Let’s start this post by acknowledging that the students that are accepted and attend Harvard have elite minds. Harvard’s acceptance rate is 3.2%. If you google “what is the hardest college to get into?” – you will get the following answer – “Harvard University and California Institute of Technology are often considered to be the hardest colleges to get into in the United States and the world”.
So we know that the students at Harvard have special intellectual gifts. It would stand to reason that when a university such as Harvard brings together so many gifted students, the debate and class discussions would be vibrant and exhilarating. You would think so wouldn’t you? I came across this article in The Crimson entitled: Most Harvard Students Do Not Feel Comfortable Sharing Controversial Opinions in Class, Study Finds Unfortunately, freedom of thought and expression may not be in abundance these days at Harvard. Samuel A. Church and Cam N Srivastava, Crimson Staff Writers stated the following in their article which was published February 10, 2025: “Only one-third of Harvard’s last graduating class felt comfortable expressing their opinions about controversial topics during their time at the College, the University’s 2024 senior survey found…”
So… we have students that are afraid to speak their minds; that is certainly a problem. However, it seems that this problem has impacted professors as well and many professors are running scared. Please review this short video that addresses academic freedom at Harvard:
I am well aware that FOX News is often right of center in much of their reporting so this motivated me to find out a little more about the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). Below please find both their mission statement as well as information on their focus on higher education.
Fire’s mission is to defend and sustain the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought-the most essential qualities of liberty. Fire educates Americans about the importance of these inalienable rights, promotes a culture of respect for these rights, and provides a means to preserve them.
Fire recognizes that colleges and universities play a vital role in preserving free thought within a free society. To this end, we place a special emphasis on defending the individual rights of students and faculty members on our nation’s campuses, including freedom of speech, freedom of association, due process, legal equality, religious liberty, and sanctity of conscience.
Call me crazy, but FIRE seems like an organization that may have some standing when it comes to commenting on free speech practices on college campuses!
In October 2024, I posted the attached article on the treatment of a Harvard professor, Roland G. Fryer Jr:
When I posted this article, I didn’t know of the widespread lack of academic and intellectual freedom that both the professors and students were subjected to at Harvard. What I sensed was that Dr. Roland Fryer Jr. was singled out because his research findings did not fit a narrative that was strongly held by some at the University. Little did I know that this challenge was so widespread at Harvard!
Now the question is, why? Why are students afraid to speak up? Why do professors feel threatened? Why does it seem that free thinking is a relic from the past on many college campuses (including Harvard).
From this point on – this is speculation on my part – I am about to offer my take.
We, as a people, often lack character. We often are afraid to state our beliefs because we understand that those beliefs may be incongruent with beliefs held by others who are more vocal. We too often choose to remain quiet because we do not want to offend. We too often choose not to confront obvious “myths” because it may make us less popular. As a society, we have forgotten how to have disagreements without being disagreeable.
So now what – what can we do? I would suggest we start with respect. I would suggest that we be willing to listen and understand before we begin to speak. I would suggest that we not “join the crowd” and think for ourselves. Let’s end this post with a look at what may happen when we do not think for ourselves and join the crowd! This video courtesy George Orwell’s 1984:
Thoughts / Comments?
