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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.
However, the university presidents were correct in a sense: it is perilous to punish political speech, even when that speech is abhorrent. But so long as such speech does not constitute a “true threat” or incitement of imminent violence, it should not be suppressed. In response to campus protests, left-leaning outlets have begun to preach the merits of free speech and even institutional neutrality. The great irony of this situation is that so many have begun to discover the merits of free speech now – when the issue is anti-semitism on the left – who had no such qualms about punishing right-leaning students and faculty for expressing conservative viewpoints. Just remember Kyle Kashuv, the Parkland shooting survivor and gun rights activist who had his Harvard admission rescinded over racist comments made at age 16. The correct path forward would be for universities to acknowledge the hypocrisy they have perpetrated and pledge no more double standards.
As an early adopter of the Chicago Principles, Princeton has robust protections for free speech on paper. However, the university administration has been reluctant to adopt a policy of institutional neutrality. Over the past several months, a handful of pro-Palestine protests have occurred on campus. In light of the charged atmosphere, the administration’s aversion towards institutional neutrality may be growing. Dean Jamal of SPIA has expressed an alternative vision, in which the universities role is to foster intelligent debate. President Eisgruber has also, over time, developed a vague alternative, termed “institutional restraint.” In the aftermath of the December 6th hearing, Eisgruber issued a statement strongly defending campus free speech and acknowledging the need to “support our students.” These policies, though well-intentioned, fail to establish necessary guardrails and protections for dissident speech. For students affected by the war, institutional neutrality can seem callous and uncaring.
This aversion to institutional neutrality is due to the high stakes of the conflict. Both sides accuse the other of advocating genocide. In a case so extreme, how can one be neutral? Either we stand against genocide or not – the decision, it would seem, should be simple. Of course, it is not. Genocide, like “fascist” is a word so overused its meaning has become far too contentious for an accusation of “genocide” to settle debate. Supporters of Israel would disagree with the notion that Israel is conducting genocide against Palestinians and point out the genocidal impulse that many see behind phrases like “from the river to the sea”; supporters of the Palestinians disagree with that characterization and claim Israel is committing genocide.
But who decides what is right and true? If the university were to take a stand on the issue, someone or something would have to determine what claim is true. Who would we trust to make that decision? Refusing to take an institutional stance on the issue does not deny objective truth; rather, it acknowledges epistemological humility and the correct role of the university as a “home and sponsor of critics” not a critic in itself. A goal of pragmatic political thought is to acknowledge pluralism without accepting relativism. Princeton’s response to the Israel-Hamas War thus far has been primarily civil – a rarity at top universities. Princeton can continue to be an example for other universities by adopting a policy of Institutional neutrality. To affirm the inclusive pluralism of the campus community, we must recognize that Princeton is a home for all critics dedicated to the pursuit of truth.
Khoa Sands ‘26, a PFS Writing Fellow, is the President of the Senate of the American Whig-Cliosophic Society and a Vice President of the Princeton Human Values Forum.
August 19, 2025
By Tal Fortgang ‘17
Columbia University’s recent settlement with the Trump administration represents a long-awaited watershed moment in the ongoing battle between the federal government and American universities. Its arrival is enormously symbolic within the ongoing saga and is a sign of things to come. How would the federal government treat free speech and academic freedom concerns? Was it looking to avoid going to court, or would it welcome the opportunity to litigate formally? And how much would each side be willing to compromise on its deeply entrenched positions?
A settlement – better described as a deal, not merely because dealmaking is the President’s preferred framework for governance but because the feds did not actually sue Columbia -- was always the most likely outcome of the showdown. It is not inherently inappropriate as a resolution to legitimate civil rights concerns, though the administration probably could have achieved its objectives more sustainably had it followed the procedure set out in civil rights law. Nevertheless, a deal has been struck, and assessing it is more complex than simply deeming it good or bad by virtue of its existing – though many certainly wish each side had simply declined to negotiate with the other.
Digging into the deal – and attending to its silences -- reveals a combination of promising reforms, distractions, and even some failures. Most critically, the agreement’s silence on admissions and hiring practices suggests that the underlying issues that precipitated this crisis will likely resurface, creating a cycle of federal intervention that will relegate this episode to a footnote.
Sena Chang
Daily Princetonian
Excerpt: Antisemitic graffiti of a gray swastika was found on the wall of a graduate student apartment building inside the Lakeside housing complex in mid-July. The graffiti was removed immediately following multiple reports, with the Department of Public Safety (DPS) opening an investigation into the incident and increasing foot patrols in the area in response, according to University spokesperson Jennifer Morrill.
Construction was underway inside Lakeside at the time of the incident, and the University has not yet determined whether the graffiti was the work of a student or contractor. No suspects have been named.
Samuel J. Abrams
Minding the Campus
Excerpt: When Princeton President Christopher Eisgruber turned on his fellow university leaders at an April panel discussion, all but accusing Vanderbilt and Washington University chancellors of “carrying water for the Trump administration,” he revealed the dangerous delusion gripping elite academia.
This wasn’t a debate about abstract principles. It was Eisgruber’s desperate attempt to maintain the fiction that elite universities are victims rather than perpetrators, that accountability is oppression, and that denial can substitute for leadership.
