Academic freedom and campus speech require responsibility

The past two years we have seen protests on a number of college campuses. Most have been focused on the Israel-Hamas conflict. These protests have captured the attention of the media and politicians.

These protests are not as easy to understand or control as we may like. We hear slogans that some of the protesters themselves don’t realize their origins. Some protesters may not realize they are inadvertently shouting in support of a group they have commingled with another group.

At times, agitators from outside the campus infiltrate the protests. It’s not only protesters who may err; it can be those who are against the protests, too.

In light of these circumstances, it is imperative we examine the free speech rights of protesters and understand the limits on college campuses. Members of college campus communities also have certain rights and associated responsibilities particular to academic freedom. In its earliest form, academic freedom was designed to protect the rights of students.

Student free speech and inquiry are critical in their search for truth as informed citizens. Students need to be free to share their thoughts, ideas and disagreements without fear of retaliation. This is where academic freedom begins to coincide with free speech.

Not only do professors have academic freedom — the freedom to teach, research and present their ideas without fear of outside censorship — but so do their students. This freedom in the search for truth, to learn and to teach in an unfettered manner is crucial.

But, unlike free speech, academic freedom requires responsibility.

Perry Rettig is a professor and former vice president at Piedmont University. (Courtesy)

To do this, universities need to express to students their values of free speech and explain to students their free speech rights. Equally importantly, universities must provide opportunities for such expression. This begins in the classroom, but it also extends to providing open forums where critical debates can take place — to show how it can work.

Through the system of peer review, faculty hold one another professionally accountable for academic freedom. This freedom is earned through credentialing, codes of ethics, rigorous debate and scholarly research.

When a professor colleague does not meet their professional standards and obligations, the profession can remove their faculty standing. When their research does not meet prescribed standards, their work goes unpublished.

The United States is a capitalist free market economy. With a few checks and balances, we let the market drive our shared economy.

We believe in the free market for the economy. Do we believe in the free market of ideas on the college campus? Are there any checks and balances to such speech?

Citizens are free to say virtually anything they want. That right is afforded by the First Amendment to the Constitution in the Bill of Rights. This freedom allows us to share our ideas and opinions without fear of retaliation or censorship by the government.

This freedom of speech extends to what we wear, what we read and what we protest. We are even allowed to say distasteful, offensive and hateful things. This is an important point for politicians and college administrators to understand.

Like all freedoms, freedom of speech is not free. It has been fought for and needs to be continually fought for.

There are some checks on this freedom. The courts have, however, continually erred on the side of free speech, even in the face of political and public outcry.

Most university governing boards hold membership in the Association of Governing Boards. The AGB notes that on the college campus, freedom of speech does not permit inciting violence (yelling “fire” in a movie theater), printing and distributing obscene materials, burning draft cards or printing articles in the school newspaper against the orders of administration.

More particularly, freedom of speech does not permit threats to an individual’s safety, or harassment of an individual based on race, gender, sexual orientation or religion. Nor does it allow threats to employment or education or harassment that creates an intimidating, hostile and demeaning atmosphere.

Both universities and their students need to better encourage the sharing of differing viewpoints. The university is a laboratory to practice these freedoms and to stretch one’s intellectual muscles.

Students need to hear other opinions. They need to challenge the status quo and conventional wisdom, to test their own hypotheses and to be critical thinkers.

By hearing and challenging others, they can become informed. They can affirm what they already believe, or they can make nuanced changes to what they believe. They can also poke holes in others’ arguments. Let the chips fall where they may by engaging intellectually.

Sometimes people need to get uncomfortable and break away from their uncritical thinking.

As bitter as it may taste, we must fiercely protect these rights. We can counterbalance them by teaching critical thinking, by holding debates on campus and by serving as exemplars of democratic principles and values ourselves.

America was founded on protests. Protests challenge us. Still, when protests cross certain lines, when they create violence to persons or property or interfere with the right to learn in the classroom, they must be stopped.

Otherwise, let freedom ring.

Perry Rettig is a professor and former vice president at Piedmont University. He has spent 42 years as an educator, including stints as a public schoolteacher and principal.