Alumni Free Speech Advocacy

Academic Freedom Alliance Press Release

Excerpt: The Academic Freedom Alliance today announced the favorable resolution of its case in defense of John Strauss, a professor at the University of Southern California who was accused of harassment by student protestors after he briefly engaged with them at a pro-Palestinian rally on campus. USC dismissed the case against Professor Strauss earlier this month.

American Council of Trustees and Alumni

Excerpt: On October 17, 2021, Princeton University alumni Stuart Taylor, Jr., and Edward Yingling published a call to arms in the Wall Street Journal, decrying the illiberal intolerance gripping academia and heralding the rise of a grassroots alumni movement aimed at restoring free speech and academic freedom on American college campuses.

Peter Barzilai ’97, PAW Editor
Email to Princeton Alumni Weekly Subscribers

Editor’s note: This is letter that was sent to PAW email subscribers affirming the magazine’s editorial independence. We believe it may be of interest to PFS subscribers as well.

Shortly after the November cover article on Edoardo Almagià ’73 and the Princeton University Art Museum published on PAW’s website, I noticed a comment reacting to the story on social media: “Aren’t alum magazines supposed to be all puffery?”

Not all of them. PAW, as we like to remind everyone, is editorially independent, one of the precious few that can claim this. Some Princeton alumni are skeptical. They write us and want PAW to be critical of the University about free speech or campus construction or student mental health or how it makes and spends money. We do report on these issues and others on a regular basis and in an unbiased way. It’s fair to argue whether we should go deeper into certain topics or news events.

September 18, 2023

Dear President Eisgruber and Board of Trustees:

With the beginning of a new school year at Princeton, we are writing to you on behalf of Princetonians for Free Speech (PFS) to reiterate our strong support for Princeton becoming a leader on free speech and academic freedom issues and to inform you of our efforts to assist in achieving that goal.

Alumni Free Speech Alliance

Excerpt: Washington, D.C. (September 19, 2023) – The Alumni Free Speech Alliance (AFSA) and alumni groups from nine colleges and universities [including Princetonians for Free Speech] submitted a brief amicus curiae to the U.S. Supreme Court yesterday urging the court to hear a case brought by Speech First over the issue of bias reporting practices and procedures at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. The brief can be found here.

Myles McKnight ‘23

Editor’s Note: Though the author of the following commentary is a part-time employee of Princetonians for Free Speech, the perspective below is his alone and does not reflect the views of PFS.

Many Princetonians have been paying attention to a recent controversy concerning Near Eastern Studies Professor Satyel Larson’s Fall 2023 course entitled The Healing Humanities — Decolonizing Trauma Studies from the Global South. The controversy centers on Professor Larson’s inclusion of the book “The Right to Maim: Debility, Capacity, Disability” on her syllabus. Authored by Jasbir Puar, the book is controversial for its claim that the Israeli government intends the mass debilitation of Palestinians.