> Skip to content
FEATURED:
  • The Evolution of Race in Admissions
Sign In
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
Sign In
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
Sign In
ADVERTISEMENT
News
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Show more sharing options
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Copy Link URLCopied!
  • Print

Republicans Want to Talk About Campus Free Speech. What About the Rise in Hateful Speech?

By  Adam Harris
October 25, 2017
A woman shouts at Richard Spencer, the prominent white supremacist, during his appearance at the U. of Florida on October 19. Senate Democrats wrote in a letter on October 25 that President Trump’s rhetoric had fueled the popularity of hateful speech like that used by Mr. Spencer.
Joe Raedle, Getty Images
A woman shouts at Richard Spencer, the prominent white supremacist, during his appearance at the U. of Florida on October 19. Senate Democrats wrote in a letter on October 25 that President Trump’s rhetoric had fueled the popularity of hateful speech like that used by Mr. Spencer.

The U.S. Senate’s education committee will be tackling free speech on campuses in a hearing on Thursday. And Democrats plan to use the hearing to talk about the rise of hate speech and violence on campuses.

In recent years, and especially in the Trump era, Republican lawmakers and politicians have been eager to make a cause of fighting perceived censorship on college campuses.

The Department of Justice on Tuesday filed a statement of interest in a second case in which a student says administrators violated his First Amendment rights. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced during a speech in September at the Georgetown University Law Center that the department would take a closer look at, and weigh in on, such cases. The Tuesday statement provides further evidence that such intervention is likely to continue. “Freedom of thought and speech on the American campus are under attack,” Mr. Sessions said in the speech.

We’re sorry. Something went wrong.

We are unable to fully display the content of this page.

The most likely cause of this is a content blocker on your computer or network. Please make sure your computer, VPN, or network allows javascript and allows content to be delivered from c950.chronicle.com and chronicle.blueconic.net.

Once javascript and access to those URLs are allowed, please refresh this page. You may then be asked to log in, create an account if you don't already have one, or subscribe.

If you continue to experience issues, contact us at 202-466-1032 or help@chronicle.com

A woman shouts at Richard Spencer, the prominent white supremacist, during his appearance at the U. of Florida on October 19. Senate Democrats wrote in a letter on October 25 that President Trump’s rhetoric had fueled the popularity of hateful speech like that used by Mr. Spencer.
Joe Raedle, Getty Images
A woman shouts at Richard Spencer, the prominent white supremacist, during his appearance at the U. of Florida on October 19. Senate Democrats wrote in a letter on October 25 that President Trump’s rhetoric had fueled the popularity of hateful speech like that used by Mr. Spencer.

The U.S. Senate’s education committee will be tackling free speech on campuses in a hearing on Thursday. And Democrats plan to use the hearing to talk about the rise of hate speech and violence on campuses.

In recent years, and especially in the Trump era, Republican lawmakers and politicians have been eager to make a cause of fighting perceived censorship on college campuses.

The Department of Justice on Tuesday filed a statement of interest in a second case in which a student says administrators violated his First Amendment rights. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced during a speech in September at the Georgetown University Law Center that the department would take a closer look at, and weigh in on, such cases. The Tuesday statement provides further evidence that such intervention is likely to continue. “Freedom of thought and speech on the American campus are under attack,” Mr. Sessions said in the speech.

Betsy DeVos, the education secretary, has struck a similar chord. “We all have the opportunity to use our bully pulpit and bring light to places of darkness where speech is not being allowed to be free and open and heard,” she told state legislators during an address in July at the annual American Legislative Exchange Council meeting.

ADVERTISEMENT

But Democratic senators wrote in a letter to Ms. DeVos on Wednesday that they are concerned the Trump administration is not doing enough to deal with hate speech — particularly that which followed the election of President Trump. Last week tumult ensued at the University of Florida when the white supremacist Richard B. Spencer spoke on the campus. And in August torch-wielding white supremacists marched at the University of Virginia. The mob chanted “Jews will not replace us,” and a violent melee broke out.

The Trump administration was harshly criticized — including Ms. DeVos, by some of her own staff members — for not vehemently condemning white-supremacist violence sooner. In an email to her staff the following week, Ms. DeVos offered a forceful denunciation. “The views of white nationalists, neo-Nazis, and other racist bigots are totally abhorrent to the American ideal,” she wrote. “We all have a role to play in rejecting views that pit one group of people against another. Such views are cowardly, hateful, and just plain wrong.”

Racist Incidents on the Rise

A spate of racist incidents quickly followed President Trump’s election in November. They ranged from white-supremacist posters, which have been found on dozens of campuses, to swastikas and other vandalism, to what authorities allege was the racially motivated killing of a black student near the University of Maryland at College Park. A BuzzFeed News report found 154 incidents of hate speech and violence on more than a hundred campuses since the 2016 election.

“We are deeply concerned that President Trump’s tweets and remarks have normalized bigotry, racism, homophobia, and misogyny, and that his behavior has fostered discrimination, enabled bullies, and threatened the safety of students,” the senators wrote. They also requested a briefing to discuss how the department planned to deal with hate-speech.

The slate of witnesses for Thursday’s hearing seems to reflect Republican lawmakers’ focus on how free speech is being limited on campuses. Allison Stanger, one of the witnesses and a professor at Middlebury College, was injured last spring when an appearance by Charles A. Murray descended into violence; Robert Zimmer, president of the University of Chicago, leads an administration that has decried the use of safe spaces and trigger warnings; and Nadine Strossen is a former president of the American Civil Liberties Union. The group recently defended the right of white nationalists to appear at the University of Virginia, which prompted protesters at the College of William & Mary to shut down a speech by the head of the ACLU’s Virginia chapter in September.

ADVERTISEMENT

But Richard Cohen, president of the Southern Poverty Law Center, will also testify. The center has been among the most vocal organizations in decrying the rise of hateful incidents on campuses.

Adam Harris is a breaking-news reporter. Follow him on Twitter @AdamHSays or email him at adam.harris@chronicle.com.

We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Law & PolicyPolitical Influence & Activism
Adam Harris
Adam Harris, a staff writer at The Atlantic, was previously a reporter at The Chronicle of Higher Education and covered federal education policy and historically Black colleges and universities. He also worked at ProPublica.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Explore
    • Get Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Blogs
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Find a Job
    Explore
    • Get Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Blogs
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Find a Job
  • The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    • Write for Us
    • Talk to Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • User Agreement
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Site Map
    • Accessibility Statement
    The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    • Write for Us
    • Talk to Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • User Agreement
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Site Map
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Customer Assistance
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Post a Job
    • Advertising Terms and Conditions
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
    Customer Assistance
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Post a Job
    • Advertising Terms and Conditions
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • Subscribe
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Institutional Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Manage Your Account
    Subscribe
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Institutional Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Manage Your Account
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2023 The Chronicle of Higher Education
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin