October 6, 2006
Universities and Free Speech Posted by Fredric Smoler at 06:00 PM EST Two things stand out about the recent incident at Columbia: first, free and open debate is supposed to be the core value of a university, and protecting it the university’s distinctive and specific duty. Silencing a speaker with grossly disruptive heckling and, in this case, some violence, is not only vicious and contemptible, it betrays the university’s highest and most urgent ideals. The second thing that stands out is the startling mildness with which Columbia is reacting to this incident. Columbia security officers were present yet arrested no one, and the Columbia spokesman quoted in the Spectator, the college newspaper, did not express any great outrage about the event, but rather made this stirring defense of free speech: “The specific facts surrounding the incident are under active investigation by the University, so it is premature to make any official statement regarding facts that are yet to be determined . . ." In this case, cameras were present, there is footage available on the Web, which appears to show some of the violence, and the Spectator has printed what looks like admissions of guilt by some of the people who disrupted the event. So while all the facts are not yet available, enough facts are available to justify rather stronger language by Columbia. Columbia officials were more passionate when, on the eve of the war in Iraq, a member of the faculty called for “one million Mogadishus now,” which meant calling for the death of 18 million American soldiers and perhaps 2 billion Somali equivalents. (Given the relevant demography, it was not clear which population this particular anthropologist had in mind.) On that occasion, Columbia proudly defended the right to call for this horrific outcome, but on this occasion has been charier of speaking up for the right of Mr. Gilchrist to opine on immigration policy. Then again, a foolish consistency is proverbially the hobgoblin of small minds.
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