How should universities respond to Trump’s attack on academic freedom

In the face of suspension and investigations into federal financing, elite universities arrived at a moment of crisis.

In our opinion, many, in our opinion, have not pledged to settle on the basic principles of academic freedom, and pledged to resist the heavy federal government tactics. However, most of them refused the full recognition of the way their delinquency caused in the census of their current predicament: their failure to maintain the diversity of the view in any sense of meaning among the faculty and students; Not to dismantle the cultures of the established campus from self -censorship and intellectual compatibility; Failure to maintain strong climates of intellectual freedom; And failure to act against forms of anti -Semitic harassment and others. These failures undermine the basic mission of universities – the pursuit of the truth.

Private universities, despite receiving great government financing, are right to protect their independence from the government’s transcendence. Although the conditions of federal scholarships must be respected strictly, and the compliance of the laws and regulations that have been enacted according to the rules are legally established conditions in order to obtain eligibility to obtain exempt from taxes and government financial support, it is inappropriate for the government to punish universities-from, through granting scientific research grants-to honor freedom rights and freedom rights of freedom of interest in its face.

This is in no way to say that the government may not achieve compliance or misconduct in universities or by universities. But the government itself, as a legal issue, must comply with federal regulations in conducting investigations and determining whether the grant should be suspended. The procedural guarantees stipulated legally must be honored, and universities must have the right to defend themselves against allegations not to comply with the terms of grants or violations of law.

These are some government obligations. Now, what about universities ’obligations? In their impulsion to defend themselves, elite universities sometimes failed to recognize their duties, and deficiencies to adhere to them.

Instead of ignoring or rejecting the well -established criticisms of their institutions, academic leaders must look at the current moment as an opportunity to have a real institutional examination of the conscience. Universities – Let’s be honest – lost the confidence of the American people. This is the mistake of universities, not people’s mistake.

The university units, in some cases, have become entire institutions, politicized and partisan. The diversity of the view has collapsed, especially among faculty members, but in some institutions among students as well. A survey of 2023 revealed that approximately 80 percent of Harvard faculty members know themselves as very liberal or liberals, while less than 3 percent determines that they are conservative-prominent leaders at Harvard University have called for restrictions based on the content of the rights of faculty members. On a broader scale, classrooms are often indoor centers, not learning forums by examining the best evidence and arguments on the competing aspects of the disputed questions.

To recover their tasks in an original way, universities must do more than standing in the casting ball tactics from Washington. They must take steps that will enhance the quality of education they provide, work to restore the confidence of the public in their purpose and the goods they provide, and lead to the conditions that sparked the current dispute with the federal government.

To start, universities must make the diversity of the diversity of view, the strong coincidence of ideas and arguments on the campus is a top priority.

The way to do this is not through “positive action” or preferences of any kind of conservatives, as some suggest. The diversity of the view can be increased simply by ending the discrimination in employment and promotion against scientists who oppose the ideas that harden the Orthodoxy in many universities. This means, among other things, the disposal of these practices as a mandatory “data” about job or promotion applications, which examine dissidents by implicitly demanding a pledge of ideological disposal as a condition for employment or progress.

In addition, elite universities in particular need to recognize their previous hypocrisy and their failure to freedom of freedom (as Harvard University Presidents, Pennsylvania University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, they tragicly failed to carry out Congress distributors on a large scale, and strictly rely on this, the intended inclusion of the procedures. In political discussions.

This can be done and this must be done while honoring the right of peaceful protest and protecting all members of the academic society from discrimination, harassment, intimidation, sabotage and violence. Universities should not be, or their students, “safe spaces”. Universities must be “satellite spaces” in which students are challenged, regardless of the background and the point of view, rather than isolating it from the views of hearing or arguments that they may find worrying.

Universities must resist the threats of academic freedom, whether they come from abroad or within their walls. They must protect their independence. But at the same time they must acknowledge and move to correct the mistakes and failures that made them vulnerable to government measures that we are witnessing now, which they left without anything they need decisively in the face of government assault: public support.

For those of us in universities, especially for our leaders, it is true that this is the time for a solution, but it is also a time for humility. Both are required if we want to be loyal to our scientific and educational tasks. We must definitely protect our institutions, but we must also fix them.

Robert B. George from the University of Princeton and Cornell West from the Al -Ittihad School of the Theological School are the authors of “authors”The truth is important: Dialogue on the fruitful dispute in the era of division.(Post Hill Press).