“Whatever may be the limitations which trammel inquiry elsewhere, we believe that the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found” – the UW Board of Regents, Sept. 18, 1894.
A group of faculty members at Wisconsin universities are calling on the Universities of Wisconsin, the Medical College of Wisconsin, other Wisconsin universities, and other faculty to “issue statements reiterating their support for free speech on campus, as well as condemning the horrific murder of Charlie Kirk while engaging in such.”
The faculty members called out the deafening silence from many universities in the weeks since Kirk’s assassination on a college campus.
“We, the undersigned members of the Board of Directors of the Wisconsin Association of Scholars, are university faculty members in Wisconsin who categorically condemn the assassination of Charlie Kirk,” they wrote.
“Charlie Kirk exemplified the UW’s historic mission of encouraging the ‘continual and fearless sifting and winnowing’ of ideas and academic inquiry. He was murdered while exercising his free speech rights by engaging in intellectual discussion on a college campus. Thus, his assassination is a direct attack on all universities and their core mission,” the statement says.
“We stand strongly for the protection of free speech on college campuses for people of all viewpoints, and we call on the Universities of Wisconsin, the Medical College of Wisconsin, other Wisconsin universities, and other faculty to issue statements reiterating their support for free speech on campus, as well as condemning the horrific murder of Charlie Kirk while engaging in such,” the statement continued.
“We further urge the universities to enforce their codes of conduct when it comes to any attempt to intimidate or restrict free speech on campus. And we demand that universities continue to allow speakers of all viewpoints, including conservative speakers, on campus. Our views are our own and do not represent the institutions where we work.”
The statement quoted the famous sifting and winnowing principle by which the universities of Wisconsin are supposed to stand.
These are the faculty members who signed the statement.
Robert Feidler
Russell Gonnering
Jessica McBride
Shale Horowitz
Brian Volkman
Benjamin Whitcomb
Note: McBride is the co-founder of this site. As noted, the faculty members’ statement represents their own opinions and not the institutions where they work.
McBride adds: “I categorically condemn the assassination of Charlie Kirk, who was peacefully exercising his free speech rights on a college campus when he was murdered. I would equally condemn the assassination of any person who was doing the same, no matter their political perspectives. I do not see condemning the assassination of Charlie Kirk to be a political statement. Murder is wrong.”
She continued: “As he was murdered on a college campus, I do believe the universities as institutions and the system as a whole should have condemned the murder and reiterated their support for free speech on campus and also reiterated that they will welcome and protect all speakers who come to campus. There is a system-wide policy now that bans institutions from weighing in on political issues, but I do not see such a statement as political in nature. I am concerned that some conservative students may feel even more afraid to express their views on campus than they were before, and I think a university-wide statement, versus silence, would have helped to reassure them. I want all students and staff to feel safe on campus, no matter their views.”
Before the system-wide policy, some departments posted statements supporting BLM and one university, UW-Milwaukee, even called for a ceasefire in Gaza, writing, “We join the countless calls by national and international leaders for a ceasefire in Gaza.” At that time, in contrast, UW-Milwaukee called for an end to violence then, writing, “We reiterate our call for an end to the violence by joining the White House and international leaders in calling for a release of the hostages and a ceasefire. We say this knowing that, as a public university, we have no direct ability to impact the outcomes of the war in Gaza. We also know that many of our Jewish, Palestinian, Muslim and Arab American community members are suffering as they watch loved ones directly and indirectly harmed by this war.”
