Swarthmore Faculty Sign Open Letter for Freedom of Expression

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think some of the behaviors be a few who went beyond the reasonable acceptable behavior last year (or two) makes this a very smart move.
Of course you can protest, but you can’t block other students from campus locations or resources.

Yes, applications at Swarthmore are down over 10% from the high school class of 2022. People hesitate to apply to an expensive school where they’ll have to circumvent political obstacles to get an education.

This isn't true. Applications aren't down.

Ok, then Swarthmore is falsifying data on its CDSs. Is that the narrative you prefer?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think some of the behaviors be a few who went beyond the reasonable acceptable behavior last year (or two) makes this a very smart move.
Of course you can protest, but you can’t block other students from campus locations or resources.

Yes, applications at Swarthmore are down over 10% from the high school class of 2022. People hesitate to apply to an expensive school where they’ll have to circumvent political obstacles to get an education.

This isn't true. Applications aren't down.

Ok, then Swarthmore is falsifying data on its CDSs. Is that the narrative you prefer?

How tiresome that people lie so easily when the data is readily available.

Swarthmore CDS 2024-2025 shows 13,057 first-year applications

Swarthmore CDS 2025-2026 shows 12,995 first-year applications

Applications are down, yes, but less than 0.5%. Let's call it even.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, saw the comparison was 2022.

Swarthmore CDS 2022-2023 had 14,707 applications. Yes, down by 13%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Swarthmore's values seem to be eroding in real time. An institution that once celebrated activism, free inquiry, and dissent is now disciplining students for speech, expanding surveillance, rewriting conduct rules to restrict protest, and creating a climate of fear around political expression.

Faculty are warning that students are being taught one set of principles in the classroom—critical thinking, open debate, intellectual rigor—and another outside it: stay quiet, stay vague, and don't challenge authority. If that's true, Swarthmore isn't just failing its stated values; it's actively betraying them.

The question is simple: when did protecting institutional image become more important than protecting free expression?
https://swarthmorevoices.com/content-1/2026/4/30/the-college-needs-a-reset-a-letter-from-faculty

El Universidad de Habana is still an option for the flag burners.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Swarthmore's values seem to be eroding in real time. An institution that once celebrated activism, free inquiry, and dissent is now disciplining students for speech, expanding surveillance, rewriting conduct rules to restrict protest, and creating a climate of fear around political expression.

Faculty are warning that students are being taught one set of principles in the classroom—critical thinking, open debate, intellectual rigor—and another outside it: stay quiet, stay vague, and don't challenge authority. If that's true, Swarthmore isn't just failing its stated values; it's actively betraying them.

The question is simple: when did protecting institutional image become more important than protecting free expression?
https://swarthmorevoices.com/content-1/2026/4/30/the-college-needs-a-reset-a-letter-from-faculty

El Universidad de Habana is still an option for the flag burners.

and הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם for those who can't handle those with a different opinion of them and adore ethno-nationalism.

[Anonymous]

It's pretty surprising that applications have fallen at Swat.

Williams and Amherst are still the far and away leader in this space but you wouldn't have expected such a steep dropoff from 2022-2024.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's pretty surprising that applications have fallen at Swat.

Williams and Amherst are still the far and away leader in this space but you wouldn't have expected such a steep dropoff from 2022-2024.

Leaders how? They don't even get the most applications amongst LACs.

[Anonymous]

Yes, there is little free speech there. Swarthmore College ranks 199 out of 257 schools in the 2026 College Free Speech Rankings by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), earning an "F" speech climate grade and a "yellow light" speech code rating

[Anonymous]

I've had 3 family members graduate from Swarthmore but we would not consider the college now due to the swastika incidents and the anti-semitism of some professors.

Philadelphia has a fairly large Jewish population too so the anti-semitism on campus is hard to fathom.

There are plenty of universities in the US that are welcoming to those of all faiths.

It is sad I have to say this about Swarthmore as it was founded and supported by good Quaker folk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've had 3 family members graduate from Swarthmore but we would not consider the college now due to the swastika incidents and the anti-semitism of some professors.

Philadelphia has a fairly large Jewish population too so the anti-semitism on campus is hard to fathom.

There are plenty of universities in the US that are welcoming to those of all faiths.

It is sad I have to say this about Swarthmore as it was founded and supported by good Quaker folk.

Astroturfing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, there is little free speech there. Swarthmore College ranks 199 out of 257 schools in the 2026 College Free Speech Rankings by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), earning an "F" speech climate grade and a "yellow light" speech code rating

Yes let’s take the list that ranks UT Dallas 240 as a serious ranking. Sooo scary, there’s no words spoken on campus!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, there is little free speech there. Swarthmore College ranks 199 out of 257 schools in the 2026 College Free Speech Rankings by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), earning an "F" speech climate grade and a "yellow light" speech code rating

I find FIRE difficult to take seriously when they rank Florida public institutions, where professors have to Submit their syllabi to the state, where they took over an entire liberal arts college just to gut any books they don’t agree with, and where now professors are being denied the ability to litigate on their subjects by the state…with multiple top 100 positions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's pretty surprising that applications have fallen at Swat.

Williams and Amherst are still the far and away leader in this space but you wouldn't have expected such a steep dropoff from 2022-2024.

2022 might have been an anomaly year with record applicants. They have always held steady at around 13k applicants most years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ll summarize. A handful of far-left faculty wrote a letter bemoaning the fact that student pro-Palestinian activists who have defaced buildings and disrupted campus operations are being held accountable for their actions.

The writer is saying this is because Swat doesn’t believe in free speech. It’s just more Hamas supporting propaganda. Best to ignore. Swat is navigating a difficult situation with generally good judgement. My kid is there and we read the memos and support the administration.

Well summarized. If students decide to deface, vandalize, takeover property that is not theirs, OR disrupt/intimidate/harass others in the enjoyment of their freedoms, they deserve to have the book thrown at them. The administration has been very restrained, only disciplining the most egregious of these cases. Shame on the faculty members who signed this letter - they have created a smokescreen to mask abhorrent behavior, a total abdication of their duties as educators.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ll summarize. A handful of far-left faculty wrote a letter bemoaning the fact that student pro-Palestinian activists who have defaced buildings and disrupted campus operations are being held accountable for their actions.

The writer is saying this is because Swat doesn’t believe in free speech. It’s just more Hamas supporting propaganda. Best to ignore. Swat is navigating a difficult situation with generally good judgement. My kid is there and we read the memos and support the administration.

Well summarized. If students decide to deface, vandalize, takeover property that is not theirs, OR disrupt/intimidate/harass others in the enjoyment of their freedoms, they deserve to have the book thrown at them. The administration has been very restrained, only disciplining the most egregious of these cases. Shame on the faculty members who signed this letter - they have created a smokescreen to mask abhorrent behavior, a total abdication of their duties as educators.

+1. My child is a rising Junior at Swarthmore and every one of the students I’ve talked to is tired of the drama these activists create. There have been multiple incidents of property damage with no real aim other than campus disruption. They wear masks and hide their actions supporting a questionable outcome.