Recent Academic Freedom Incidents


This is a list of significant challenges to academic freedom that have occurred recently at the University of Chicago. The salient feature of these incidents is the role that university officials played in discouraging free and open discourse.

A tenured professor in BSD opposed a departmental statement on a political issue. Some students filed an EEO complaint claiming that the professor's opposition and the fact that the professor had a Gadsden flag in the professor's office constituted harassment. Instead of immediately dismissing what was obviously an attempt to use the EEO to silence someone with different political views, the EEO demanded, in an intimidating manner, that the professor meet with them as part of an inquiry into the matter. The professor retained an attorney and refused to meet, citing the EEO's own regulations and the Chicago Principles. Although the EEO backed off in this particular instance, the chilling effects on speech are clear. Moreover, we are only aware of this incident because the professor refused to be silenced, and the tactic may be being used much more broadly.

A tenured professor in PSD argued publicly in favor of merit-based hiring and admission. As a result, a group of students organized a petition calling for the restriction of the professor's teaching and research activities that was signed by a large number students and postdocs in the professor's department and related departments. The department chair asked the professor if the professor would step down from committees in response to the demands of the petition. The chair of a related department sent an email to the entire deparment stating that "the views expressed [by the professor] are antithetical to the goals I strongly believe we share," which is clearly inconsistent with both the Chicago Principles and the Kalven report. Moreover, the situation got out of hand in part because the chairs of the relevant departments did not quickly and properly explain to all involved that according to the Chicago Principles, the university does not tolerate attempts to threaten or silence speakers because of their views. The controversy was only put to rest when President Zimmer issued a strong statement reaffirming the Chicago Principles.

A tenured professor in SSD posted messages on the professor's personal Twitter account advocating a particular position on a matter of social and political interest. In response, a number of colleagues at other universities called for the professor to resign as the Lead Editor of a journal published by the University of Chicago. In the wake of this, a former graduate student accused the professor of a microagression in the classroom years before via Twitter. As a result of this accusation, the professor was suspended as Lead Editor of the journal. An official university investigation exhonerated the professor, but only after significant reputational damage that could have been avoided with a firm statement that the university will not be pressured by outside political actors and that supposed microaggresions do not constitute harassment. Throughout these events, the chair of the relevant department wrote multiple emails to the professor, CCing other department members, pressuring the professor to resign as Lead Editor. This demonstrates the way in which administrators can quietly subvert academic freedom, even if they publicly uphold it.