Professor Miriam Elman is the Executive Director of the Academic Engagement Network (AEN), an organization that mobilizes university faculty and administrators to counter antisemitism, defend academic freedom, and support Jewish and Zionist identities in higher education. Under her leadership, AEN has grown to a vibrant network of over 1,500 members across diverse academic disciplines, and she is a widely recognized scholar. A widely recognized scholar, award-winning teacher, and prolific writer on Middle East politics, civil rights, and campus climate, she previously served as a tenured associate professor of political science at Syracuse University's Maxwell School.

The hardest campus speech debates begin where two values collide: protecting open inquiry and protecting students from environments shaped by hostility and discrimination. When hateful expression may still be protected, what should universities actually do?

Professor Miriam Elman believes the answer is not to abandon free expression, but to pair it with academic responsibility and the university's own educational voice. She argues that leaders can condemn hateful rhetoric without censoring it, while faculty freedom does not excuse weak scholarship, one-sided teaching, or departments that close off dissenting views. That distinction matters because preserving academic freedom means protecting rigorous disagreement, not giving institutional cover to propaganda, discrimination, or professional misconduct.

In this episode of the Lights On podcast, Sarah Livingston is joined by Professor Miriam Elman, Executive Director of the Academic Engagement Network (AEN), to discuss academic freedom versus hate speech. They explore how leaders can answer hateful speech without suppressing expression, why academic freedom must include responsibility and integrity, and how institutional neutrality can protect dissent. Professor Elman also shares why allyship gives her hope for higher education.

Professor Ron Hassner is the Chancellor's Professor of Political Science and the Helen Diller Family Chair in Israel Studies at UC Berkeley, where he also serves as faculty director of the Helen Diller Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies, which advances scholarship and public discourse on Israel and Jewish law. He has received multiple distinguished teaching awards at Berkeley and nationally, and under his leadership, the Helen Diller Institute has grown to become the largest Israel studies institute in the country. In the aftermath of October 7th, Professor Hassner became a prominent national voice against antisemitism on campus, most notably through his widely covered two-week "sleep-in" protest to demand better protection for Jewish students.

Universities pride themselves on being places where arguments are tested with evidence, but that promise gets fragile when intimidation starts replacing debate. When students can no longer move, speak, or learn freely, what role should faculty play in intervening?

For Professor Ron Hassner, the key lies in defending the conditions that make scholarship possible, not turning professors into political activists. As tensions and anti-Semitic incidents on campus escalated after the October 7th attacks, he staged a highly visible protest, sleeping in his campus office, keeping his light on, and urging students to choose a peaceful route through Strawberry Creek rather than force their way through a blocked Sather Gate. Through constant dialogue, communal gatherings, and clear demands for campus policy changes, Professor Hassner demonstrates how faculty can confront antisemitism while protecting academic freedom, student safety, and the university's integrity.

In this episode of the Lights On podcast, host Sarah Livingston is joined by Professor Ron Hassner, Chancellor's Professor of Political Science and the Helen Diller Family Chair in Israel Studies at UC Berkeley, to discuss fighting antisemitism in academia. They explore his office sleep-in, faculty responsibility, and protecting academic integrity. Professor Hassner also shares advice on peaceful protest and supporting Jewish students.