What We’re Reading: December 2019

“The Foreigner” Senior Thesis Canceled by Washington College
Cassy Sottile | The Elm | November 18, 2019

“The Washington College administration, in collaboration with the Department of Theater and Dance, canceled a senior capstone production of Larry Shue’s ‘The Foreigner.’” The interim chair of the theater department is quoted: “I do not see this as an act of censorship. I view censorship as being shut down against your will. This was a course correction made by and with the theater department.”

Protesters Interrupt Speech at BU Monday Night
Paul Mueller | WBNG.com | November 18, 2019

A reporter describes how protesters used the heckler’s veto to prevent economist Arthur Laffer, for whom the “Laffer curve” is named, from speaking at Binghamton University, where he appeared at the invitation of College Republicans: “One protester interrupted just moments into Dr. Laffer’s speech. Others then took turns. People in the lecture hall then began chanting, ‘Free speech. Free speech. Free speech.’ In the end, Dr. Laffer did not get the opportunity to make his speech.”

On the First Amendment
Lauren Robel | Indiana University Office of the Provost | November 20, 2019

The Indiana University Provost responds to tweets by Kelley School of Business professor Eric Rasmusen: “We cannot, nor would we, fire Professor Rasmusen for his posts as a private citizen, as vile and stupid as they are, because the First Amendment of the United States Constitution forbids us to do so. That is not a close call.” The school condemns the professor’s views and has acted to prevent bias from impacting his students. The dean of the Kelley School of Business also published a statement.

Cheerleader Punished for Taking a Knee is Awarded $145,000
Derrick Bryson Taylor | New York Times | December 7, 2019

A former Kennesaw State University cheerleader Tommia Dean will receive $93,000 in damages and $52,000 in legal fees in a settlement. Dean and four teammates had knelt in protest during the national anthem, after which school officials banned them from appearing during the national anthem at two subsequent football games. Dean remains a student at KSU.

University Statement Regarding Student Misconduct Measures
Press Release of Northwestern University| Northwestern Now | December 8, 2019

The Northwestern University Police Department issued citations to students following conduct that includes “pushing, grabbing or kicking police” at a protest of former Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ visit to campus. “Northwestern supports vigorous debate and free expression, ideals that are core values to our institution.” While “an overwhelming majority of the demonstrators were peaceful…A small handful of the demonstrators attempted to disrupt Mr. Sessions’ speech.”

Implementation of Executive Order 13831
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs | November 2019

The Department of Education will soon issue regulations to implement President Trump’s higher education executive order, signed by the President in March. The forthcoming regulations will apply to public and private institutions. BPC commented on the executive order when it was announced, and will follow the rulemaking closely in 2020.

A Word From a Vice President of the American Mathematical Society
Abigail Thompson | Notices of the American Mathematical Society | November 2019

“Faculty at universities across the country are facing an echo of the loyalty oath, a mandatory ‘Diversity Statement’ for job applicants. The professed purpose is to identify candidates who have the skills and experience to advance institutional diversity and equity goals. In reality it’s a political test, and it’s a political test with teeth.” Thompson’s op-ed has been controversial, with a response on the American Mathematical Society blog, a petition in opposition to her op-ed as well as a petition in support of it, and a statement from the University of California, Davis, where she serves on the faculty.

The Un-nuanced and Unconstitutional (But Not Entirely Unreasonable) Views of the Ideologically Pure
Erica Goldberg | In a Crowded Theater | November 24, 2019

On free speech in higher ed and beyond: “The ideologically pure do not simply want to create a more respectful world or attempt to convince others of their views…[they] want to legally mandate that you favor their ideology—with possible jail time as a punishment. This is not unreasonable, given how disrespectful and bigoted many are, …but their world is also a world that is inconsistent with both equality and pluralism—and often with the First Amendment.”

Villanova and the Compulsory Pieties of Higher Education
Lyell Asher | Quillette | November 25, 2019

Asher discusses the impact of including evaluation of “diversity, inclusion, and equity” in faculty hiring decisions and evaluations. Commenting on a controversy over the introduction of such criteria in student evaluations of faculty teaching at Villanova University: “the controversy there brings to the fore what might otherwise remain hidden in colleges lacking Villanova’s Catholic affiliation—namely, the kinship between the pastoral-aggressive rhetoric of religion and that of the activist academic Left.”

Spotlight on Speech Codes 2020
Foundation for Individual Rights in Education | December 2019

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education’s annual report on speech codes finds, “far too many colleges across the country fail to live up to their free speech obligations.” It also reports good news: eight new “green light” schools and an all-time low in “red light” institutions. Most (63.8%) institutions surveyed earn a “yellow light” rating.