Campus Free Speech
PEN America champions free speech on college campuses
Free speech has become a flashpoint for controversy on campuses across the U.S. 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, we encourage campuses to robustly defend free speech and open inquiry at the same time that they advance principles of diversity and inclusion.
What You Need to Know
College campuses are foundational to the future of civic life and often the catalyst for wider social change.
Colleges and universities must protect speech while allowing for academic and social discourse that is truly inclusive.
Assertive campus leadership is imperative to nurturing a learning environment where all feel welcomed and fully free to participate.
The Latest
-
PEN America Free Expression Advocacy Institutes Train the Next Generation
-
In Preparing for Protests, Are Campuses Going Too Far?
-
Campus Protests Then and Now: How Today’s Encampments Echo History
-
North Carolina Professor Dismissed After Secret Recording by University in His Classroom
-
Firing of Adjunct Instructor at DePaul University Over Use of Words About Palestine Violates Academic Freedom
-
Disproportionate Use of Force Against Peaceful Student Protesters in Florida Cannot Stand, Coalition Says
Reports
PEN America has found that American campuses struggle to allow both free speech and open campuses for all students.