Professor Shai Davidai, an assistant professor at Columbia Business School, was reportedly denied access to the main campus on Friday as his school ID was “deactivated” during the recent protests over the Israeli-Gaza conflict. What was equally concerning is that the university did so for his own protection out of concern that, as an outspoken Jewish faculty member, he could not walk around the campus safely. It was reminiscent of the recent controversy of a man in London threatened with arrest because being “quite openly Jewish” would trigger pro-Palestinian protesters.

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A year ago, Stanford University was embroiled in controversy after federal appellate Judge Kyle Duncan was shouted down by law students. Now a survey by FIRE has found that a majority of students believe that Duncan should have been cancelled.  Seventy-five percent believe that it is appropriate to shout down speakers.  A year ago, I wrote a critical column on the ridiculous response of Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne and Law School Dean Jenny Martinez who declined to punish any students. Instead all students were required to watch a widely mocked video on free speech.

Continue reading “Survey: A Majority of Stanford Students Support Cancelling Conservative Speakers a Year After Duncan Controversy” →

Cornell Professor Randy O. Wayne has filed a criminal complaint against Monica Cornejo, an assistant professor of interpersonal communication, for her disruption of the recent speech by conservative commentator Ann Coulter. As we discussed, Cornell Provost Michael Kotlikoff extended the invitation after an earlier event was interrupted by protesters and declared that the university would not allow the exercise of free speech to be blocked by activists.  In defiance of that policy, Cornejo proceeded to interrupt the event with heckling and profanities. Continue reading “Cornell Professor Files Disorderly Conduct Charge Against Colleague Who Disrupted Coulter Event” →

Monica Cornejo, an assistant professor of interpersonal communication, was forcibly removed from a Cornell University event this week after disrupting a speech by conservative commentator Ann Coulter. She is only the latest faculty member to seek to prevent others from hearing opposing views. The question now is what Cornell will do about her conduct. Continue reading ““Do Not Touch Me…I am a Faculty Member”: Cornell Professor Disrupts Coulter Speech” →

We have another successful “deplatforming” of a speaker at a university this week after Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) had to be removed from an event at the University of Georgia. This follows incidents discussed this week involving student protests at Tulane and Maryland. Continue reading “Georgia Students Shut Down Congressman in Latest “Deplatforming”” →

University of Maryland President Darryll Pines has joined the ignoble line of educators and administrators enabling the growing anti-free speech movement on our campuses. Pines has defended the shouting down of Rep. Jamie Raskin (D., Md) as exercising free speech as hecklers. He is dead wrong and the Board of Directors should address his inimical view of free speech in higher education.  As for Raskin, it is an ironic but telling moment from a member of Congress who has supported censorship and consistently opposed efforts to investigate the silencing of those with opposing views.

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Various groups are demanding the resignation or firing of Walter Isaacson, former CEO of CNN and the Aspen Institute, after allegedly assaulting a Tulane student protester, Rory MacDonald during an event to foster diversity of ideas and entrepreneurship for New Orleans Entrepreneurship Week held off campus. MacDonald is seen interrupting the event by yelling anti-Israeli and Pro-Palestinian statements. In a video, Isaacson, 72, is sitting near the student and decides to take action by pushing the student out of the room. MacDonald claims injuries as a result of the action and groups are calling it an assault. The university says that it is  investigating.

Continue reading “Former CNN CEO Walter Isaacson Accused of Assaulting Student Protester” →