Liliana M. Garces

Investigates how faculty members from two public universities understand and respond to proposed legislation designed to restrict open inquiry and expression on campuses, which particularly targets race-related scholarship and diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Findings reveal that senior leaders’ and academic administrators’ responses can influence faculty members’ understandings and actions, which often leads them to restrict their teaching and scholarship on race unnecessarily.

Examines administrator responses to hate speech and impacts for racial inclusion at a private university unconstrained by First Amendment protections. Findings illustrate that, even in this context, prevailing notions of free expression hinder efforts to foster racial inclusion and compassionate responses to hate speech. Proposes an “inclusive freedom” approach that leverages norms of academic freedom as a path forward for postsecondary institutions to address harm in the aftermath of hate speech.