Is academic freedom in peril?

Faculty punishments are on the rise

Photo collage of Penn State University Old Main building, with a pair of hands holding the columns like jail bars.
(Image credit: Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images)

A pillar of university life: Academic freedom. It's a principle that gives professors and students wide leeway to freely explore and express ideas without fear of losing their jobs or being penalized. And it may be in danger.

The year-old war between Israel and Gaza has sparked fears of a "growing assault on the ideals of academic freedom," said The New York Times. Pro-Palestinian instructors have had contracts and classes canceled, while acts of faculty discipline have been on the rise. It's part of an effort to "ensure that students feel safe on campus," the Times said. Some instructors are accused of "creating hostile environments in classrooms." But faculty are newly fearful of a "chill in the air," said Peter Lake of the Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy.

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Joel Mathis, The Week US

Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.