“The first step is to remind our students and colleagues that those who hold views contrary to one’s own are rarely evil or stupid, and may know or understand things that we do not. It is only when we start with this assumption that rational discourse can begin, and that the winds of freedom can blow." – Former Stanford Provost John Etchemendy
FEATURED ITEMS
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​Guiding Principles - letter dated March 31, 2025 from Stanford's President Jon Levin and Provost Jenny Martinez​​​​
​The Death of Viewpoint Diversity - an op-ed by Stanford alum and Sarah Lawrence Prof. Samual J. Abrams
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FIRE's 10 Common-sense Reforms for Colleges and Universities​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
From Our Latest Newsletter​
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"To Be True To The Best You Know" -- Jane Stanford
March 2, 2026
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Fixing Civil Discourse Starts with an Ethics Requirement
Excerpt (links in the original):
“Harvard is infamous for its inability to foster civil discourse among students.
“Last month, Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76 identified a key factor chilling speech on campus: faculty activism. As classroom conversation chills and political contentions rise, veritas -- a symbol of Harvard’s commitment to intellectual truth-seeking and integrity -- is at stake.
“If Harvard is serious about its commitment to a neverending pursuit of truth, a meaningful ethics requirement is the first place to start.
“The University has placed among the bottom of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression’s college free speech rankings for the past three years, penalized for its 'abysmal' campus speech climate, high rates of student self-censorship, and a 'yellow' light for restrictive speech policies. A report from Harvard’s Classroom Social Compact Committee even found that only 35 percent of the Class of 2024 answered 'agree' or 'strongly agree' when asked if they were comfortable expressing opposing views on controversial topics in their courses.
“Surprisingly, Harvard’s response was more of a jumble of administrative buzzwords than substantive pedagogical reform. Harvard convened an Open Inquiry and Constructive Dialogue Working Group and established a Classroom Social Compact Committee. These administrative abstrusities have only seemed to float above the classroom spaces, with the noble aim of reshaping norms and dialogue, yet lacking the concrete strategy to achieve it.
“While this top-down approach might be an effective way to signal University values to administrators, donors, and the public, these initiatives are completely divorced from the realities of the classroom.” ...
Full op-ed by Harvard undergraduate Ava M. Ribaudo at Harvard Crimson.
See also these two articles in our own Newsletter a week ago: “Stanford Needs More Rigorous General Education Requirements” at Stanford Daily and “We Must Do Better Than COLLEGE” at Stanford Review.
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FashionX Again Transforms Memorial Church into a Fashion Runway
Editor’s note: Imagine staging in a Muslim mosque or a Jewish synagogue the kind of event that was held in Memorial Church this past Saturday and is described below. Also keep in mind the sacred religious images that constitute the entire interior and exterior of Memorial Church. And Stanford’s Trustees and administration believe this is in accord with the Founding Grant and/or just good taste? And that there aren’t other facilities throughout the campus that could have been and should have been used for these purposes instead? We also note that these concerns were raised last year by student and other groups (see "FashionX Violates Sanctity of Memorial Church" March 7, 2025) but apparently Stanford’s Dean for Religious & Spiritual Life and others again saw no problems here.
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We also suggest that what was allowed to happen here is contrary to this longstanding official policy statement regarding the use of Memorial Church: “The church includes a diversity of programs and assemblies in its space and primarily exists to provide opportunities for worship, reflection, spiritual practice, conversation, education, and community building related to religious, spiritual, ethical, and moral formation. Through the governance of the Stanford University Board of Trustees and guidance of the Memorial Church Advisory Board, approval for all reservations will be determined by the Event Manager under the direction of the Dean of Office for Religious & Spiritual Life.”
Excerpts (link in the original):
“Beneath the Romanesque arches of Memorial Church, the pews were transformed into an haute-couture runway for FashionX’s fourth annual sold-out production, ‘The Mirror Stage,’ on Feb. 28. Inspired by the psychoanalytic theories of Jacques Lacan, the show explored the ‘ecstatic limit’ of self-perception through avant-garde student designs.
“In front of the church, the line began forming nearly an hour before doors opened, stretching down the arcades of Main Quad....
“The show began in near-total darkness, the historic silence of Memorial Church replaced with the mechanical thrum of pulsing music. A distorted voice served as the master of ceremonies (MC), welcoming the audience in the sanctuary illuminated only by a glowing, white ‘X.’
“As the music intensified, the lighting shifted into rapid, multi-colored strobe effects -- flashing blues, purples and reds across the golden backdrop of the church’s chancel. The show emerged into what the MC described as the ‘drama of primordial jealousy,’ a reference to the complex and often competitive nature of self-perception....
“Down the runway came models in floor-length gowns: one in green with a matching veil, pink flowers cascading down and around the skirt; another in iridescent colors whose sleeves fanned out like butterfly wings. In line with the show’s theme, a strong silver theme emerged throughout, with dresses reflecting like mirrors under the stage lights. Models showed off skirts and bodices made of multicolored peacock feathers, shells sewed into fabric that clinked with each step and accessories from a glowing lotus lamp to a sword.” ...
Full article at Stanford Daily.
