College Presidents for Civic Preparedness, an organization intended to help their schools become “beacons of free inquiry and civil discourse,” recently announced that it has expanded to 100 members, all of whom have “pledged to champion critical inquiry, free expression, and civil discourse on their campuses.” With this announcement, the organization released an “inaugural progress report,” stating that member presidents share a “common goal” of “advancing civil discourse, ensuring every student learns to seek diverse perspectives, engage constructively, and confidently express views, even amid disagreements.”
Such a goal is especially crucial given the current toxic cancel culture on college campuses, as demonstrated by the Israel-Hamas war’s effect on higher education. Rather than fostering open debate, campuses have become ideological echo chambers where dissenters face threats, intimidation, and violence. So many campuses have ceased to be centers of open inquiry.
Cristle Collins Judd, the President of Sarah Lawrence College, where I teach, is a member of this group. Upon joining in the spring of 2024, Judd embraced the College Presidents for Civic Preparedness mission, noting that “At a moment of extraordinary geopolitical conflict and unfathomable humanitarian crises, there has never been a greater need for an informed citizenry.” In an age of misinformation, Judd highlighted the power of liberal education and its emphasis on viewpoint diversity.
I absolutely agree with these sentiments as they help fortify and promote the core values of a truly liberal education, but I doubt Judd’s authenticity, as Sarah Lawrence, under her leadership, has not demonstrated a commitment to free expression.
Recently, a coalition of student groups attempted to arrange a campus-wide boycott of my classes due to my support for Israel’s right to defend itself from Hamas. Though I am not even politically active on this issue within the college nor in my classes on American politics, the group disrupted an open Zoom session during the college’s welcome week, lying to students about my public statements and pressured my would be students to avoid my courses. As a result, many students chose not to enroll, succumbing to the peer pressure that is especially difficult to resist at small institutions like ours.
I reported these anti-Semitic actions to President Judd in August, only to receive a nonhelpful bureaucratic response from one of her deans and no direct correspondence from her.
The question now is why Judd has remained silent.
It is not particularly hard to make a clear and powerful statement about her purported values and those of Sarah Lawrence College. In October of 2023, Judd stated that “there is not, nor can there be, any place for antisemitism or hate speech of any kind on our campus.” Students attacked me for being “a Zionist who advocates for Israel’s right to self-defense;” why can’t Judd declare here that the College does not tolerate anti-Semitism? Why can’t Judd remind students that boycotts and cancellation of others’ ideas and views are antithetical to our College’s open curriculum, which encourages exploration without majors? Sarah Lawrence’s defined values include the belief that the “presence of people with different experiences and ideas, engaged in critical dialogue, overcomes ignorance and builds trust and knowledge.”
Additionally, Judd should publicly remind students that disruptions are unacceptable at the College. The rules of the College are quite clear: “Students should refrain from behavior that disrupts, impairs, interferes with, or obstructs the orderly conduct, processes, and functions of the College, including … classes.” The rules further note that:
freedom of expression is a core value that fosters an environment of open dialogue and intellectual growth. However, this freedom must be exercised responsibly, ensuring that it does not harm others or infringe upon their rights. Specifically, free expression must not:
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- Cause injury or violate the rights of any member of the College community.
- Damage institutional facilities.
- Disrupt classes or other College activities or business.
It is not acceptable for students to be intimidated out of taking classes they otherwise would have enjoyed. Many have shared with me stories of students being afraid to enroll in my classes now for fear of cancellation themselves.
Judd has remained completely quiet on all of this. Her rhetoric about embracing difference is hollow, while she allows cancel culture and anti-Semitism to go unaddressed. Judd’s virtue signaling is a problem; she claims to be leading the charge to reform and correct powerful illiberal trends on campus, but she is doing nothing to manage the cancel culture madness at her own institution.
Now is the time for Cristle Collins Judd to put her words and the ideas of College Presidents for Civic Preparedness into action. A public statement from the President is warranted. In the meantime, I’ll wait for her to respond to my email.
Image of Sarah Lawrence Westlands by Djrobgordon on Wikipedia
