Free Speech at Princeton University

Khoa Sands ‘26

Campus free speech has rarely been as salient as in the past months. The Israel-Hamas War has supercharged campus activists and the ongoing debate on free speech and the mission of the university. On December 6th, the presidents of Harvard, UPenn, and M.I.T. testified at a disastrous House hearing where they seemed to be unable to take a position against calling for the genocide of Jews. Alumni, students, faculty, and donors were outraged. Four days later, the President of UPenn, Liz Magill, resigned and calls have been growing for the resignation of Claudine Gay, President of Harvard. In the background of this affair has been a series of pro-Palestine protests at university campuses across the country, often crossing the boundary into open anti-semitism. In such an environment, it is hard to feel welcome as a Jewish student.

Campus Reform

In a Dec. 13 letter, Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber echoed the sentiments expressed by Harvard President Claudine Gay, MIT President Sally Kornbluth, and since-resigned University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill during their disastrous congressional testimonies, in which all three refused to state that “calling for the genocide of Jews” is unequivocally unacceptable on their campuses. The three university leaders asserted that the acceptability of such calls for violence would depend on context, with appeals to the value of free expression.

Bill Hewitt ’74 (author of Tiger Roars)
Princeton Alumni Weekly

Excerpt: Given President Eisgruber’s statement about his recent remarks at the CPUC, readers might conclude that Dr. Pangloss is alive and well at Princeton, and then give the matter no further thought. But President Eisgruber’s statements warrant careful evaluation.

I, too, am a supporter of freedom of speech at Princeton. The University’s Statement on Freedom of Expression explicitly recognizes, however, the existence and need for important limits as to what, when, where, and how speech can be conducted. President Eisgruber should provide the University community explication of how his administration identifies and enforces these limits. The problem of harassment would be a good place to start.

Lia Opperman
Daily Princetonian

Excerpt: A post on X (formerly known as Twitter) gained traction on Dec. 7, sharing the names and positions of those in Princeton University’s Office of Diversity & Inclusion.

In response to Rufo’s tweet, the University expressed its commitment to protecting those in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) spaces and the work of DEI on campus. “We have been in touch with those affected by this incident to offer [our] support,” Vice Provost for Institutional Equity and Diversity Michele Minter wrote in a statement to The Daily Princetonian.

Peter Berkowitz
RealClear Politics

Excerpt: Amid political turmoil abroad and widespread intellectual confusion at home, renewing appreciation of human rights and their proper place in democratic self-government and responsible foreign policy is for the United States a vital act of democratic self-government and responsible foreign policy.

In the face of these daunting headwinds – and almost exactly 75 years to the day after the United States joined 47 other nations at the United Nations to adopt the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (none voted against the UDHR, eight abstained, two did not vote) – a two-day conference held last week at Princeton University gathered approximately 40 religious leaders and scholars from around the world to reaffirm the power of human rights to unite peoples and nations.

Joshua Katz
City Journal

Excerpt: “This year I gave only $1 to Brown.” Last week, three people said this to me.  Well, to be exact, one said, “only $10 to Princeton” and another “only $100 to Harvard.” But you get the idea. All three have given millions to these institutions in the past. All three are infuriated by what is happening on campuses across the country. All three sought my approval for their pointedly small gifts.

They do not have my approval. The amount of money they should give is zero. Not $1, like Harvard alumna Tally Zingher, who plans to join “hundreds of other former students in a symbolic protest,” but $0. I made this argument last December, and reiterate it now at the end of a year in which public confidence in higher education understandably has hit a new low.