Harvard Briefing: Understanding the Legal Landscape at Harvard and Beyond

DFTD Newsletter 9/11/2025 The latest Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) survey results are here. While this year’s results show some consistency with previous years, they also highlight that significant work remains to build a campus culture where open dialogue and a wide range of viewpoints are welcomed at Davidson College. A concerning 60% of students remain uncomfortable disagreeing with a professor on controversial political topics in class, and nearly as many (58%) hesitate in written assignments. One in four students openly self-censor while interacting with professors at least a couple times a week, while 48% report feeling uncomfortable in classroom discussions. Outside the classroom, the problem worsens , where 70% of students are too afraid to express unpopular opinions on social media. Equally troubling are students’ attitudes toward disrupting speech. More than a third, or 37%, of Davidson students think it’s acceptable to shout down a speaker, 19% would block others from attending an event, and 15% condone violence to stop a campus speech. These numbers suggest that, despite Davidson’s reputation for civility, many students believe intimidation is an acceptable tool for undermining the very notion of open discourse. While trust in the administration has improved and fewer students now doubt the College will defend them from censorship, significant skepticism remains. 34% of students believe peers could be reported for expressing controversial ideas, and a similar number, 37%, believe the same for professors. Davidson has made important strides, but the culture of open expression between students and professors is still fragile. The FIRE survey underscores the importance of freedom of expression in more than policies on paper. It requires a campus climate where students feel safe to speak their minds. DFTD calls on the College to take the following concrete steps to strengthen free speech and viewpoint diversity at Davidson; Adopt a policy of Institutional Neutrality whereby the College and Departments do not take ideological or political positions Expand ideological diversity among faculty, staff, and trustees Make the College’s Commitment to Freedom of Expression Statement a key part of New Student Orientation Conduct a thorough review of all policies and procedures related to speech With these actions, Davidson College has the opportunity to lead by example, showing how a liberal arts education can prepare students to engage thoughtfully and confidently in the world beyond campus.

You get an A! And you get an A! On campuses this fall, some students might feel like they’ve wandered into their own Oprah episode, except the prize is a transcript filled with top marks.