May Update from the Academic Freedom Alliance
We hope everyone had a successful end to their spring semester. As we enter the summer months, the AFA will remain active and engaged, continuing to fund cases and monitor any new academic freedom controversies on campuses. While much of this work takes place behind the scenes, below is a partial list of our public activities from the past month.
The Latest In Our Interview Series
This month, we released an interview with Professor Steven Pinker, the Johnstone Professor of Psychology at Harvard, as part of our regular series of conversations with leading scholars on academic freedom issues. Prof. Pinker shared his views on the newly minted Council on Academic Freedom at Harvard University and on the importance of the academic freedom movement in general.
As Prof. Pinker stated, “If you disable that process [of inquiry and debate] by making the expression of opinions illegal, then you have crippled the process by which we can understand our world and therefore have put a brake on the possibility of human progress. Academic freedom, in other words, it is not just an individual entitlement. It is not just that professors have the right to say whatever they want, but rather that the whole reason that we have universities and scientific societies, and for that matter a free press, is that when a range of opinions can be expressed, the better that they can be evaluated.”
Spotlight on UNC
This month, the AFA spotlighted the launch of the UNC Alumni Free Speech Alliance (UNC AFSA), which is composed of UNC alumni and supporters dedicated to advancing education by defending free speech, open inquiry, academic freedom, transparency, and viewpoint diversity at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The UNC AFSA was formed in March 2022 as part of the national AFSA organization. Its activities include speaking out in support of free speech and against groups that attempt to stifle expression, hosting events and debates that promote free speech, and defending faculty and students whose free speech is threatened.
Expanding Membership
This month, our membership grew to 762 members. We continue to accept new members on a rolling basis. Please send any nominations to AFA Director of Operations Howard Muncy at hmuncy@academicfreedom.org.