Columbia Free Speech Alliance

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Call to Alumni

We are Columbia University graduates reaching out to all Columbia alumni who are ready to take a stand against the erosion of free speech, academic freedom, and viewpoint diversity on the Columbia campus; alumni who are dismayed at shout-down protests and violence against speech deemed offensive, faculty disciplined for pedagogical speech that challenges student’s political or cultural beliefs, and a campus culture that intimidates students into silence on controversial topics.

This is a call to alumni regardless of their political views

  • Who are united by the vision of Columbia University as a safe haven for the free expression of those views

     

  • Who recognize that discomfort and even alarm from exposure to views inimical to one’s own cherished values is an essential part of an education

     

  • Who acknowledge that when offense alone is allowed to strike the right to free speech, there is no meaningful right to free speech.

Goals

  1. Adopt and proactively support the “Chicago Principles,” also sometimes called the “Chicago Trifecta”, which widely heralded as the gold standard for protecting free speech and viewpoint neutrality/diversity on campus.

     

  2. Adopt a position of institutional neutrality when it comes to issuing official statements on political/policy questions unrelated to higher education or campus.

     

  3. Institute a free speech freshman orientation program to train incoming students on the importance of discourse.

     

  4. Publish in advance university rules on permissible forms of protest and free speech on campus, along with advance notice of what penalties students who fail to follow these rules will face.  Enforce these ground rules consistently.

     

  5. Establish clear policies regarding guest speakers, along with clear expectations for how speakers are to be treated.  Adopt a zero-tolerance policy for shout-downs of speakers, spelling out in advance what penalties students or faculty who engage in such actions will face.

  6. Advocate and educate for peaceful dialogue across diverse viewpoints.

  7. Rise in FIRE’s College Free Speech Rankings to “Good” or “Above Average” status.