Letter to the Editor: Freedom of Speech at Universities

Dear Editor,

Two thoughts. The first is, two down and several more to go…

The second thought is how this conversation has been framed as a freedom of speech issue. It really isn’t. The question that should be asked is how should any high achieving organization behave? As someone who worked in a large corporation as well as served on many boards, what is key to any organization that has aspirations of excellence, is cooperation and respect and collaboration and encouragement to achieve an efficient and desired end result. ANY organization that does not promote the safety and respect and intellectual aspirations of its members is doomed to failure or will never reach its potential. Harvard and its ilk cannot promote itself as a world class organization when any of its members feel threatened, whether physical or verbal. Can a scientist be productive when his ‘soul’ is under abusive attack and hatred that borders on physical harm? Of course not! It’s a fool’s game to think otherwise. I applaud the dismissals of Ms. Gay and McGil. I applaud the retraction of job offers to students who will undermine any work environment. If one function of a university is to enable its students to succeed in the ‘real world,’ Harvard and others have failed miserably. Who’s up next?

Ray Warren

Cincinnati, OH