Cornell Free Speech Alliance Calls On Administration To Drop “DEI Litmus Tests”

Cornell Free Speech Alliance Calls On Administration To Drop “DEI Litmus Tests”

A new group called the ‘Cornell Free Speech Alliance’ is looking to expand free expression at the Ivy League school. Alumni, faculty members, and students make up the coalition, and they have released policy recommendations ahead of what they call the ‘Year of Free Speech.’

Jeremiah Poff reported at the Washington Examiner:

Cornell pressured to upend DEI policies on eve of ‘free speech’ year

A coalition of Cornell University alumni, faculty, and students unveiled a slew of policy proposals on Monday that they say will help the Ivy League school live up to its stated commitment to academic freedom and free speech.

The coalition, known as the Cornell Free Speech Alliance, released the list of 20 policy recommendations days before the 2023-2024 school year, which Cornell University President Martha Pollack previously announced will be the “Year of Free Speech.”

The policy recommendations run the gambit. They include calling on the school to adopt the “Chicago Principles” of free speech, implementing free speech training during freshman orientation, and banning the use of diversity, equity, and inclusion statements in the faculty hiring process.

The group also called on the Ithaca, New York school to seek more “diversity of thought” among faculty and staff by “casting a wide net for potential applicants and encouraging application for admission or hiring from a wide array of economic, geographical, and cultural backgrounds.”

“These recommendations are our attempt to assist university leaders in restoring open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and academic freedom that our beloved institution needs to advance its mission,” Ken Wolf, the president of the Cornell Free Speech Alliance, said in a statement.

You can read all of the recommendations here, as well as the list of signatories on page 13, which includes Professor Jacobson.

Here’s more from a press release:

Cornell Free Speech Alliance Sends List of Policy Recommendations to University

Today, the Cornell Free Speech Alliance, a nonprofit and nonpartisan coalition of Cornell alumni, faculty, and students, sent a report featuring 20 policy recommendations to Cornell University leaders intended to restore open inquiry and academic freedom on campus. The recommendations are the culmination of nearly two years of research and dialogue that began in response to an increasingly degraded free speech environment at the University. The transmittal of the recommendations coincides with the beginning of Cornell’s free expression themed 2023-2024 academic year, which many consider to be an empty and insincere attempt by university leaders to deflect pressure over free speech concerns.

“As students arrive on campus for Cornell’s ‘Year of Free Speech,’ the sad truth is that their university has not made the commitments necessary to truly promote and defend free speech or academic freedom,” said Ken Wolf, president of CFSA. “These recommendations are our attempt to assist university leaders in restoring open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and academic freedom that our beloved institution needs to advance its mission. We hope President Pollack, Chairman Kayser, Provost Kotlikoff, and the entire Board of Trustees will consider these recommendations and meet with us to discuss a way forward.”

“The Year of Free Speech is shaping up to be public relations window dressing,” said Carl Neuss, a member of the board of CFSA. “President Pollack has stated that she remains as committed to DEI as she is to academic freedom, even though various Cornell DEI policies directly conflict with academic freedom, viewpoint diversity, and free expression on campus. Political purity screens and DEI litmus tests have no place in the policies of a university. During the Year of Free Speech, we hope Cornell focuses on serious policy reform instead of on non-substantive PR programs.”

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