Free Speech at Princeton University

By Leslie Spencer ‘79

The Daily Princetonian recently reported that President Eisgruber has rejected the idea of adopting the principle of institutional neutrality.  

At a time when universities throughout the country, including Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, Stanford, Johns Hopkins, USC, and Cornell, have flocked to adopt the principle to protect them from the myriad pressures to take stands on controversial issues such as the war in Gaza, President Eisgruber remains resolute against it.

Ava Johnson
Daily Princetonian

Excerpt: I never thought that the use of one three letter word could change my outlook on academia — and the world. But in one of the first lectures I attended at Princeton, my Politics professor referred to a hypothetical person as “she,” and my world turned upside down.

This year’s faculty diversity report goes to show that the importance of experiences like mine — having your worldview expanded by a professor with a historically disenfranchised perspective — is not fully being taken into account within Princeton’s hiring and tenure-track processes. In order to serve all students in the way that this professor was able to inspire me, Princeton must prioritize diversity in new tenure-track faculty hiring.

Alex Norbrook and Eleanor Clemans-Cope
Daily Princetonian

Excerpt: On Oct. 3, Princeton gutted its landmark policy on fossil fuel dissociation, which once barred certain fossil fuel companies from funding University research and is now weakened to the point of irrelevance. This is a profoundly troubling decision that undermines the fight against climate change. In this action, Princeton has chosen to align itself with the industry most responsible for driving the climate crisis.

Amanda Friedman
Chronicle of Higher Education

Excerpt: Princeton University was publicly celebrating a professor’s selection for a prestigious award at the same time it was investigating her for her pro-Palestinian advocacy, the professor says.

On Tuesday, Princeton announced that Ruha Benjamin, a professor of African American Studies, was awarded an $800,000 “genius grant” from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Roughly 20 minutes after the university published its celebratory announcement, Benjamin shared on X that university officials had omitted her quotes about an investigation the college had opened into her involvement in a pro-Palestinian demonstration in April. The thread also includes the quotes she gave to the university.

By Marisa Warman Hirschfield ‘27

“Universities should follow the First Amendment, period. That’s it. That’s the framework.”

Legal scholar Cass R. Sunstein shared this message with over a hundred people in McCosh 50 during his “Free Speech On Campus” lecture. The James Madison Program hosted Sunstein, a Harvard law professor, on September 17th in celebration of Constitution Day. Attendees received a free copy of Sunstein’s 2023 book How to Interpret the Constitution upon entering. Adults comprised most of the audience with some undergraduate students scattered throughout the lecture hall. I attended in my capacity as a ’24-’25 Writing Fellow for Princetonians for Free Speech, an alumni group that offers many opportunities for student involvement.

Julie Bonette
Princeton Alumni Weekly

Excerpt: The two pro-Palestinian protesters who were arrested on Princeton’s campus for attempting to set up tents in the spring pleaded guilty and received suspended fines on Oct. 1, but Judge John McCarthy III ’69 denied the same deal to the first of the Clio Hall occupiers appearing in Princeton Municipal Court.