Identity of Speakers
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n/a
Unaffiliated
Other
Resources
Additional Information
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Incident Nature:
Pamphleteering
Other
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Incident Political Orientation:
Not Clear -
Incident Responses:
University administration invoked formal speech code in response
University administration changed university policy as a consequence
Other
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Incident Status:
No litigation
- Was Speech Code incident
Summary
In late January 2024, faced controversy after administrators removed a pro‑Palestinian statement posted by its Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department and then quietly rolled out new policies restricting political speech across departments and official channels. The changes included requiring prior administrative approval for any content on departmental websites and placing limits on political demonstrations, such as new rules mandating advance notice for protests and banning certain dormitory expressions like flags in windows.
Critics, including faculty and the New York Civil Liberties Union, condemned the revised policies as overreaching restrictions that undermined academic freedom and amounted to institutional censorship. The outcry followed mounting tensions on campus in the aftermath of the October 7 Hamas attack, as Barnard had previously affirmed its commitment to the University of Chicago “Principles of Free Expression.”
The debate intensified as advocates pointed to the college’s shift toward “institutional neutrality,” urging a consistent application of either open expression or silence in official communications. Opponents argued that Barnard’s approach risked stifling important discourse and academic inquiry, especially on contentious international topics, and contrasted it with more transparent free speech frameworks adopted by other higher education institutions.
