RealClear Politics Reports Williams College Among Worst of the Worst for Free Speech

WILLIAMSTOWN, MA - The stifling, repressive, backward educational environment at Williams College has again risen to national attention. This time a survey of free speech experts (mostly conservatives) rated Williams as among the worst of the worst for free speech.

RealClear Politics asked its 22 panelists for their opinions on which U.S. colleges and universities have the best climate for free speech, viewpoint diversity, and open inquiry. Likewise, they asked them to say which schools had the most room for improvement in these areas. Finally, we asked panelists to share their thoughts on how free speech, viewpoint diversity, and open inquiry relate to the proper mission of a university. (Click here todownload a full report on the RealClear Politics survey.)

Among the worst of the worst was Yale University which has shocked the nation with its politically correct nonsense including the ouster of a professor from his position as a college master, the contentious renaming of a residential building, and the removal or destruction of controversial artwork. Yale was followed by Harvard University, Williams College, Oberlin College, Liberty University, DePaul University, and Brown University among schools identified most often by the panelists as in need of improvement.

According to RealClear Politics, "Our panelists include professors, journalists, lawyers, and scholars who work in the areas of higher education or First Amendment law and policy." The group included a number of folks with practical experience covering or speaking at Williams College including Gregory Lukianoff – president, Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), Charles Murray – scholar, American Enterprise Institute, and Jennifer Kabbany – editor, The College Fix.

As Charles Murray, the co-author of The Bell Curve, said: “The telos of the university is truth. It cannot have a second telos. There is no such thing as a university that fully supports the search for truth and also pursues a social-justice agenda, for example — or, for that matter, also pursues a limited-government agenda.”

John C. Drew, Ph.D. is an award-winning political scientist and a former Williams College professor. He is an occasional contributor at American Thinker, Breitbart, Front Page, PJMedia and WND.