ASU Alumni Unite To Support Free Expression

For far too long, American universities have treated their alumni as walking check books, expecting endless giving and support for little in return.

What obligations do alumni have to their alma mater? For far too long, American universities have treated their alumni as walking check books, expecting endless giving and support for little in return. Alumni do have an obligation to support the schools that made them who they are today — but their obligation extends further: Sun Devils past, present, and future should also step up to defend the university’s flourishing. In some cases, this means applause. In others, it looks like criticism. In either case, such investment in the school is an act of love. Tough love, in some cases, but love nonetheless.

Arizona State University Alumni for Free Speech was founded on the rooftop of the Canopy Hotel right off University Drive late last year with this in mind. Alumni ranging from the class of ‘85 to the class of ‘25 came together because we love ASU — and we recognize that to love means to will the good of the other; not to sit idly by until the fundraising department reaches out to see if we’ll toss them a few bucks.

ASU does a good job on many fronts, at least in comparison to other universities across our great nation. But that’s a damn low bar. We want to see our university succeed, championing free expression, dedicating itself to academic rigor, dominating in every field of athletics, and defending academic freedom. We recognize that professors, administrators, and students do not always have the support they need within the Sun Devil community to fight the uphill battles that need to be fought: students with unpopular, even wrongheaded, opinions deserve to express their ideas in an appropriate forum; professors researching controversial subjects and coming to controversial conclusions ought not be punished; and administrators unwilling to enforce speech codes or mandatory statements should be defended and championed.

This organization is also interested in success across the board for all Arizona universities. We intend to work with the Arizona Board of Regents and stakeholders across the Grand Canyon State to ensure alumni voices are heard, bringing together ASU alumni who care about these issues but have lacked both a platform for voicing their views and a formative community of fellow Sun Devils who talk about more than football — although we intend to talk about plenty of football, too.

Over the next several months we plan to build out our membership roster, publish this newsletter on a monthly basis to keep everyone in the loop, and host monthly virtual meetings so that we can catch up and report on our progress. If you’re interested in becoming a member, you can sign up here (it’s free). And don’t worry — if you’re not comfortable being a public member, private membership is an option.

This newsletter will serve as a hub for everything the group is working on, including special updates on our initiatives, and new opportunities. Subscribe here to keep in the loop.

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News and opportunities

Petition Arizona universities to adopt institutional neutrality: “We, the undersigned, alongside the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), petition the Board of Regents to adopt an official policy that clarifies and codifies its commitment to institutional neutrality, in addition to its existing materials on the subject.”

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Thanks for reading. We look forward to building this new institution alongside you — working together to make Arizona State University the best university in the world.

All best,

Joe Pitts

Chairman, ASU Alumni for Free Speech