{"id":537,"date":"2017-11-15T20:52:40","date_gmt":"2017-11-16T01:52:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/?p=537"},"modified":"2024-01-31T18:59:13","modified_gmt":"2024-01-31T23:59:13","slug":"free-speech-a-view-from-yale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/free-speech-a-view-from-yale\/","title":{"rendered":"Free Speech &#8212; A View From Yale (From 2017)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>This a post I wrote in 2017. I figured I&#8217;d publish it now given the unrest on campus.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">In the last few years, there&#8217;s been an increasingly polarizing discussion around freedom of speech and values in the US &#8212; especially on college campuses. It reminded me that in contrast to the he said \/ she said of political debate, Yale took a much more thoughtful view on the topic starting 4 decades ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yale&#8217;s President Peter Salovey referenced these two issues in his freshman addresses of <a href=\"https:\/\/news.yale.edu\/2014\/08\/22\/professor-woodward-s-legacy-after-40-years-free-expression-yale\">2014: On Freedom of Expression at Yale<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/president.yale.edu\/speeches-writings\/speeches\/launching-difficult-conversation\">2015: On Calhoun College.<\/a>\u00a0As the debate on these subjects get&#8217;s less and less civil, I thought it would be good to take the long view here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Press View vs. On The Ground &#8212; Yale Students As Separated As The Press Makes Them Out To Be<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Two years ago, there was a big conversation at Yale around the treatment of people of color at Yale. Eventually, this made it into the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thefire.org\/spotlight\/yale-university-school-feature\/halloween-costume-controversy\/\">national news and from the news reports<\/a>, you&#8217;d think that the campus had fractured irreparably into two sides &#8212; the free speech supporters and the protesters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When I went to campus and asked people about this, the real situation was very different. Most people said that they didn&#8217;t realize a lot of the issues that people of color were having and they wanted to learn and listen more. The news narrative was about picking sides, the reality on campus was about coming together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Freedom of Speech and The Woodward Report<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yale has been thinking about freedom of speech for decades.<span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_537_1('footnote_plugin_reference_537_1_1');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_537_1('footnote_plugin_reference_537_1_1');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_537_1_1\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">(1)<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_537_1_1\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">At the time, Nicolas Christakis was a flashpoint at Yale. There&#8217;s a <a href=\"https:\/\/samharris.org\/podcasts\/100-facing-crowd\/\">great interview that he did with Sam Harris about this experience<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_537_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_537_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script> The &#8217;60s were a very hard time on the Yale campus &#8212; with important (and sometimes destructive) protests and counter protests. In order to thoughtfully determine its policy on speech on campus, Yale looked to C. Vann Woodward, a professor of the American South to come up with a policy on how to deal with this issue. President Salovey <a href=\"https:\/\/news.yale.edu\/2014\/08\/22\/professor-woodward-s-legacy-after-40-years-free-expression-yale\">summarizes the report in his freshman address in 2014<\/a>. The <a href=\"http:\/\/yalecollege.yale.edu\/deans-office\/reports\/report-committee-freedom-expression-yale\">full report makes for a dry, but fascinating read<\/a> on how similar issues of freedom of speech and protest were 40 years ago. The key points of the report is highlighted in the initial quotes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>And though all the winds of doctrine were let loose to play upon the earth, so Truth be in the field, we do injuriously by licensing and prohibiting to misdoubt her strength. Let her and Falsehood grapple; who ever knew Truth put to the worse, in a free and open encounter.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>John Milton, Areopagitica, 1644<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>If there is any principle of the Constitution that more imperatively calls for attachment than any other it is the principle of free thought \u2013 not free thought for those who agree with us but freedom for the thought that we hate.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., U.S. v. Schwimmer, 1928<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some major points from the work:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The purpose of a university is to create knowledge:<\/strong> \u201cThe primary function of a university is to discover and disseminate knowledge by means of research and teaching. To fulfill this function a free interchange of ideas is necessary not only within its walls but with the world beyond as well. It follows that the university must do everything possible to ensure within it the fullest degree of intellectual freedom.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Value the pursuit of truth over consensus:<\/strong>&nbsp; &#8220;For if a university is a place for knowledge, it is also a special kind of small society. Yet it is not primarily a fellowship, a club, a circle of friends, a replica of the civil society outside it. Without sacrificing its central purpose, it cannot make its primary and dominant value the fostering of friendship, solidarity, harmony, civility, or mutual respect. To be sure, these are important values; other institutions may properly assign them the highest, and not merely a subordinate priority; and a good university will seek and may in some significant measure attain these ends. But it will never let these values, important as they are, override its central purpose. &#8220;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Woodward also talks about doing all of this in a forum that avoids malice and gamesmanship. We all need to be searching for the truth together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a id=\"calhoun\"><\/a>The