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Abigail Readlinger ‘27
I’ve worked at the Office of Undergraduate Admission for almost three years now, and for two of those years I have been asked to represent the university as a student panelist for Princeton Preview (a day for 500+ admitted students to be on campus). My experience with this event, especially as the most recent one was just last month, gives me pause to reflect on the joy I receive in sharing my perspective, but even more so on the gratitude I feel for a University which has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to viewpoint diversity on my behalf.
Student panelists are asked by the administration to openly relate their thoughts on the academic, social, and extracurricular scenes at Princeton. They are asked to honestly express their values and how they have pursued them on both campus and beyond. In other words, they are asked to be exactly themselves.
Knowing this to be the role, when I was first requested for the position, I admit I was slightly surprised. I am an outspoken conservative and a devout Catholic. I am an active member of The James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions, and I am a board member and the former Vice President of Princeton Pro-Life. So yes, you could say my views stray far from the norm.
I had known that Princeton affirmed a verbal dedication to free speech, but I had been convinced that such a dedication was just a mere toleration, if even that. However, in actively pursuing and publicizing the perspective of a student such as myself, I am able to now personally testify that this University has proved a vivacious commitment to viewpoint diversity. I accepted the student panelist position out of a genuine gratitude for such commitment, and I felt a desire to share the reality of Princeton’s support and encouragement.
I will never forget my first panel. In a crowd of over five hundred admitted students and on the very first question of the Q&A portion, I was asked about my beliefs. “What is it like being a conservative, pro-life student on campus? Do you feel you can speak freely? Are there spaces for you?” I answered her question honestly, and I spoke freely. I explained to her Princeton’s commitment to free speech, to learning, and to truth. I shared my own personal stories, those of my friends, and the inspiring conversations I had with those who did not hold my beliefs. When I finished, Victor, the panelist to my left, added a final comment—one I believe to be both beautiful and true. “You’re seeing it in action right now,” he said. Victor went on to explain that his political and social beliefs were primarily left-leaning, that his worldview was entirely different from my own. “And yet here we are, Abby and I, sitting next to each other—as friends—speaking in front of you.” He continued, “That is why you should come to Princeton.” And that right there is one belief of his I will get behind!
In having a truly diverse group of students share their perspectives, Princeton makes known that there exists a home for every viewpoint. However, as much as I believe this claim to be true, there are unfortunately those who do not. It is easy to dismiss the Princeton administration and culture as entirely polarizing and ideologically biased. In fact, it is true that many here hold the same dominant perspective . But to focus on this fact alone, to rest our entire judgement on one such observation, runs the dangerous risk of neglecting the clear and persistent efforts of this University to encourage every student—even the conservative ones—to share the beliefs that he or she so earnestly pursues.
I do not by any means suggest there is an absence of all conflict or disagreement between conservative students and the general administration and culture at Princeton. Nor do I suggest that opportunities for viewpoint diversity are at their highest. But I will give credit where credit is due. Princeton Preview has demonstrated to me that this University has an active commitment to free speech and free expression. But furthermore, and perhaps more importantly, it has demonstrated to me that the students themselves have this same commitment. For two years, I have sat on a panel with individuals entirely different from myself. Yet, we are united by one common bond—our joy in being able to honestly express ourselves and our gratitude to Princeton University, which makes such a joy so possible.
Abigail Readlinger ‘27 is a Junior in the Politics department from Princeton, NJ. She is a PFS Writing Fellow.
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In April 1995, University maintenance crews spent two days cleaning “walkways, benches, plazas and walls on campus,” working to remove not dirt or debris, but simple sidewalk chalk. The chalk drawings, according to a report from The Daily Princetonian, consisted of “pro-gay messages” written by hand during Pride Week. After the removal, advocates were rightly in uproar. Following the incident, the University, claiming that the discrepancy had transpired because of “cross-office confusion,” clarified its chalking policy — it was henceforth banned, in all cases.
Three decades on, chalk at Princeton has found itself relegated to dusty trays in classrooms and lecture halls. Hardly anyone — students, activists, artists, campus organizations, candidates, schoolchildren — chalks University grounds anymore. Simply put, the University’s ban has worked. But the question remains: Why is Princeton so afraid of chalk?
There is exactly one kind of institution in the world whose product is “thinking” — the university. This is an existential challenge for every university, Princeton most definitely included, now that nearly all artificial intelligence is purpose-built to offload the hard work of thinking.
Universities need to return to the foundations of learning with trust — and verification — at the heart of their relationship with students. They also need to be far more prescriptive about what learning looks like so that students who arrive with limited capacity for deep reading have the time and space to develop their critical thinking skills.
The University has implemented a new limit on the number of Undergraduate Student Government (USG), Graduate Student Government, and Council of the Princeton University Committee (CPUC) student representatives allowed to attend faculty meetings.
In an email to student leaders obtained by The Daily Princetonian, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Students Ian Deas wrote that the new changes will go into effect at the Sept. 14 faculty meeting and each constituency will be able to send a maximum of two observers to a meeting. The Rules and Procedures of the Faculty do not specify the number of observers permitted from the student governments or CPUC.
David Marshak
June 25, 2026
https://davidmarshakblog.wordpress.com/2026/05/11/free-speech-at-the-university/
David Marshak ’66