No one should blame students if they are seen wearing riot gear on college campuses this fall. Chances are, campus events and even classes will be canceled this semester because of the actions of some of their peers.
Ironically, the more expensive college tuition is these days and the more “elite” the university's reputation, the less conducive an environment for open debate and constructive disagreement.
These universities, once respected and still generally revered for the reputations they built in earlier eras, are, ironically, the worst offenders when it comes to stifling independent thought, to the point of destroying academia’s credibility as a centre for objectivity and the discovery of truth.
They probably wouldn't be considered elite at all.
These disturbing trends are the subject of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression’s 2025 University Freedom of Speech RankingsIt is an annual survey of the commitment to freedom of thought and speech at American universities.
Some of the country's most prestigious universities, including Columbia University, New York University, the University of Pennsylvania and Barnard College, rank at the bottom of the list, while Harvard University, arguably the most prestigious university in the world, has an ignominious record of coming in dead last when it comes to freedom of speech. Second Year Continue.
Our research found that other elite schools, including Princeton, Northwestern, Cornell, Brown, UCLA, Georgetown and Berkeley, have similarly poor approaches to free speech, scoring well below average.
The university’s response to the Israel-Hamas conflict has vividly demonstrated the failure of our nation’s higher education institutions to safeguard freedom of expression.
In our survey, 55% of students said they would find it difficult to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on campus, the highest level ever. Any This has been an issue since the rankings began in 2021.
Some of the unrest on campuses over the past year was a direct result of administrators suppressing free speech protected by the First Amendment.
And while much of what the pro-Palestinian protesters say is clearly protected by the First Amendment, it is worth noting that the pro-Palestinian protesters are being held accountable. All campus protests documented by FIRE since October 7th.
Our investigation also revealed a long-standing disregard by university administrators for fostering freedom of expression or inculcating such values in students.
A majority of students said six out of eight hypothetical offensive speakers “probably” or “definitely” should not be allowed on campus.
For example, roughly two-thirds of current students oppose inviting speakers who express unpopular views about transgender people or Black Lives Matter to campus.
At least half of the students surveyed are opposed to allowing speakers who express controversial views on Israel's security, abortion, police and the Catholic Church to speak.
It is disturbing that even a small percentage of students believe that speakers with whom they disagree have no place on campus.
but, majority If 100% of students believe this, it is an even worse sign: we have failed to teach an entire generation to value dialogue across difference, which is at the heart of our institutions of higher education and the marketplace of ideas in society.
Our survey also found that the percentage of students who believe using violence to stop campus speech is acceptable in at least some circumstances has risen from 27% last year to 32% this year – nearly a third of all students.
Again, the percentage of students who believe that violence is justified in suppressing speech is zero.
It is tragic that almost a third of students today say they are not.
It's fair to ask whether these are the values ”elite” universities want to instill in their young people — and whether parents and alumni should consider whether it's worth paying big bucks to have their students indoctrinated with this mindset.
It should concern us all that our universities are failing to fulfill their role as centers of rigorous debate, open discussion, and thought experimentation, and that these trends are undermining their credibility as institutions of truth.
Perhaps we need to redefine what we mean by “elite” college in the first place: it should prepare students to think critically, ask tough questions, take seriously the possibility that they might be wrong, question dogma on and off campus, and resist groupthink with reason and evidence.
If these institutions fail to defend or seriously explain the profound philosophy on which they are based; Freedom of speech and Academic freedomThey fail to fulfill their fundamental mission.
To regain their status, elite schools need to foster intellectual humility, instill enthusiasm for dissent and debate rather than fear them, and develop citizens who see it as their intellectual duty to seek out and engage with smart people with whom they disagree.
Only then can they claim to be truly elite.
Greg Lukianoff: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expressiona nonprofit organization that advocates for free speech.