Renaming of Monuments and Calhoun College<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This one is even more interesting because we were able to watch it unfold at Yale. John Calhoun was most famous for the espousement of slavery as a positive good for black people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To follow some of the key points, President Salovey formally started the discussion in his freshman address of 2015 titled <a href=\"http:\/\/president.yale.edu\/speeches-writings\/speeches\/launching-difficult-conversation\">Launching a difficult conversation<\/a>&nbsp;where he laid out the key issues. In a surprise decision, Yale decided not to <a href=\"https:\/\/news.yale.edu\/2016\/04\/27\/yale-retains-calhoun-college-s-name-selects-names-two-new-residential-colleges-and-change\">retain the name of Calhoun College<\/a>&nbsp;because it didn&#8217;t want to whitewash history and avoid the american legacy of slavery. However, this caused quite an uproar on campus. While the notion to remember an age of slavery is important to education, having to live in a college named one of this country&#8217;s most famous racists does not drive forward the best values of the university.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So President Salovey convened a renaming committee. The committee eventually decided to <a href=\"http:\/\/president.yale.edu\/speeches-writings\/statements\/decision-name-calhoun-college\">rename Calhoun<\/a> after <a href=\"http:\/\/president.yale.edu\/advisory-groups\/presidents-committees\/committee-establish-principles-renaming-0\">creating a set of principles &nbsp;on renaming<\/a>. These principles point to the naming of buildings and monuments as representing the values of the university. The monuments we have represent cornerstones of our culture and become of a formal representation of &#8220;Who we are.&#8221; The key findings of the committee are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>There is a strong presumption against renaming a building on the basis of the values associated with its namesake. Such a renaming should be considered only in exceptional circumstances.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Principles to be considered:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Is a principal legacy of the namesake fundamentally at odds with the mission of the University?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Was the relevant principal legacy significantly contested in the time and place in which the namesake lived?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Did the University, at the time of a naming, honor a namesake for reasons that are fundamentally at odds with the mission of the University?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Does a building whose namesake has a principal legacy fundamentally at odds with the University\u2019s mission, or which was named for reasons fundamentally at odds with the University\u2019s mission, play a substantial role in forming community at the University?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Going Forward<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yale&#8217;s story is a powerful reminder of how important it is to listen and learn from each other, especially when it comes to tough topics like freedom of speech and our history. It shows us that real change and understanding don&#8217;t come from picking sides, but from coming together to listen and learn. Yale&#8217;s journey through debates and decisions, like the renaming of Calhoun College, is not just about a university. It&#8217;s a lesson for all of us. It teaches us to think deeply, to respect different views, and to always be open to learning. This story encourages us to face tough conversations with courage and an open mind, knowing that this is how we grow stronger and wiser together.<\/p>\n<div class=\"speaker-mute footnotes_reference_container\"> <div class=\"footnote_container_prepare\"><p><span role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_reference_container_label pointer\" onclick=\"footnote_expand_collapse_reference_container_537_1();\">Footnotes<\/span><span role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_reference_container_collapse_button\" style=\"display: none;\" onclick=\"footnote_expand_collapse_reference_container_537_1();\">[<a id=\"footnote_reference_container_collapse_button_537_1\">+<\/a>]<\/span><\/p><\/div> <div id=\"footnote_references_container_537_1\" style=\"\"><table class=\"footnotes_table footnote-reference-container\"><caption class=\"accessibility\">Footnotes<\/caption> <tbody> \r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index_combi pointer\"  onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_537_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_537_1_1');\"><a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_537_1_1\" class=\"footnote_backlink\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>1<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">At the time, Nicolas Christakis was a flashpoint at Yale. There&#8217;s a <a href=\"https:\/\/samharris.org\/podcasts\/100-facing-crowd\/\">great interview that he did with Sam Harris about this experience<\/a>.<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n <\/tbody> <\/table> <\/div><\/div><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> function footnote_expand_reference_container_537_1() { jQuery('#footnote_references_container_537_1').show(); jQuery('#footnote_reference_container_collapse_button_537_1').text('\u2212'); } function footnote_collapse_reference_container_537_1() { jQuery('#footnote_references_container_537_1').hide(); jQuery('#footnote_reference_container_collapse_button_537_1').text('+'); } function footnote_expand_collapse_reference_container_537_1() { if (jQuery('#footnote_references_container_537_1').is(':hidden')) { footnote_expand_reference_container_537_1(); } else { footnote_collapse_reference_container_537_1(); } } function footnote_moveToReference_537_1(p_str_TargetID) { footnote_expand_reference_container_537_1(); var l_obj_Target = jQuery('#' + p_str_TargetID); if (l_obj_Target.length) { jQuery( 'html, body' ).delay( 0 ); jQuery('html, body').animate({ scrollTop: l_obj_Target.offset().top - window.innerHeight * 0.2 }, 380); } } function footnote_moveToAnchor_537_1(p_str_TargetID) { footnote_expand_reference_container_537_1(); var l_obj_Target = jQuery('#' + p_str_TargetID); if (l_obj_Target.length) { jQuery( 'html, body' ).delay( 0 ); jQuery('html, body').animate({ scrollTop: l_obj_Target.offset().top - window.innerHeight * 0.2 }, 380); } }<\/script>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This a post I wrote in 2017. I figured I&#8217;d publish it now