In 2020, college and university presidents lined up to issue statements about George Floyd’s tragic death, despite the event’s lack of any direct connection to higher education. They were much quieter after Charlie Kirk’s horrific murder last month, even though that incident was a direct assault on the very purpose of their institutions.
Kirk was assassinated as he debated students on a college campus. This heinous attack stoked concerns across American universities about safety and the free exchange of ideas in academia.
Yet only 17 out of 100 leaders of top colleges made public statements about it, we found in a review. In 2020, 94 of those institutions issued leadership-level statements about Floyd.
For years, university presidents have eagerly weighed in on social and political events, from the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the January 6 riots. But when a conservative activist gets murdered on a university campus while engaged in peaceful debate, these same institutional leaders often failed to find the words to condemn his killing or make it clear that initiating violence to shut down free speech and debate is unacceptable.
Condemning attacks on free speech should be a priority. More than a third of college students are unwilling to rule out using violence to stop someone from speaking his mind. These young adults need better guidance.
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