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On Feb. 26, the Center for Humanities and the Arts at the University of Colorado Boulder held a panel discussing academic freedom among faculty and students. The discussion was led by CU Boulder history professor Honor Sachs, law professor Wadie Said and ethnic studies professor Jennifer Ho, who also serves as the director of the center. Philosophy Ph.D. candidate Idowu Odeyemi moderated questions and audience engagement.
Odeyemi asked the panel what academic freedom means to them. The panelists came to the conclusion that under the protection of academic freedom, researchers, faculty and students will not be punished for sharing their political values and social beliefs in the classroom. They argued it is essential for productive discourse in a polarized political climate.
“Academic freedom is not a law, it is a value that universities choose to uphold,” Ho said.
CU Boulder adheres to the Regent Laws, policies put in place by the CU Board of Regents, which mention academic freedom for faculty and students in Article 5 and Article 7. The Regents define academic freedom as “the core principle of free inquiry and discourse,” though it is distinct from freedom of expression.
Throughout, Sachs took a historical approach and mentioned the origin of higher education in the West. American universities were formed with the intention of being the world’s leader in knowledge production, she said, though academic freedom did not truly thrive until diverse demographics joined the cultivation.
Said was concerned with the impact of tenure on academic freedom among professors. Following a certain amount of academic experience, a university can assign tenure to a professor to protect their job, especially when teaching controversial topics. Some studies say non-tenured professors are less likely to exercise academic freedom than tenured professors, because it is easier for non-tenure professors, like adjunct professors, to be fired.
This panel was a part of a series the Center for Humanities and the Arts puts on called Difficult Dialogue. The center seeks to create safe discussions on uncomfortable topics by asking audience members to “keep an open mind” and “listen with the intent to understand”.
After the event, Ho said discomfort is essential to learning.
“In the realm of sports and physical activity, we’ve normalized [discomfort],” Ho said. “I think we should apply that kind of thinking to our mental and emotional lives, so that when we are encountering things that make us uncomfortable, what we’re actually doing is exercising, right? We’re exercising our brains.”
Within the first two months of his second administration, President Donald J. Trump has signed executive orders that aim to eradicate teachings of race in K-12 schools, remove protections for transgender people, and remove diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in workplaces. These sentiments have left a chilling effect on some university members in the humanities.
Georgia Young, a CU Boulder senior studying English, was encouraged to attend the panel by her professor, but she was eager to go regardless.
“I’m spending my time and effort in the Arts and Humanities and getting an English degree while there’s so much of it being under threat,” Young said. “I need to remind myself why it’s so important to learn how to think rather than what to think.”
Young’s main takeaway from the panel was the power of fear, and how fear can lead to self-censorship. She said she found some clarity amidst the recent political upheaval.
“I needed to feel hope. I needed to feel direction. I needed to feel purpose,” Young said.
The center will host another Difficult Dialogue panel discussing assisted death on March 26 at Colorado Chautauqua’s Community House.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Sarah Taylor at Sarah.taylor@colorado.edu
