In defense of academic freedom

PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY

The following statement in defense of academic freedom is being 
circulated by concerned faculty members. If you would like to endorse 
the statement, please send your name, academic position and 
affiliation, and contact information to 
academicfreedomnow@hotmail.com. Non-academic endorsers are also 
welcome.

We hope to publish the statement as a full page ad in the New York 
Times and possibly other media outlets with the names of hundreds or 
thousands of endorsers. The cost will be many thousands of dollars. 
If you would like to make a contribution towards the cost of 
publishing the statement, please send a check to:

Center for Economic Research and Social Change 
P.O. Box 258082 
Chicago, IL 60625

Mark your check "Academic Freedom Ad".

Please contact the email address above if you have any questions or 
comments.

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To fellow teachers and staff members:

In the crisis precipitated by the terrible events of September 11, 
members of academic communities across the U.S. have participated in 
teach-ins, colloquia, demonstrations, and other events aimed at 
developing an informed critical understanding of what happened and 
why. Now that the U.S. is waging war in Afghanistan, such activities 
are continuing.

Unfortunately, some participants in these events have been threatened 
and attacked for speaking out. Trustees of the City University of New 
York are planning formal denunciations of faculty members who 
criticized U.S. foreign policy at a teach-in during the first week in 
October. There have been similar efforts to silence criticism and 
dissent at the University of Texas at Austin, MIT, the University of 
North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Massachusetts at 
Amherst, and elsewhere. AAUP director of public policy Ruth Flower 
told the Boston Globe on October 6, "We're watching these 
developments with a lot of concern."

Attacks on faculty who have questioned or dissented from the Bush 
administration's current war policy have coincided with other ominous 
developments. Colleges and universities are being pressured by 
agencies of the federal government to hand over confidential 
information from student files. And there are moves in Congress to 
limit visas for students from abroad.

We call on all members of the academic community to speak out 
strongly in defense of academic freedom and civil liberties, not just 
as an abstract principle but as a practical necessity. At a moment 
such as this we must make sure that all informed voices-especially 
those that are critical and dissenting-are heard.

Anatole Anton Professor of Philosophy, San Francisco State University

Dana Cloud Associate Professor of Communication, University of Texas 
at Austin

Donna Flayhan Assistant Professor of Communication & Media Studies, 
Goucher College

Phil Gasper Associate Professor of Philosophy, Notre Dame de Namur 
University

Richard Gibson Associate Professor of Social Studies, San Diego State 
University

William Keach Professor of English, Brown University

Tom Lewis Professor of Spanish, University of Iowa

Edward Said University Professor, Columbia University 

-- 
Louis Proyect, lnp3@panix.com on 10/29/2001

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