Universities again, and a hypothesis

“In a modern and democratic society, universities serve functions such as educating students, producing knowledge, and protecting the knowledge produced and, consequently, the cultural heritage of societies. For these functions to be realized, these same institutions require the freedom to think the unthinkable, discuss the undiscussable, and challenge the unchallengeable.”

Not long ago, Yale University (USA) published a report titled Trust in Higher Education. The previous paragraph is from this report. The italicized emphases are mine. As I understand it, the purpose of preparing the report is the declining expectation of the US public toward universities and, consequently, the diminishing respect for them.

All the professors who prepared the report are from Yale University. The quote I took from the report is from another report published by the same university 51 years ago, titled Freedom of Expression at Yale University (Woodward Report, Google). The primary impetus for preparing the report half a century ago was the protests started in universities by some students and professors who opposed the Vietnam War, and the state intervention against them. By the way, let me emphasize: these days, among US readers, there is constant talk about the many similarities between the past Nixon administration and Trump’s current my way or the highway style of governance. 

However, as I touched upon briefly in the introduction, the main motivations for preparing the old and new Yale reports are quite different. The old report was prepared primarily out of dissatisfaction that the university—both its students and faculty—was not showing the necessary sensitivity to freedom of expression on the part of the country's administration. However, according to those who prepared the report, and quite rightly, this condemnation should not reach levels or dimensions that would burn and destroy everything and hinder the functions of education and research. 

The main reason for the preparation of the new report is quite different. The fundamental problem is that the American public is increasingly becoming both angry at and distrustful of its universities. Worsening economic conditions are making it difficult for an increasing number of families to provide higher education for their children, and there are various injustices and inequalities in university admissions. An increasing number of students find both the content of the courses and the teaching methods of the professors inadequate. 

Freedom of expression is also quite problematic in today's American universities. The vast majority of students and faculty are liberal-minded. However, this liberalism does not leave much room for conservative views, especially among students. This same intolerance can reach an absurd level in some cases. Even in scientific publications, it may not be welcomed to make a he/she distinction when talking about gender differences between men and women. 

Furthermore, the situation of faculty members in today's American universities is not very bright either. Faculty members without tenure (the job security granted to a small number of faculty members as a rule) refrain from expressing dissenting views on any subject for fear of losing their jobs. 

Look, universities are, of course, established with the resources of the society they are in. However, by the nature of their functions, they have to be, and indeed must be, quite different from that society. At the very least, the idea that everyone has one vote on any given issue does not really work there. In a university, meritocracy—you could also call it competence—prevails over democracy. The sharp-wittedness that generally disturbs society is a highly sought-after quality in a university. In short, universities are very special structures, created by the same societies to make them happier, but with very unique internal dynamics and rules. They are formations that are always educational, often creative, sometimes acting as a lighthouse, teaching, creating, advancing, and often protecting civilization. I made a reference to this in these columns not long ago (12punto, Our Universities, Hasan Yazıcı, Google). After the great defeat his country suffered following the First World War, the famous German soldier and statesman Hindenburg said: 'It is a good thing they did not touch our universities.' On the other hand, it is said that Cambridge and Oxford won the Second World War. 

You may agree or disagree. I also have a hypothesis. In today's White House, a tragicomic, and for the future of humanity, a dangerous, dangerous farce is being played out, with Trump in the lead role and a large number of domestic and foreign actors taking on secondary roles or acting as extras. While reading the new Yale University report I mentioned, as a very senior university enthusiast, I kept thinking: In a region that has universities where the unthinkable can be thought, the undiscussable can be discussed, and the unchallengeable can be challenged, such a farce could not be staged; even if it were, it would be booed by everyone in unison.