Eisgruber defends academic freedom after congressman calls for book to be removed

September 14, 2023 1 min read

1 Comment

Bridget O'Neill
Daily Princetonian

Excerpt: University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 responded to criticism of the inclusion of a controversial book on a course syllabus on Wednesday after Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) sent a public letter urging the book be removed. Eisgruber defended academic freedom and made the case that it could coexist with a welcoming environment for students.

Gottheimer is the latest public figure to criticize the book, titled “The Right to Maim: Debility, Capacity, Disability” which is on the syllabus for NES 301: The Healing Humanities — Decolonizing Trauma Studies from the Global South taught by Professor Satyel Larson.

Click here for link to full article

1 Response

Dave Street
Dave Street

October 12, 2023

The problem with this book is that is based upon lies.
It is propaganda, not an academic treatise.
I favor free speech.
But we don’t have a right to scream fire (if false) in a crowded theatre.
And teaching propaganda, not truth or an attempt at truth is not free speech, it is foolishness and in this case hateful.
I would also note that Princeton was a historical bastion of anti-Semitism and should not return to its roots in this regard.

Leave a comment


Also in Princeton Free Speech News & Commentary

Should Universities Engage in Politics? A Roundtable Discussion on Academic Freedom and Institutional Neutrality

March 13, 2025 1 min read

April 2, 2025 Roundtable
Should Universities Engage in Politics? A Roundtable Discussion on Academic Freedom and Institutional Neutrality
Anton Ford, Randall Kennedy, and Keith Whittington 
Princeton Council on Academic Freedom 

Excerpt: Please join us for a wide-ranging conversation about the philosophical and political stakes of academic neutrality, academic activism, and academic freedom - and the ways in which they intersect. Numerous peer institutions have recently adopted neutrality policies, which prohibit universities from adopting positions on political and social matters not directly tied to the mission of the university. Yet the merits of neutrality, as well as its feasibility, remain highly contested.

This event brings together three leading scholars who hold a range of differing positions on these questions in order to discuss whether, when, and how universities should take institutional stances on social and political issues, and the implications of such stances for academic freedom.

Read More
Campus groups react after Resources Committee rejects dissociation proposal

March 07, 2025 1 min read

Elisabeth Stewart and Luke Grippo
Daily Princetonian 

Excerpt: The Resources Committee of the Council of the Princeton University Community (CPUC) announced on Wednesday that a proposal for the University to cut financial ties with entities implicated in “Israel’s illegal occupations, apartheid practices, and plausible acts of genocide” will not move forward, citing a lack of campus consensus.

Student advocates across campus reacted to the decision with frustration, disappointment, and support. But one sentiment they did not express was consensus — about the issue, about the Committee’s decision, or even about the process behind it.

Read More
Commentary: Why the Resources Committee is not recommending dissociation from Israel

March 06, 2025 1 min read 1 Comment

John T. Groves
Daily Princetonian 

Excerpt: Nine months ago in The Daily Princetonian, I described how the Resources Committee of the Council of the Princeton University Community, which I chair, would take up a divestment and dissociation request related to the State of Israel.

I outlined our approach, promising it would include careful consideration of input from the broad University community, and cautioning that it might be a lengthy process. That process has concluded, and the Committee has decided against forwarding a dissociation recommendation to the Board of Trustees.

Read More