Academic freedom at its finest.

The FIRE, which has been making regular reports on the progress (or lack thereof) in the case against Brandeis University, reports that Brandeis University has created such an atmosphere of fear of reprisal, Hindley's colleagues are afraid to speak up with their disapproval of his treatment.  Hindley said, in an interview, 

"that despite the response of the faculty Senate and the committee on faculty rights," which has been uniformly scathing and critical of Brandeis' administration, "individual tenured members of his department, though outraged, would not stand up publicly on his behalf. One of them explained to him, 'I'm about to retire.' He and others fear retaliation." 

Lovely.  Just another case of "academic freedom" at an institution where the only freedom is the freedom to agree with the administration.

On the academic freedom for students front, we have another interesting case.  English professor Andrew Kent Hallam at Denver, Colorado's, Metro State College, assigned an essay to his composition class.  He didn't allow them to pick the topic, or pick the side of the argument, or even pick who they wanted to criticize.  The whole class was assigned to write an essay critical of Republican Vice Presidential Nominee Sarah Palin.  

Like I've said, I teach English Composition.  I do not, however, choose my students' topics for them.  I've learned that not every student is interested in the same types of topics as I am, or even as each other.  I've also learned that, when the student isn't interested, or when they flat disagree with the premise put forth in an assigned topic, they do not do their best work.  I don't grade on their topic choice--unless they pick one that's too broad for the page range, and then all I do is help them figure that out, and narrow it down.  I don't grade on the side of the issue they take up.  I don't grade on their opinions.

And, while I do allow debate between the students in class, and do allow them to tease each other good naturedly, I do not allow them to become derogatory towards one another.  Hallam, on the other hand, "encouraged the majority liberals to repeatedly deride" the few, singled out Republicans in the class.

Way to teach freedom of speech, thought, and opinion, dude.