The Furman Free Speech Round Up (September)
Furman's national rankings fail to reflect student self-censorship and controversy over Cultural Life Programs.
Welcome to our September newsletter. Students are back at Furman!
If you’re new here, the Furman Free Speech Alliance is a rapidly growing group of alumni, parents, and friends who are concerned about Furman University’s deteriorating campus climate for free speech, academic freedom, and viewpoint diversity.
Each month, we update you on what’s happening at Furman and what actions we’re taking to defend free speech on campus.
Looking Back:
This last month, college rankings came out once again, and Furman fared fairly well. Forbes ranked Furman 35th among all liberal arts universities. And Furman also made the Princeton Review’s “Best South” list. As alumni, we should be pleased when Furman receives good marks in national publications, but that doesn’t mean we can’t raise an eyebrow at some of the rankings’ more questionable details.
For example — as the Furman administration’s communications team was eager to highlight — Princeton Review noted that Furman students are a “community of open-minded people” who are “willing to help one another.” Moreover, Furman faculty are apparently “love teaching and instilling a passion for growth, inquiry and engagement.”
While it is good to hear that at least one Furman student feels that way, it doesn’t match up with robust data that the American Council of Trustees (ACTA) and Alumni and College Pulse have collected about Furman in the past year.
According to ACTA, almost half of that “community of open-minded people… willing to help one another” report that they self-censor at least occasionally. And 20% of them have experienced threats of harassment for sharing their political or social views.
The faculty are no better. The College Pulse reports 78% of students are very or somewhat uncomfortable disagreeing with a professor about a controversial political topic. Does that sound like a faculty who love “instilling a passion for growth, inquiry and engagement”?
Not to us.
One Stat You Should Know:
27% of Democrat students at Furman said using violence to prevent someone from speaking is always or sometimes acceptable.
Looking Ahead:
With students back on campus, cultural life programs (CLPs) are back too. For those that don’t know, CLPs are events that Furman requires students to attend to graduate. They’re meant to “provide diverse and enriching cultural experiences” and inspire “a life‐long pursuit of intellectual fulfillment and engagement.”
On the upside, CLPs are a unique part of what Furman has to offer students. They can bring top-notch speakers to campus, expose students to subjects outside of their realm of studies, and spark constructive conversations about controversial topics. This September alone, there are CLPs on topics as diverse as “Tocqueville and the Welfare State,” “Video Games-Obligation of Ethical Design, and “Professional Leadership in the Age of AI.”
But CLPs can also be a source of controversy themselves. That was certainly the case when Mary Eberstadt was coming to campus in the Spring of 2023 to give her lecture: “Primal Screams: How the Sexual Revolution Created Identity Politics.” For some undisclosed reason, Furman’s CLP committee decided to put her event under appeal, effectively denying students credit for attending the lecture.
In a letter to the Furman family entitled “Setting the Record Straight,” President Davis tried to downplay this decision, writing that “the talk could have continued, as CLP credit is not a requirement or expectation for speakers.” That’s true, but what she didn’t say is that events without CLP credit aren’t typically very well attended by students.
She also didn’t mention that it is highly unusual for an event with a speaker as qualified as Mary Eberstadt — who is a renowned essayist, novelist, and frequent public speaker — to go without CLP credit. Indeed, events on topics that are just as controversial with speakers that are similarly or less qualified than Mrs. Eberstadt have been approved and are set to take place this month.
For example, on September 12, Furman will offer students CLP credit to attend an event titled “Gender and Voice: A Primer on Gender-Expansive Care.” According to the event’s description, students will learn how “Gender-Affirming Voice Care helps transgender and gender-diverse people adjust their voices to better align with their gender identity.” Later in the month, on September 27, students can attend “Gallery Talk: Queer Art in the South,” an event featuring “14 Queer artists whose work explores contemporary Queer identities, lived experiences, and communities in the South.”
As a free speech organization, we support Furman hosting a diverse array of events for students. That said, we have lots of questions about how and why Furman offers students CLP credit for events like these but puts events like Mary Eberstadt’s talk “under appeal.”
You should too. As alumni, we deserve answers.
In the Network:
If you missed it, be sure to check out Furman Free Speech Alliance President Jeff Salmon’s essay about how elite schools like Harvard and Yale are discarding their DEI loyalty statements and why Furman ought to do the same. And be sure to share with your friends. Also, be on the lookout for an op-ed on a similar subject to be published in the coming weeks!
Why not have a CLP on Underwater Basket Weaving?? It's just as useful as those Gender/Queer presentations.