Category: Research
Our third class of fellows is an exceptional group representing students, professors, law enforcement, local politicians and senior administrators—all of whom are tackling challenging and timely issues pertaining to expression, academic freedom and campus climate. Each fellow will spend time on one of the ten UC campuses engaging with members of the campus community.
Learn more about the 2020-2021 class of fellows and their work by watching this brief video:
Ernesto Arciniega
UCLA PhD Candidate in Hispanic Literatures, and Vice Chair of the UC Graduate and Professional Council
Research Title: “Lighting the Way for Undocumented Students at UC: Free Speech, Civic and Political Engagement”
Read and download Ernesto’s work
Cerri Banks
Vice President and Deputy to the Senior Vice President of Student Success, Syracuse University Experience Team
Research Title: “Black Administrators and Black Student Activism - Media’s Impact on Navigating Relationships and Transforming Learning”
Read and download Cerri’s work
Cassie Barnhardt
Associate Professor, Educational Policy and Leadership Studies, University of Iowa, College of Education
Research Title: “Comparing Contemporary Campus Mobilization at Scale: Tactics, Intensity, and Media Attention”
Read and download Cassie’s work
Ryan Coonerty
Third District Supervisor for Santa Cruz County, California and Lecturer, Legal Studies, UC Santa Cruz
Research Title: “Skokie: Free Speech and Community”
Read and visit Ryan’s work
Jill Dunlap | Alice Yau
Director for Research and Practice at NASPA – National Association of Student Personnel Administrators | Police Officer-Instructor-Trainer, Chicago Police Department
Research Title: “Mind the Gap: Administrators' Role in Reducing Tensions Between Campus Law Enforcement and Student Activists.”
Read and download Jill & Alice’s work
Nina M. Flores
Assistant Professor, Social and Cultural Analysis of Education, College of Education, California State University Long Beach
Research Title: “Tweets, Threats, and Censorship: Campus Resources to Support Faculty Through Incidents of Targeted Harassment”
Read and download Nina’s work
Nicholas Havey
UCLA Higher Education and Organizational Change PhD Candidate
Research Title: “Are Campuses Echo Chambers? Exploring the Information Networks of Student Leaders”
Read and download Nick’s work
Jennifer Lambe
Associate Professor, Communication, University of Delaware
Research Title: "Best Practices for Balancing Free Speech and Diversity in Higher Education”
Read and download Jennifer’s work
Elizabeth Niehaus
Associate Professor, Educational Administration, University of Nebraska – Lincoln
Research Title: “Self-Censorship or Just Being Nice? Understanding College Students’ Moral Reasoning around Free Speech in the Classroom”
Read and download Elizabeth’s work
Brian Soucek
Professor of Law, University of California, Davis
Research Title: “Institutional Values, Academic Freedom, and the First Amendment”
Read and download Brian’s work
Our second class of fellows represents academics, student affairs professionals, lawyers, students and other experts—each of whom is addressing a timely and complex issue pertaining to expression on campus. Each fellow spent one week in residence at a UC campus engaging with members of the campus community.
Learn more about the fellows and their work by watching this brief video:
Melissa Barthelemy
PhD Candidate in Public History, UC Santa Barbara
Research Title: “Let There Be Light: Freedom of Expression on Campus,” a Student Affairs Toolkit
Read and download Melissa's work
Jonathan Friedman
Director of PEN America's Campus Free Speech Program
Research Title: “Free Speech Guides for Diversity Offices, Student Affairs and Residence Life”
Read and download Jonathan's work
Nikita Gupta
Director of the GRIT Coaching Program at UCLA
Research Title: “Transforming Moments of Conflict Through Embodied Leadership: A Guide for Student Affairs Professionals”
Read and download Nikita's work
Spoma Jovanovic
Professor of Communication Studies at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro
Research Title: “Free Speech & Public Spaces: Voice, Activism and Democracy”
Read and download Spoma's work
Rebecca MacKinnon
Director of Ranking Digital Rights at New America
Research Title: “Reclaiming Free Speech for Democracy and Human Rights in a Digitally Networked World”
Read and download Rebecca's work
Saugher Nojan
UC Santa Cruz Sociology Ph.D. student
Research Title: “Examining Free Speech and Civic Engagement Among UC Muslim Students: What Role Does Campus Safety Play?”
