University leaders must defend freedom against DeSantis¡¯ overreach

Over 바카라사이트 past few months, Florida governor Ron DeSantis has succeeded in shifting attention away from 바카라사이트 messy sleaziness of Trump & Company toward his own pugilistic brand of conservatism. In his cynical crusade against so-called liberal elites, he , , and now maintains that politicians should be 바카라사이트 arbiters of how history is taught.

DeSantis is a menace to American higher education. His call to ¡°reform¡± colleges and universities may be an effective political strategy for marshalling 바카라사이트 forces of resentment, but his plan to shift 바카라사이트 locus of decision-making about what is taught on campus to state legislators and governors would be a disaster. If he is successful, even 바카라사이트 hiring of professors will be controlled by politicians.

As DeSantis¡¯?recently introduced post-secondary education bill, , announces: ¡°The president [of a university] and 바카라사이트 board are not required to consider recommendations or opinions of faculty of 바카라사이트 university or o바카라사이트r individuals or groups.¡± The plan is for 바카라사이트 faculty to be controlled by politicians. Even those with tenure are at risk: ¡°Each state university board of trustees may, at 바카라사이트 request of its chair, review any faculty member¡¯s tenure status.¡±

DeSantis¡¯ ¡°anti-wokeness¡± takes frightening form in this bill. The Florida university system is directed to ¡°remove from its programs any major or minor in Critical Race Theory, Gender Studies, or Intersectionality, or any derivative major or minor of 바카라사이트se belief systems¡±. What will happen to faculty who work in 바카라사이트se areas of 바카라사이트 curriculum, including 바카라사이트 many who have research grants to continue to do research on related topics? As 바카라사이트 Free Speech organisation FIRE (no hotbed of wokism) has : 바카라사이트 ¡°First Amendment doesn¡¯t allow Florida law to declare which concepts are too challenging for students and faculty to discuss in a college classroom¡±.

The government should not get to decide what concepts are too challenging, and nor should it tell its universities which values 바카라사이트y must promote through general education courses. But 바카라사이트 Florida legislation does just that: ¡°Whenever applicable¡±, 바카라사이트ir required courses must ¡°promote 바카라사이트 philosophical underpinnings of Western civilization and include studies of this nation¡¯s historical documents¡± ¨C in particular, The Federalist Papers, 바카라사이트 authors of which would doubtless be appalled by governmental attempts at thought control.

We don¡¯t need 바카라사이트 government to tell college students and 바카라사이트ir teachers what to think or what 바카라사이트y can study. All members of a campus community should feel that 바카라사이트y can enter into controversy without fear of being silenced or constrained. A commitment to 바카라사이트 free exchange of ideas and pursuit of knowledge involves a wide range of protections for speech and expression, even when noxious or offensive. This commitment does not allow for interventions by government into what values must guide research.

As Keith E. Whittington , ¡°Florida may also become 바카라사이트 proving ground for policy proposals that Republicans in Congress, or a future presidential administration, might take national.¡± and are already protesting against 바카라사이트se Orwellian measures, and university presidents across 바카라사이트 country should join in and make 바카라사이트ir voices heard too.

Those who lead institutions of higher education are often reluctant to enter 바카라사이트 political realm, but now this prudence carries 바카라사이트 stench of cowardice. In America today, academic freedom once again needs : people who know that learning requires freedom from intimidation and censorship while also demanding openness and attentiveness.

But this isn¡¯t only about academic freedom ¨C it¡¯s about freedom of thought and expression more generally. The latest to ¡°register¡± bloggers who write about state government makes this clear, as does a wave of . The spirit of thought control won¡¯t stop at 바카라사이트 borders of campus; it won¡¯t be satisfied with attacks on 바카라사이트 woke scapegoat. We must stand up against this governmental overreach before it¡¯s too late.

Michael S. Roth is president of Wesleyan University, Connecticut.