Campus Free Speech Issue Page Hero Image Option 03 (1)

Campus Free Speech

The Issue

Free speech has become a flashpoint for controversy on campuses across the U.S. In today’s debate over free speech on campus, our philosophy is guided by the 1948 PEN Charter to stand for the “unhampered transmission of thought,” to “oppose any form of suppression of freedom of expression,” and to “dispel race, class, and national hatreds.” We believe that for a campus to be open to all ideas, it must be genuinely open to all people, including those from less traditional backgrounds and those from previously excluded groups. In our trainings for university faculty and staff, and in our advocacy for free speech and academic freedom, we encourage campuses to robustly defend free speech and open inquiry at the same time that they advance principles of diversity and inclusion and address lingering legacies of discrimination.

Anti-Hit-and-Run-Targeting-Muslim-at-Stanford-U-YouTube

HAPPENING NOW: RISING ANTI-MUSLIM AND ANTI-ARAB INCIDENTS ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES

In the last month a wave of anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and anti-Palestinian incidents have occurred on college campuses in conjunction with the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, including violent attacks, threats, and targeted, hateful and menacing rhetoric. Assertive campus leadership is imperative to nurturing a learning environment where all feel welcomed and fully free to participate in the exchange of ideas and opinions, without fear.

READ PEN’S ACTION ITEMS

28930002617 B8530e4159 C

HAPPENING NOW: RISING ANTISEMITISM ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES

A wave of antisemitic rhetoric, harassment, threats, vandalism and violence has rocked campuses across the U.S. as the Israel-Hamas war escalates. Amid an increasingly menacing climate, campus leaders have an obligation to be responsive to threats, intimidation, and students’ encounters with overt antisemitism and discrimination, and to ensure that they address students’ concerns through approaches that adhere to laws and campus policies protecting academic freedom and free speech. 

READ PEN’S ACTION ITEMS

High School Students In Auditorium Participating In Lecture

WHAT ARE THE PEN PRINCIPLES OF CAMPUS FREE SPEECH!?

The PEN America Principles on Campus Free Speech provide both general and specific precepts for nurturing campus communities that uphold the values of free speech, open inquiry, and robust inclusion. They offer a flexible, adaptive model for colleges and universities seeking to protect speech to the utmost while allowing for academic and social discourse that is truly inclusive and transcends boundaries.

READ THE PEN PRINCIPLES OF CAMPUS FREE SPEECH

Campus Speech Campaign Featured Photo Student Protester Cropped

WHAT IS THE PEN AMERICA CAMPUS FREE SPEECH GUIDE?

The PEN America Campus Free Speech Guide offers practical, principled advice on free speech and inclusion on U.S. college campuses. The Guide contains advice for responding to speech-related controversies as well as guidance for proactive steps to avert such controversies and promote free speech and inclusion. The Guide reflects our efforts to uphold and advance the principles of free speech and inclusion in tandem, recognizing that college campuses are foundational to the future of civic life and often the catalyst for wider social change.

READ THE CAMPUS FREE SPEECH GUIDE

Nadine.UTK

BRING US TO YOUR CAMPUS

PEN America partners with schools, colleges, and professional organizations to facilitate workshops, convenings, advisory meetings, public events, and educational programs. We tailor these engagements to the needs and interests of particular educational communities and audiences. Trainings are based on the PEN America Principles on Campus Free Speech.

CAMPUS FOR ALL TRAININGS

1940

FREEDOM TO LEARN OP-ED SERIES

Amid an unparalleled wave of attacks on academic freedom and public education nationwide – including the introduction of nearly 200 educational gag orders and the adoption of gag order policies in 19 states – PEN America, in partnership with the Washington Post’s Made by History section, launched the Freedom to Learn op-ed series. Made by History is an independent editorial section of the Post featuring content from academic historians on current events. Edited and published by the Made by History editorial team and sponsored by PEN America, the Freedom to Learn series provides historical context for the current assault on public education in the United States and elsewhere.

READ THE PERSPECTIVES

REPORTS

Chasm in the Classroom: Campus Free Speech in a Divided America

Chasm in the Classroom: Campus Free Speech in a Divided America

Chasm in the Classroom: Campus Free Speech in a Divided America details an array of infringements on speech, both official and informal.
Read more
And Campus for All: Diversity, Inclusion, and Freedom of Speech at U.S. Universities

And Campus for All: Diversity, Inclusion, and Freedom of Speech at U.S. Universities

And Campus for All combines extensive reporting and thorough analysis of all sides of recent debates, as well as three case studies informed by exclusive interviews with protagonists in some of the most pitched campus battles in recent years.
Read more
Wrong Answer: How Good Faith Attempts to Address Free Speech and Anti-Semitism on Campus Could Backfire

Wrong Answer: How Good Faith Attempts to Address Free Speech and Anti-Semitism on Campus Could Backfire

In "Wrong Answer: How Good Faith Attempts to Address Free Speech and Anti-Semitism on Campus Could Backfire," PEN America speaks out in response to a spate of legislation and legislative proposals at the state level that are aimed to buttress free speech protections.
Read more

COMMENTARY

PEN America Signs Onto ACLS Statement on Campus Protests

May 15, 2024
“We are grateful for the opportunity to sign this ACLS statement. Preserving free expression on campus requires protecting the right to protest peacefully. Unfortunately, protecting this right has not always happened on campuses this year,” said Kristen Shahverdian, Campus Free Speech program director at PEN America.

Proposed University of North Carolina Policy Change Would Chill Campus Speech, Says PEN America

May 10, 2024
Jeremy Young, Freedom to Learn program director at PEN America, wrote in the letter that while universities are free to adopt policies of institutional neutrality, UNC’s vague language and extremely broad interpretation of institutional neutrality “would cast a pall of orthodoxy over every campus in the system.” Young wrote: “Could the School of Medicine, for instance, celebrate the success of award-winning surgeons of color, given that diversity has become a ‘contemporary political debate’? Could venues associated with the Hospitality and Tourism Management Program at UNC Greensboro advertise themselves as LGBTQ+ friendly during Pride Month? Could the North Carolina Botanical Garden advertise its pursuit of renewable energy? … Could a sociology department organize a conference on race? If a faculty scholar of critical race theory wins an award for a peer-reviewed monograph, could the university publicize that fact?”

PEN America Signs Onto Historical Association Statement Voicing Concern Over Use of Force Against Campus Protesters

May 7, 2024
“We are pleased to sign on to the American Historical Association's statement about recent campus protests. We echo their concerns about use of force against peaceful protesters and their commitment to freedom of expression for all,” said Kristen Shahverdian, program director, Campus Free Speech at PEN America. 
Read more

Do you need help with advocacy on your campus?

If you are a student, teacher, professor, or administrator who is having issues with free speech on your campus, PEN America has tools and resources to help. If you are in need of free speech advocacy, reach out to PEN America at [email protected].

Our Latest Panels