June 9, 2025
The founding of the MIT Free Speech Alliance (MFSA) was rooted in the 2021 Abbot Cancellation, when the scholarly presentation of a professor from the University of Chicago
was cancelled over a personal viewpoint he had expressed: that DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) should not be a factor in faculty hiring. MFSA represents MIT alumni who believe that any suppression of viewpoints is anathema at a leading institution of scientific inquiry.
MFSA has not taken any position on DEI itself,
as we say on our website. However, we have been adamant that the program be subject to discussion and accountability rather than being “beyond debate”. Indeed,
our first sponsored debate centered on whether academic DEI programs should be abolished. The Abbot Cancellation revealed to us and others that proponents of DEI policies at MIT were a major source of the illiberal speech suppression which has led to the high levels of self-censorship reported in surveys.
Recently, and likely in part in response to initiatives by the Trump administration, MIT reconsidered its commitment to DEI, which it was pursuing under the rubric of “Belonging, Achievement, and Composition” (BAC) – terminology adopted after the negative publicity of the Abbot Cancellation. As a result,
President Kornbluth announced plans last month to dismantle the Institute Community and Equity Office (ICEO), which provided central coordination for DEI programs. As part of this change, MIT will not replace the Vice President who led ICEO and will decentralize its programs and operations. MIT will also discontinue the top-down Strategic Action Plan for Belonging, Achievement, and Composition.
When announcing this initiative in 2022, MIT described its purpose in part as “provid[ing] an Institute-wide framework for advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion across MIT.” Academic and administrative units are now encouraged to develop their independent plans in this area to the extent they believe appropriate.
These are major institutional changes, but to be clear, they are not changes for which MFSA specifically advocated. (As a reminder, here is
detailed set of long-term recommendations that we
did make to MIT last year.) Nevertheless, MFSA approves of MIT’s decision to eliminate institutional structures that all too often encourage speech suppression and self-censorship. We further commend the administration for considering broad alumni feedback, including from MFSA’s leadership, in their reassessment of this program.
MFSA points out that not all the DEI-based sources of speech suppression have been eliminated. DEI still officially exists at the department level, giving proponents the opportunity to discourage open discourse and encourage self-censorship. MIT’s Bias Response Team
still exists and reports to the Chancellor, with a mandate that includes investigating allegations of “harmful” speech – exactly the kind of activity we oppose.
It hardly needs to be said that we are living in turbulent times. We believe that meaningful advancement in knowledge depends on upholding the highest values of our culture by maintaining open and civil dialogue to find solutions and make discoveries. At their best, universities are the beating heart of that culture. MFSA will continue our efforts to fully restore these values at the leading STEM university in the world.
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