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City University of New York: Administrative Attempts to Suppress Faculty Speech

On October 2, 2001 in order to provide a forum for discussion on the terrorist attacks, professors at the City University of New York (CUNY) held a faculty "teach-in," in which several professors criticized America and its foreign policy. On October 23, the trustees of CUNY voted to condemn the "teach-in" as seditious. CUNY Chancellor Matthew Goldstein issued a public statement condemning the professors who expressed such views. Having approved the hiring and promotion of the very faculty who spoke, the trustees and administration now would prefer that they not express their actual and well-known views.

Case Materials

• "City University of New York," October 24, 2001: On October 23, the trustees of the City University of New York (CUNY) voted to condemn a faculty "teach-in" as seditious. On October 2, in order to provide a forum for discussion on the terrorist attacks, professors at CUNY held the "teach-in" at which several professors criticized America and its foreign policy. CUNY Chancellor Matthew Goldstein issued a public statement condemning the professors who expressed such views. Having approved the hiring and promotion of the very faculty who spoke, the trustees and administration now would prefer that they not express their actual and well-known views.
• "Statement by Chancellor Matthew Goldstein," October 3, 2001

Media Coverage

• "Correctness Crack-Up,"
  by Christopher Jolma and Stephen Goode, Insight Magazine, February 25, 2002
• "September 11 and the Academic Profession,"
  , Academe, January 1, 2002
• "Pro or Con War Talk's Risky on Campus,"
  by Tom Mashberg, The Boston Herald, December 16, 2001
• "Thought Police Spring to Action on the Campus,"
  by Jonathan Yardley, The Record, November 26, 2001
• "Free Speech are Under Fire on Campuses,"
  by Mary Beth Marklein, USA Today, November 15, 2001
• "Ticketing the Campus Thought Police,"
  by Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post, November 12, 2001
• "LI Colleges Committed to Free Speech,"
  by Olivia Winslow, Newsday, November 7, 2001
• "CUNY Bigs Slam Anti-US Rally,"
  , NYPost.com, October 24, 2001
• "CUNY Trustees: Let Free Speech Flourish,"
  by John Nidiry, Newsday.com, October 19, 2001
• "Don't Cheer the Bleeding Hearts,"
  , The New York Post, October 12, 2001
• "CUNY Chancellor, Trustees Denounce Professors who Criticized US Policy After Attacks,"
  by Robin Wilson, The Chronicle of Higher Education, October 5, 2001