One side fits all

MOST CALIFORNIANS, including most University of California professors, think that they know the meaning of the term "academic freedom." They assume it's the equivalent of free speech and therefore that it is bestowed on faculty by the 1st Amendment to the Constitution. Because they conflate academic freedom and free expression, they assume that academic freedom is immutable and eternal and exists without responsibilities.

By Leila Beckwith

August 28, 2005