Davidsonians for Freedom of Thought and Discourse

Read the full article > dftd.substack.com/p/when-one-vie…

At Davidson College, one political viewpoint dominates among the faculty. Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly 15 to 1 (with zero presence in the humanities). Political affiliation isn’t everything, but when one viewpoint is nearly absent, it raises real questions.

WATCH: Charlie Kirk was murdered at a @TPUSA campus event, triggering a national reckoning over free speech and political violence. So where do we go from here? Featuring powerful firsthand accounts from the students and staff there that day, this is “1AX: Political Violence.”

With $47 million in funding the new D.G. and Harriet Wall Martin Institute for Public Good provides hope for a future of fearless free speech. Read More ---> open.substack.com/pub/dftd/p/a-p…

UNC Chancellor Scraps Secret Recording Policy bit.ly/4ukn9Qe

Looking forward to this conversation! Always good to see fellow AFSA groups leading the charge.

@TheFIREorg @goACTA Of note in light of this morning's Campus Free Speech Roundtable is that @RepGregMurphy has introduced two new pieces of legislation aimed at protecting campus free speech. Read more here: murphy.house.gov/media/press-re…

Student acceptance of violence to silence speakers is at a record high. In 2020, 1 in 5 students said violence was acceptable to stop a speaker. In 2025, that number is 1 in 3. That’s a 79% increase in just five years. And it’s chilling.

NEW REPORT: Our Research & Policy Fellow @Swatkins_17 analyzes how @DavidsonCollege, @wlunews and @WilliamsCollege have shifted from faith & tradition to ideology. What do these changes mean for students, parents, and alumni? jamesgmartin.center/2025/08/from-p…

Here at DFTD we also advocate for FAFO; Fearless And Free Opinions, of course!

We’ve heard it before: DFTD is out of touch. But the numbers tell a different story. Recent grads are one of our fastest-growing cohorts, and they’re leading the charge to defend open discourse at Davidson. This isn’t nostalgia, it’s a turning point.

How Strong Is the Ivy League Curriculum? jamesgmartin.center/2025/07/how-st… via @AcademicRenewal

Davidson Alumni! This election is crucial to having a strong voice for free expression on the Davidson College Alumni Association Board and Board of Trustees. Don't forget to vote before July 14th!

“What makes university reform so urgent is that woke folly inevitably spreads from campuses throughout our society. Children have abysmal scores in math and English partly because radical professors in college education schools persuade their teachers to give priority to ‘social justice’ over the three Rs.” - Professor John Ellis wsj.com/opinion/the-pu…

Princeton students were asked about the state of free speech on campus. Their answers reveal a quiet crisis: “The current state of free speech on Princeton’s campus is one of cowardice.” Some aren’t sure what the policy is. Others say controversial views are shared in whispers—never openly. One student called out the school’s “truth-seeking” model: Who decides what’s true? Another added: “They’ll say things behind a mask. They’re not actually pursuing truth—if they were, they’d stand behind their views and engage in the rigor of debate.” This powerful video from @PrincetoniansFS is a must-watch. If the climate is this bad at one of the country’s most elite universities, what does that say about higher-ed more broadly?

OSU Prof. Stéphane Lavertu says fear is killing research in higher ed: “40% of academics are afraid to say things in their research or publicly because they’re afraid it’s gonna be misconstrued.” Faculty self-censorship is now 4.5x worse than it was during the Red Scare. This culture of fear isn’t just unhealthy — it’s making honest scholarship impossible.

Alumni, don't forget to stop by and say Hi while you're in town!

Students at Davidson are speaking up. Through DFTD, they’ve found spaces for honest dialogue and real intellectual engagement. This is why alumni support and action matter.

He's not alone. @afsaalumni is uniting alumni at Davidson and across the country to protect open inquiry and intellectual freedom on college campuses.

Former Governor of North Carolina and US Congressman, Jim Martin, recognized the challenges facing college campuses. He decided to take action at his alma mater, and joined a group of alumni doing the same. Watch the full video at youtube.com/watch?v=cmDUsO…