Read and download Saugher's work
Lara Schwartz | Andrea Brenner
Director of American University’s Project on Civil Discourse / Sociologist, Educational Consultant, and College Transitions Specialist
Research Title: “Let Freedom (and Respect) Ring: Fostering Civil Discourse and Free Speech in the Classroom and Beyond”
Read and download Lara and Andrea's work
Emerson Sykes
Staff Attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union
Research Title: “Free Speech for Student Activists: A First Amendment Workshop for Student Leaders”
Read and download Emerson's work
Shira Tarrant
Professor of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at California State University, Long Beach
Research Title: “Sex.Talk.Toolkit”
Read Shira's work
John Wilson
Co-editor of AcademeBlog.org
Research Title: “Freedom of the Press on Campus”
Read and download John's work
This inaugural class of fellows, who included scholars, students and journalists from across the country, spent a year researching critical issues related to speech and diversity, protest and inclusivity. Their work included developing tools, analyzing data and presenting lessons from history, and was showcased in this publication (PDF) at the Center’s #SpeechMatters conference on March 21, 2019 in Washington, DC. You can read and download their final work below.
Robert Cohen
Professor, New York University
Cohen compared free speech crises at UC Berkeley in 2017 and the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1967, then developed related curriculum materials for middle and high school teachers and incoming college students.
Download Robert Cohen's Research (PDF)Carlos Cortes
Professor Emeritus, UC Riverside
Cortes explored the history of diversity initiatives on college campuses and how those initiatives have affected students' and administrators' evolving views on free speech issues.
Download Carlos Cortes's Research (PDF)Ellis Cose
Best-selling Author, Former ACLU Writer-in-residence
Cose performed a deep analysis of the challenges of protecting free expression in the context of polarized politics, accusations of fake news and a rise in white nationalism, supplementing his book project on the history of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Download Ellis Cose's Research (PDF)Justin McClinton
Ph.D. Candidate, UC Santa Barbara
McClinton developed a toolkit that helps university administrators prepare incoming students to engage with challenging ideas.
Download Justin McClinton's Research (PDF)Candace McCoy
Director, Office of the Inspector General for the New York Police; Professor, Graduate Center, City University of New York
McCoy studied recent protests and changing police practices when groups decide that rioting or threats of violence are necessary to bring attention to their issues.
Download Candace McCoy's Research (PDF)Elizabeth Meyer
Associate Professor, University of Colorado Boulder
Meyer aimed to demystify First Amendment topics such as free speech, harassment and nondiscrimination in K-12 and university settings, including surveying educators on challenging acts of expression in their classrooms.
Download Elizabeth Meyer's Research (PDF)William Morrow
Former UC Berkeley Student Body President
Morrow created a "playbook" for student leaders on how to handle the unique politics, legal restrictions, community relations and complex media communications involved with expressing opposition to the messaging of controversial speakers.
Download William Morrow's Research (PDF)Carlin Romano
Professor, University of Pennsylvania; Critic at Large, The Chronicle of Higher Education
Romano worked with the country's top intellectuals and writers to set up debates on controversial topics at up to eight college campuses. He wrote a series of articles connected to these debates, examining when and why conventional viewpoints tip into the unacceptable.
Download Carlin Romano's Research (PDF)Gamelyn Oduardo-Sierra
Legal Counsel, University of Puerto Rico
Oduardo-Sierra focused on developing online resources, podcasts and educational guides about the rights of assembly, public forums and civic participation as avenues of social conciliation.
Download Gamelyn Oduardo-Sierra's Research (PDF)Keith Whittington
William Nelson Cromwell Professor, Princeton University
Whittington built on previous work to develop model guidelines for campus free speech, moving from the defense of principles to concrete statements and regulations that can be adapted and used by college administrators.
Download Keith Whittington's Research (PDF)