given the unrest on campus. In the last few years, there&#8217;s been an increasingly polarizing discussion around freedom of speech and values in the US &#8212; especially on college campuses. It reminded me that in contrast to the he said \/ she [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-537","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-life-management"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8wCkz-8F","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1348,"url":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/in-praise-of-humility-the-forgotten-story-of-edward-s-harkness\/","url_meta":{"origin":537,"position":0},"title":"In Praise of Humility &#8212; The Forgotten Story of Edward S. Harkness","author":"Robert Schlaff","date":"October 12, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The Residential Colleges were created 85 years ago. Though they have the names of many famous Yalies, the donor of these colleges is nowhere to be seen. Why? What is a Yalie? When I think of the archetypical Yalie, I think of two things. First, a Yalie is someone who\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Life Lessons&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Life Lessons","link":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/category\/life-management\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1815,"url":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/yale-ice-cream\/","url_meta":{"origin":537,"position":1},"title":"When it Makes Sense to Prioritize Going for Ice Cream","author":"Robert Schlaff","date":"September 2, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Focusing on the right thing is key to being successful in work and life.\u00a0 If you focus on one thing, you can accomplish anything. But, as a mentor once told me, \"If you have 12 apples, don't take one bite of each.\" But figuring out what to prioritize can be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Ideas&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Ideas","link":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/category\/ideas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":11368,"url":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/what-i-wish-i-learned-in-college\/","url_meta":{"origin":537,"position":2},"title":"What I Wish I Learned in College","author":"Robert Schlaff","date":"August 24, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Colleges teach you how to think. What they should teach is how to live a life that matters. On the train up to Yale for an event, I told my friend Cherie, \"Whenever I go back, I get this feeling of anxiety. It's not about other people judging me\u2014it's about\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Life Lessons&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Life Lessons","link":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/category\/life-management\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3579,"url":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/the-joy-of-the-hunt\/","url_meta":{"origin":537,"position":3},"title":"The Joy of the Hunt","author":"Robert Schlaff","date":"July 9, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I have officially become a Grumpy Old Man.((Try to read this piece in Dana Carvey's Grumpy Old Man voice.)) It\u2019s too easy for people to find things online. Back in my day, things were different. People should work hard to discover things. Kids today can just Google things online and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Adventures&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Adventures","link":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/category\/adventures\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/IMG_0799-scaled.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/IMG_0799-scaled.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/IMG_0799-scaled.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/IMG_0799-scaled.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/IMG_0799-scaled.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/IMG_0799-scaled.jpeg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9335,"url":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/yale-architecture-disney-collegiate\/","url_meta":{"origin":537,"position":4},"title":"Yale Architecture: Disney Collegiate?","author":"Robert Schlaff","date":"June 19, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"When I visit Yale, I\u2019m immediately inspired by the architecture. As an undergraduate, I couldn't believe that this was my home. The intricate details of the Gothic and Georgian buildings, with their soaring arches and ornate facades, made me feel like I was traveling through history. Walking through the courtyards\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Design&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Design","link":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/category\/design\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Larger-Pic-2-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Larger-Pic-2-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Larger-Pic-2-1.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Larger-Pic-2-1.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Larger-Pic-2-1.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Larger-Pic-2-1.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10355,"url":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/yale-needs-women\/","url_meta":{"origin":537,"position":5},"title":"Yale Needs Women","author":"Robert Schlaff","date":"November 29, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"This year, Yale honored Constance L. Royster \u201972, the second Black woman to receive the Yale Medal (as far as I can tell), the university\u2019s highest alumni honor. Ms. Royster was celebrated for her extraordinary contributions to Yale\u2014her dedication, her advocacy, and her unwavering commitment to building a stronger, more\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Books \/ Audiobooks&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Books \/ Audiobooks","link":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/category\/books-audiobooks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Women-at-Yale-300-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=537"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8839,"href":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537\/revisions\/8839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=537"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=537"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=537"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}