A Free Speech Blog

Cornellians United for Free Speech

Cornellians United for Free Speech is an advocacy group of Cornell students, faculty, staff, and alumni seeking to advance free expression, academic freedom, viewpoint diversity, and due process. We track developments on campus as well as national trends.

Use the “Send us a note” button to utilize our confidential contact portal to help us raise on-campus concerns as they occur.

Cornellians United had a successful forum at Cornell Reunion. You can watch it here.

Cornellians United filed comments on the proposal of the Cornell Committee on Expressive Activity. You can read them here.

DUE PROCESS

Cornell needs fundamental fairness when it proposes to regulate or sanction conduct. While individual cases should not be subject to mob justice, there must be much more transparency in these processes to assure that they are administered in a manner that achieves fair results.

ACADEMIC FREEDOM

Although one would assume that an Ivy League school would offer its faculty an ivory tower, Cornell, and all other universities, are a part of broader society. Vigilance is required to protect the freedom of instructors to teach and for academia to seek the truth.

FREE EXPRESSION

Cornell lists “free expression” as one of its core values. While Cornell’s leadership may value free expression, remaining true to this value can be a challenge when it conflicts with other university objectives, such as preventing harassment.

VIEWPOINT DIVERISTY

Academia’s search for the truth requires a contest between competing ideas. In the recent past, “cancel culture” has encouraged people to conform and to self-censor out views that conflict with the conventional wisdom.