A coalition comprised of thirteen university presidents, including Cornell’s Martha Pollack, has recently launched a collaborative initiative aimed at “elevating free speech” on college campuses. While there are initial reservations about this endeavor, a closer examination reveals a reliance on familiar rhetoric. The emphasis is placed on the significance of “diverse communities” in countering threats to democracy, with the objective of ensuring students are well-informed, engaged, and committed to democratic values. While these goals are commendable, they do not constitute a bold stand for free speech. Instead, they seem to be part of an empty public relations campaign designed to divert attention from the growing criticism universities face regarding academic freedom concerns.
Cornell University, in particular, has displayed proficiency in demonstrating support for free expression without making the necessary decisions to defend it. In fact, Cornell has gone as far as declaring the current academic year as the “year of free speech,” but disappointingly appointed a steering committee mainly comprising scholars with a background in DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion). This approach directly contradicts free speech principles as it requires faculty to pledge allegiance to a specific political ideology. As members of the Cornell Free Speech Alliance, we have been urging President Pollack to implement meaningful policy changes for the past two years. However, our requests for meetings have been ignored. Nonetheless, we acknowledge that she has at least increasingly acknowledged the importance of free speech, albeit superficially, since our organization’s inception.
Despite this, the situation on campus remains disheartening. Cornell’s commitment to free speech, as evaluated by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, falls in the bottom 25% among universities, with their administrators ranking even lower, in the bottom 8%. Media analysis has revealed that a staggering 99.5% of Cornell faculty support the same political party, which requires no detailed explanation. On a more positive note, Cornell University Associate Professor Randy Wayne, one of the few vocal advocates of free speech at Cornell, has received the prestigious Courage in Education Award from The Steamboat Institute. This achievement serves as compelling evidence that supporting free speech at Cornell is considered both daring and worthy of national recognition.
The skewed ideological leanings on campus have spawned an oppressive intellectual conformity, leading to high-profile incidents such as the removal of an Abraham Lincoln bust from the library, the silencing of conservative speakers, and proposed policy changes that would facilitate the punishment of students for expressing objectionable views. This intellectual monopoly has also influenced the university’s core mission of advancing knowledge and truth by redirecting the curriculum towards political activism. Numerous faculty members and students have reported feeling marginalized due to this enforced orthodoxy, with a staggering 87% admitting to self-censoring their opinions.
Is it too late for Cornell to reverse these troubling trends? Not if immediate and decisive action is taken. The Cornell Free Speech Alliance (CFSA) has recently dispatched 20 recommendations to university leaders, aimed at promoting open discourse within the institution. These recommendations include adopting well-established principles of academic freedom, safeguarding the right to host and listen to external speakers, promoting diversity of thought through admissions and hiring practices, ensuring due process for students and faculty facing accusations, and eliminating DEI course requirements and any other form of compelled speech. Cornell currently lacks these policies, which are already in place at universities of similar standing. Furthermore, certain existing Cornell policies directly contradict academic freedom and may even expose the university to legal risks. The CFSA spent close to two years gathering input from concerned faculty, students, and alumni, and engaging with prominent advocates of free speech such as the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, Heterodox Academy, and the Academic Freedom Alliance.
We have presented our recommendations in good faith and sincerely hope to collaborate with the administration rather than oppose it. This is why we have requested yet another meeting with university leaders. While the joint initiative announced last week and the expressions of support for free speech from Cornell leaders are undoubtedly a positive start, they fall short of causing significant changes to university culture. The situation has deteriorated to a point where addressing the issue through free speech seminars or tepid online statements is simply inadequate. If Pollack and other university leaders are genuinely committed, they must undertake a substantial intervention that prioritizes policies over public relations. When they are prepared to do so, the Cornell Free Speech Alliance stands ready to assist.
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