Alumni, students, faculty, staff call on Cornell to protect free expression
The report argues that Cornell has ignored its founding mission of scholarly pursuit and open-mindedness, and should change its policies to protect freedom of speech.
Recommendations include first amendment training for all incoming students, halting requirements for DEI courses, and removing DEI statements for hiring.
Alumni, students, faculty, and staff are calling on Cornell University to make tangible changes to policies and course requirements in order to protect free speech on campus.
The Cornell Free Speech Alliance, an independent coalition of individuals associated with the university, recently submitted policy recommendations to the university, urging administrators to protect free expression and promote academic freedom.
Among the recommendations are free speech and first amendment training for all incoming students, halting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) course requirements where such courses are unnecessary, and eliminating the use of DEI statements from hiring considerations.
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The report, titled “Lifting The Fog: Restoring Academic Freedom & Free Expression At Cornell University,” argues that Cornell has ignored its founding mission of scholarly pursuit and open-mindedness and should alter its campus policies to foster free speech.
“The ideological dogma and thought orthodoxy prevailing on campus today contradict all that Cornell stands for by replacing the University’s search for ‘truth and knowledge’ with a mission focused on ‘political activism’ and mandated viewpoints,” the alliance says.
The alliance notes that Cornell has a sub-par rating from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). In its 2022 College Free Speech Rankings, the organization ranked Cornell 154th out of 203 schools.
According to FIRE, Cornell shows less tolerance to conservatives than liberals. FIRE ranks Cornell 60th in tolerance to liberals and 120th in tolerance to conservatives.
While criticizing the use of DEI in hiring decisions, the alliance contends that viewpoint diversity is a worthy aim. “Current Cornell policies increasingly impose political and intellectual conformity on its faculty and students – which is antithetical both to the University’s educational mission and to advancing positive change of the type a diverse society can embrace,” the alliance writes.
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In April, Cornell University announced the 2023-2024 academic year would carry the theme of “free expression.” However, the alliance points to more recent moves by the university – such as assembling DEI scholars on a free speech committee – that lead its members to suggest that the announcement was “little more” than an “advertising campaign aimed at deflecting and resisting these growing pressures – rather than at making the substantive policy changes which are necessary.”
The alliance, created in August 2021, seeks to “preserve the original educational principles and vision that have served as Cornell University’s guiding light for more than 150 years.”
Campus Reform contacted Cornell and the alliance for comment. This story will be updated accordingly.