See also “Family Weekend Brings Festivity to The Farm” and “University Leadership Emphasizes Academic Freedom at Family Weekend Panel," both also at Stanford Daily.
Students and Graduates Say College Delivers on Value and Career Preparation, Even as Public Skepticism Persists
Excerpt (link in the original):
“New national research released by Lumina Foundation and Gallup reveals a striking disconnect between public perceptions of higher education and the experiences of college students and graduates themselves. Findings from The College Reality Check: What Students Experience vs. What America Believes show that while students and alumni largely report strong academic quality, career preparation and value from their degrees, broader public confidence has declined in recent years, driven by concerns about cost, politicization and workforce outcomes.
“In 2015, a majority of U.S. adults (57%) reported having ‘a great deal’ or ‘quite a lot’ of confidence in higher education. That share declined steadily over the next decade, reaching 36% in 2024, while nearly one-third (32%) reported little or no confidence. Confidence began to rebound in 2025, with 42% reporting high confidence, though nearly one in four Americans still expressed significant reservations.
“‘This study makes something clear: Students and graduates know firsthand the difference college has made in their lives,’ said Courtney Brown, vice president of impact and planning at Lumina. ‘Even as public skepticism grows, experience tells a different story. They are building real skills, expanding their opportunities, and finding campuses where dialogue and belonging matter. The gap between perception and lived reality raises important questions for leaders and policymakers.’” ...
Full press release at Gallup, and a PDF copy of the full report can be downloaded here.
Other Articles of Interest
UC Leader Prefers to Talk, Not Battle
Full article at LA Times: “UC California President James Milliken says avoiding lawsuits over Trump’s funding cuts is the ‘better course.’”
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The War on Student Speech
Full article at Inside Higher Ed.
Career Education Is the Future of Learning
Full op-ed at DC Journal.
How the College Essay Declared War on Critical Thinking
Full op-ed at James Martin Center.
Colleges Face a Choice -- Try to Shape AI’s Impact on Learning, or Be Redefined by It
Full article at The Conversation.
Generative AI is Not Just a Tool for Learning; It Shapes How Students Think
Full op-ed by Detroit College for Creative Studies Prof. James Garvey at Times Higher Education.
AI, Cheating and the Illusion of Learning
Full op-ed by Merrimack College Prof. Dan Sarofian-Butin at Real Clear Education.
Why We Care -- Samples of Current Teaching, Research and Other Activities at Stanford
Click on each article for direct access; selections are from Stanford Report and other Stanford websites.
AI Challenges Core Assumptions in Education
Stem Cell-Based Organoids Reveal Shared Genetic Pathways in Autism
Engineered Immune Therapy Could Help Fight the Aging Brain
Why the Brain Misunderstands Speech After Stroke​​
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"Professors should not be carrying their ideologies into the classroom. Our job as teachers of 'citizens and citizen-leaders' is not to indoctrinate students, but to prepare them to grapple with all of the ideas they will encounter in the societies they will serve.” -- Harvard Professor and former Dean of Harvard College Harry R. Lewis
Comments and Questions from Our Readers
See more reader comments on our Reader Comments webpage.
Need Dialog, Not Prohibitions
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I suggest the university produce forums in which ultimate concerns about war and peace presently unfolding be formally debated, subject to the rules of decorum. This is what the university is for, not prohibitions on argument or advocacy. Silence renders learning impossible.
Hoping for Balanced Speech at Stanford
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I am so in support of the opinions expressed here and hope Stanford will adopt a more balanced approach to free speech. I can only hope.
Teaching Young People and Others How to Disagree Civilly
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While I believe that supporting free speech is very important in and of itself, I also believe that there is a related component that is often ignored. That component is teaching people, especially young people, how to disagree civilly/how to constructively respond to free speech they might not agree with.
Question About Ties to the Alumni Association
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Q. I notice that the SAA website contains no links to the Stanford Alumni for Free Speech and Critical Thinking website. Why is that?
A. Our website is not linked at the SAA website since we intentionally did not seek to become an affiliate of SAA. Among other things, we wanted to maintain independence, including since SAA became a subsidiary of
the university in the mid-1990’s. That said, there are a number of current and former Stanford administrators and trustees who receive our Newsletters and read the materials that are posted at the website.
About Us
Member, Alumni Free Speech Alliance
Stanford Alumni for Free Speech and Critical Thinking is an independent, diverse, and nonpartisan group of Stanford alumni committed to promoting and safeguarding freedom of thought and expression, intellectual diversity and inclusion, and academic freedom at Stanford.
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We believe innovation and positive change for the common good is achieved through free and active discourse from varying viewpoints, the freedom to question both popular and unpopular opinions, and the freedom to seek truth without fear of reprisal from those who disagree, within the confines of humanity and mutual respect.
Our goal is to support students, faculty, administrators, and staff in efforts that assure the Stanford community is truly inclusive as to what can be said in and outside the classroom, the kinds of speakers that can be invited, and what should always be the core principles of a great university like Stanford. We also advocate that Stanford incorporates the Chicago Trifecta, the gold standard for freedom of speech and expression at college and university campuses, and that Stanford abides by these principles in both its policies and its actions.
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