Issues of free speech and federal accountability in higher education were top issues at the University of California's sixth annual #SpeechMatters conference.
The virtual half-day conference, held April 18, brought together panelists from across higher education, including federal officials, faculty, staff, college deans and students, to talk about the state of free speech on American college campuses, especially amid ongoing tensions. . About the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the 2024 elections.
“Across the country, we face a problem of polarization as extreme as any college campus,” said UC President Dr. Michael Drake. “Institutions of higher education are increasingly charged environments, places that ideally provide a space for the exchange of ideas and expansion of perspectives.”
Hamas' attack on Israel last October is one of the latest attacks in a bloody geopolitical conflict that has lasted decades. nervous Student protests and hostility have flared at universities over the latest conflict that has killed thousands of people, mostly in Palestine.
Last December, Congress questioned the presidents of several prominent universities about possible anti-Semitism on their campuses. As recently as April 17, Congress asked Columbia University President Dr. Nemat Shafik to respond to reports of anti-Semitism and harassment of pro-Palestinian students.
Universities have a federal civil rights obligation under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to take action when they know or should have known of the existence of a hostile environment on campus, including the environment for Jewish and Palestinian students. Catherine Lhamon, Deputy Minister of Education (ED), said this in a recorded message during a meeting on civil rights issues.
She said there has been a “spread of hate” in the campus community in recent months.
“My office generally recognizes that, in the context of the totality of circumstances, a hostile environment exists where unwelcome conduct based on race/national origin is subjectively and objectively objectionable and so severe or pervasive that it limits or denies an individual's abilities. Found it. Participating in or benefiting from the beneficiary’s educational program or activity,” Lhamon defined.
Even if schools determine that certain speech is protected, they have a responsibility to ensure that the speech does not create a hostile environment for students, she said.
And the University must support free speech rights and discrimination, including publicly rejecting derogatory comments, providing counseling to students who have been harmed, teaching students how to file discrimination complaints, and teaching students how to oppose discrimination. You can act in a way that does not necessarily create a conflict between your obligations to . In civil discourse, Lhamon said:
Dr. Sheri Atkinson, vice president for Student Life, Campus Community and Sustaining Services at UC Davis, explained that students' knowledge of Title VI and free speech can depend on their access to resources and people who can help them understand. To that end, her office focuses on providing students with proactive education about their rights and existing policies.
“This is what's happening when they speak out, when they express themselves, when they express their hurt and pain. And if there is a policy violation there…we can address it,” Atkinson said. “[We have to remind ourselves that] Some of these behaviors are developmentally appropriate. This is a safe space to express yourself on our campus. And this is an opportunity to learn and grow from it.”
However, students are not the only ones who can be victims of bullying. Several faculty and staff speakers shared stories of what inspired their work. This type of harassment, whether through email, social media or death threats, is widespread and can lead to censorship of faculty work, panelists said.
Dr. Patrick Grzanka, dean of the Department of Social Sciences at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, shared his own story of targeted bullying, adding that it can be completely isolating.
“It’s really important to understand that we’re talking about a structural form of isolation that accompanies this type of harassment,” Grzanka said. “It isolates you within your profession, within your expertise, within every professional role. It can make people unable to do their jobs. If the reason you are being bullied is simply to exist in your role, the stress… can be quite debilitating.”
Discussions of free speech often involve the First Amendment and the desire for a “marketplace of ideas.” But those ideas aren't perfect, said Mary Anne Franks, PhD, the Eugene L. and Barbara A. Bernard Professor at George Washington University Law School.
“Sometimes when we think about the marketplace of ideas, we don’t think enough about how unfortunately it is very similar to a marketplace in a bad sense,” Franks said. “There are people who have more power and more resources to oust others. if you have [a] Without safeguards, some things can pollute the market, hurt people, and damage what people are looking for.”
As the United States enters the 2024 election season, one of the conference panels focused on student voter engagement. According to the panelists, today's students are interested and concerned about a variety of issues, including the economy, civil and reproductive rights, and climate change, but they are also quite indifferent and disillusioned with the current political situation.
Nancy Thomas, executive director of the AAC&U Institute for Democracy and Higher Education, said students are showing signs of desperation and feeling as if they are not being listened to by their representatives in a dysfunctional government.
“We know from the polls that our elected officials are not listening to us,” Thomas said. “We know that most Americans want reasonable gun safety. [and] Women's reproductive rights. However, they are not following the will of the people,” he said.