From Denyse O’Leary at MercatorNet:
Here are five suggestions for reclaiming our right to think for ourselves:
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2. Stop giving to your alma mater just because you graduated there. It may not be the U you knew any longer. Some problems over the years originated in excellent intentions such as helping as many people attend college as possible. But we all tend to make an underlying assumption: that any given student would thrive in the world of ideas if only he were offered an opportunity. Money was poured into universities by private and government sources but much of it has resulted in administrative bloat, sometimes marketing nebulous “studies” programs that will not prepare a student for life in say, the professions.
That may be one of the reasons so many students now move back in with their parents after graduating. Quite apart from politics, administrators have much less natural interest in intellectual freedom than academics would.
But if campuses cannot protect free speech, they need new management. Already, campus free speech bills are picking up speed in several states. And lawsuits over incidents of denial of free speech are beginning to follow. It would be smart for administrations to avoid the hassle.
Ask about specifics. Here, for example, is the Princeton statement sponsored by Robert P. George and Cornel West:
“The pursuit of knowledge and the maintenance of a free and democratic society require the cultivation and practice of the virtues of intellectual humility, openness of mind, and, above all, love of truth. These virtues will manifest themselves and be strengthened by one’s willingness to listen attentively and respectfully to intelligent people who challenge one’s beliefs and who represent causes one disagrees with and points of view one does not share. (March 2017)”
Are current faculty willing to even discuss it with you? Make your donor decisions based on what you hear. More.
See also: The war on intellectual freedom How political correctness morphed into a monster.
The war on freedom is rotting our intellectual life In a world governed by naturalism, power is its own justification. That is the single hardest thing for opponents of rampant political correctness to grasp.
When professors stifle freedom of thought These protest movements are not 1960s retro; they are a flat-out war on reality, conducted by seasoned veterans with a lot at stake.
Don’t expect a quick end to the war on free speech The momentum of the campaign will be hard to stop