The Contours of Free Expression on Campus

About the event

WSU students, faculty, staff, and community are invited to look, listen, and talk about freedom of expression at universities when WSU Libraries and WSU’s Gamma of Washington Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa host in-person and video-streamed discussions on, “The Contours of Free Expression on Campus.”

The video-streamed presentation will feature former Philadelphia Inquirer Editor William Marimow and
Phi Beta Kappa Secretary/CEO Fred Lawrence as they engage in wide-ranging dialogue on the recent challenges and resulting debates concerning free expression occurring on campuses across the country.

The pair will speak live from Trinity College. That Hartford, Conn., school that experienced controversy earlier this year surrounding a faculty member’s comments on social media.

Freedom of expression is one of Phi Beta Kappa’s distinctive and longstanding commitments as an honor society, dating back to its founding in 1776.

According to Lawrence, the video-streamed presentation is one of several national PBK events planned that will offer a variety of perspectives and resources to help catalyze local discussions about free expression, and to address the issue in serious, thoughtful, constructive, and civil ways.