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:
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.
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 voted to condemn faculty members who criticized U.S. foreign policy at a teach-in during the first week in October. The president of the University of Texas at Austin publicly denounced a prominent faculty critic of U.S. policy. Efforts by pro- war students, alumni, and prominent media outlets to silence criticism and dissent have been reported at the University of New Mexico, Brown University, 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.
Back to main "Call for peace" page