Bentley Hosts Forum on Free Speech on College Campuses with Legal Expert Harvey Silverglate
Bentley recently hosted Harvey Silverglate, free speech advocate and co-founder of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, for a conversation on academic freedom and freedom of speech. Sponsored by the Jeanne and Dan Valente Center for Arts and Sciences and the History Department, the discussion tackled the ongoing debate over what constitutes free speech on college campuses.
Free speech in the United States, Silverglate said, “essentially distinguishes this country from virtually every other country,” noting that while other countries have free speech, they also have strict anti-defamation laws. Emphasizing the consensus of both liberal and conservative views to protect free speech, he said, “It’s not a partisan issue anymore. This is a great victory that we have achieved.”
Silverglate — a criminal defense and civil liberties litigator who has argued free speech cases in front of the U.S. Supreme Court and is the author of books including “The Shadow University” and “The Betrayal of Liberty on America’s Campuses” — called himself “an absolutist” when it comes to free speech. The right to express both hate and love speech, he said, should be fully protected in accordance with the law. He noted the particular importance for free speech on liberal arts college campuses meant to encourage conversations from different points of view. “Academic freedom is a subset of free speech; and in theory at least, academic freedom should be even more absolute ... But campuses today are actually roiling in debates on this fundamental issue of free speech.”
He called for more universities to adopt the Chicago Principles, a model free speech policy statement affirming their commitment to free expression, developed by the University of Chicago.
“Universities should be a forum for people to express their views without a stifling atmosphere of censorship,” Silverglate said.
Following Silverglate’s presentation, a question-and-answer session moderated by Valente Center Director Johannes (Hans) Eijmberts provided a forum for debate on issues such as the balance between allowing free speech and prioritizing an institution’s values and campus safety, the government’s role to protect free speech on college campuses and censorship by social media platforms.
