Harvard faculty can do more to revive free speech

This task is urgent for higher education in general. But in true Harvard fashion, the university that always strives to be the best is, by at least one external measure, the worst when it comes to freedom of speech.

According to the Harvard report, just under half of students say they are uncomfortable sharing their opinions on difficult topics in class.

“Students cited judgment from peers, concerns about criticism on social media, unease about reputational damage, and fear of potential bullying and harassment as factors fueling their reluctance” to voice their opinions on controversial issues in the classroom, the co-chairs of the university open research working group. and constructive dialogue written in the Globe.

Faculty also expressed fear. “These individuals expressed reluctance, based in part on their perception that students are sometimes not open to debate. The possibility of students posting recordings or unfavorable comments about controversial classroom discussions on social media represents a significant reputational risk, even for tenured faculty, they reported. the co-chairs wrote.

Although the report avoids details, it is clear what issues students are afraid to talk about honestly.

The working group was convened after tensions over the Middle East rose high last year at Harvard and on many American campuses.

Pro-Israel students have reported being intimidated on campus, exposed to hateful chants, and socially shunned for expressing those views. Critics of Israel say they risk being called terrorists or anti-Semites if they express support for the Palestinians.

But even before October 7, 2023, the atmosphere at Harvard and other elite universities was already charged, with students reporting that they felt pressured to parrot prevailing campus ideologies on race and gender, and risked being labeled bigots or worse labeled if they asked questions. about campus orthodoxies regarding, for example, defunding the police or transgender issues.

To some extent, these fears may well represent the nature of Harvard students, who probably worry more than the average American college student about how their comments in a government class might one day sound during a Senate confirmation hearing.

But as the report notes, students also had more tangible and immediate reasons to fear the consequences of unpopular opinions – because they feared that the university’s bullying and harassment policies could be used against them if they expressed views that a fellow student might claim that they feel unsafe.

Such concerns are valid: just last year, the Harvard School of Public Health subjected a tenured professor to time-consuming “remedial” circles for speaking out against gay marriage a decade earlier, a position clearly protected by academic freedom which was offered at a time when former President Barack Obama expressed the same views.

The report recommended that Harvard “review its institutional apparatus for investigating alleged violations of discrimination, bullying and harassment to ensure that it places academic freedom at the forefront when interpreting, applying and enforcing policies.”

That and the report’s other recommendations, including mandating confidentiality in the classroom and educating students about “constructive disagreement,” are undoubtedly sensible.

But it is not reasonable to expect 19-year-old students, non-designated academics, or the university’s staff and administrators to do the heavy lifting necessary to solve Harvard’s problems. It is the professors who set the tone for their classroom and for the intellectual climate on a campus more broadly. They are also the ones who have a professional responsibility, as the report reminded them, to express “diverse views.” Tenured faculty must also take the lead in accepting the risks associated with speaking out in the minefield of the modern university setting, even if it means students and outside groups calling them nasty names.

After all, there are boundaries that should not actually be crossed: moments when disagreements lead to bullying or intimidation. The best way for students to learn where those lines are – at Harvard and everywhere else – is for their teachers to show them.

Editorials represent the views of the Boston Globe Editorial Board. Follow us @GlobeOpinion.