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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.

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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.
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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.
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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.
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COMMENTARY

New Policies at American University Undermine Free Expression on Campus

January 26, 2024
PEN America’s Kristen Shahverdian, senior manager on the Free Expression and Education team, said: “Clamping down on free expression in the name of inclusion is an insult to both ideals. Bans on all protests inside all buildings, entreaties for posters to ‘promote inclusivity’ without defining what that means, and vague new membership requirements for student clubs will serve no purpose other than to limit the terms of open discourse at a time when dialogue is more important than ever.”

Call for Indiana University to Reinstate Professor After Suspension for Event with Israeli-American Writer-Activist

January 12, 2024
Jonathan Friedman, PEN America’s director of the Free Expression and Education team, said: “It’s difficult to see this as anything but an extreme overreaction. While the university was right to investigate and make clear what rules were violated, the failure to follow the applicable faculty process was flawed, and the punishment - suspending him from teaching for his actions as a student club advisor - is excessive. This action from the IU administration flies in the face of established norms of faculty governance and deprives Sinno of due process. He should be reinstated to his teaching duties immediately.”

Tenure Review for Former Chancellor of University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Who was Fired Should be Halted

January 4, 2024
Kristen Shahverdian, senior manager of free expression and education at PEN America, said: “Professors are allowed to have private lives – and private speech. While a Board of Regents can make determinations about who serves as chancellor considering potential reputational harm, it would be a radical overreach to apply that same logic to Joe Gow's status as a professor, revoking his tenure and academic position for what is, ultimately, a protected area of self expression. This tenure review calls into question UW’s commitment to academic freedom for all and it should be halted.”
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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].

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