Academic Bill of Restrictions Statement in Support of the Free Exchange of Ideas on Campus

There is nothing more essential to learning than the free exchange of ideas between faculty and students. It's this freedom that sponsors new ideas, fosters debate and exposes students to frames and theories they have never encountered. Students deserve a higher education that challenges them and gives the freedom to say, think and debate anything and everything.

Unfortunately, opponents of this mission like David Horowitz are pushing proposals that would restrict on-campus debate and free speech by placing content-based restrictions on what is taught in the college classroom. They would rather that new ideas not challenge the status quo. And they desire a classroom where students are not challenged to explore ideas and theories with which they may be unfamiliar or even disagree.

Their proposal, the so-called "Academic Bill of Rights," seeks to remove from universities the thing that makes them so successful, the free exchange of ideas. It's a politically motivated attempt to silence debate and remove politics from the classroom.

We, the undersigned, firmly support the free exchange of ideas between faculty and students on campus and oppose both administrative and legislative attempts to institute the so-called "Academic Bill of Rights" or similar proposals.