A student group at Davidson College is reportedly facing disciplinary scrutiny after handing out pro-Israel content on campus, prompting a debate about free speech.
In a recent post, the Davidson chapter of the conservative Young Americans for Freedom student group shared a letter from Davidson officials stating the group may have violated the school’s Code of Responsibility by harassing other students.
At issue was a pamphlet titled “Five Myths About Israel Perpetrated by the Pro-Hamas Left.” The pamphlet, among other things, argues Palestinians are not a people. The letter also mentions an Instagram post that speculated on the gender of Olympic boxer Imane Khelif. In the letter, Mak Tompkins, Davidson director of student rights and responsibilities, said the pamphlet and the post “allegedly include misinformation” and allegedly promote Islamophobia and transphobia.
Tompkins said the materials resulted in individuals reporting that they felt “threatened and unsafe on campus.” But Davidson’s response prompted the free speech advocacy group FIRE to accuse the school of violating its own policies on free expression. FIRE attorney Jessie Appleby argued harassment generally requires the targeting of an individual student, and that political content is typically understood as protected speech.
“The bedrock principle of free expression is that speech may not be restricted on the basis that others are offended by or are opposed to it in some way,” Appleby said.
Appleby said private schools like Davidson aren’t bound by the same free speech laws as public institutions but noted that Davidson’s own policies profess a commitment to freedom of speech.
A spokesperson for Davidson said the school couldn’t comment on specific disciplinary matters. The school’s harassment policy includes “unwelcome written or graphic material” that “denigrates or shows hostility or aversion toward an individual or group,” based on race, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, religion or other factors.
The spokesperson said, generally, when the Dean of Students Office receives a complaint, “they begin a review and investigation process. The outcome of that process depends on the specific incident but could include a disciplinary response.”
According to the letter from Davidson, the Young Americans for Freedom was given the option to enter a mutual resolution agreement to accept responsibility for the policy violations or undergo a hearing.
A representative for Young Americans for Freedom’s Davidson College chapter was not available for comment.
This story has been corrected to clarify that the pamphlet said Palestinians are not a people, not that they are not people.
