Harvard, which FIRE recently ranked near the bottom for academic freedom among leading US universities, took a few baby steps this week to re-establish a semblance of open debate. Unsurprisingly, the initiative came from the undergraduates, not the faculty, let alone the administration. The occasion was the first debate sponsored by the newly-formed Harvard Union Society. One of the debaters was pained to admit that the student champions of free debate seemed to be conservatives, not fellow liberals. Judging by the number of male students wearing jackets and white shirts instead of the usual student slobwear, this must have been true. The issue was meritocracy, and the resolution to be debated was: “Should Harvard admissions be more meritocratic?” In the background, of course, was the Supreme Court’s recent spanking of Harvard for its admissions practices in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. There was a fine turnout for the debate, standing room only in a room that holds a hundred people.
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