and career advancement. If they are properly focused on their core purpose, universities are an essential training ground for civic life in a pluralistic society. At a time when everything is contested, universities insist on reason, evidence, and truth. 

With so much at stake, universities must return to their foundational purpose and recommit to the core principles that sustain them.

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