'Teachers should not impose their opinions while lecturing'

If a student or lecturer at Utrecht University were to invite political activist Mohammed Khatib for a guest lecture, would the university allow it? Rector Henk Kummeling laughs. Radboud University Nijmegen was recently faced with this question. Though the Executive Board of that university gave the green light for the guest lecture to happen, their decision was ultimately overruled by the government, which banned the activist's entry into the country. Khatib is the European leader of Samidoun, a pro-Palestinian organisation that applauded Hamas' attack against Israel on October 7, 2023.

Kummeling understands his colleagues in Nijmegen. After all, academia must give freedom to multiple perspectives. For Kummeling, academic freedom means that lecturers and researchers are given enough space to investigate new angles and apply them to education and research. So, if someone with a completely different perspective comes along, that could be useful.

"Political parties are not allowed to meet at our universities. If someone wants to boast political propaganda, that's not a setting we want to lend ourselves to, either. However, if the gathering takes place in an academic setting, with enough space to critically question the guests, that's a different story. Why was October 7 an act of resistance, according to Samidoun? Why do they think only a one-state solution is possible? If you are allowed to ask such questions, I have no objection. Universities are there to organise critical debates. When it comes to unwelcome opinions, the precondition is for it to be put up for discussion.”

Academic freedom is different from freedom of speech

Kummeling warns that academic freedom is not the same as freedom of speech. A scientist must adhere to a code of academic integrity. But even then, academic freedom is not unlimited. When it comes to renting a room for extracurricular activities related to Gaza and/or Israel, additional conditions apply. The rector explained why in the previous part of this interview.

"Spot the differences". Cartoon by Niels Bongers

But it remains a difficult decision. Conspiracy theorist Willem Engel was not welcome in Rotterdam, but Jeroen Pols, who is affiliated with the same group, Viruswaanzin, was welcome in Utrecht. Kummeling: “Risks will be weighed up each time. We look at safety and the chance of a riot, but also at things like whether or not there is enough room for critical questions. In Jeroen Pols' case, there was room for that. The additional conditions only apply to activities around Gaza and/or Israel.”

These academic requirements apply to classes too. “The core of science is that it is never finished. As a teacher, you can seldom proclaim something as the truth. You must always be open to other perspectives and be prepared to engage in discussions about the quality of the work at hand. Michael Ignatius, the Canadian historian and writer, said it beautifully when opening the academic year in Amsterdam. He said that, as a teacher, you should never burden students with the truth but rather offer them a wide variety of ideas.”

As a teacher, you can seldom proclaim anything as the truth

A lecturer in Environmental Philosophy is quite outspoken. He qualifies people who eat meat as murderers and calls on people to stop flying on their holidays. According to him, we have a moral duty not to kill animals and stop climate change. Students may feel uncomfortable with such views. How does Kummeling see it? “If you want a black-and-white answer about how the university should deal with scientists who are also activists, you're doomed to failure. There is no single answer. If a lecturer wants to provoke students by adopting strong positions, they can do that. As long as they are always open to debate. There must be room for a heated discussion. We must not end up in a situation where a lecturer is no longer allowed to say certain things because they are under pressure from students. Conversely, we shouldn't end up in a situation where a lecturer wants to instil certain things as the truth. So if the statement "if you eat meat, you are a murderer" is a trigger for discussion, it belongs in a university. If it is intended to insult people, then it doesn't.”

Right-wing students can be an enrichment to the university. But they must be open to debate too

A while ago, DUB wrote about lecturers who are approached by students who complain that they don't speak young people's language and don't address students correctly regarding gender or cultural background. “As a lecturer, you must be aware of your audience. If you feel there is a disconnect, then you should discuss it. Where does that disconnect come from? However, students must also be open towards different perspectives. If they don't want that, one can wonder what they are doing at a university.”

Some see the university as a left-wing or "woke" stronghold. To what extent are students with an extreme right-wing background an enrichment to UU? Would a lecturer affiliated with the Dutch far-right party Forum for Democracy also be welcome at the university?

“Yes, students with extreme right-wing views can be an enrichment to the university,” he says. “But they must also be open to a debate and defend their views with valid arguments. Lecturers affiliated with all political parties can apply for a vacancy here. This also applies to politicians who have served in the House of Representatives. They will be mainly assessed according to their scientific track record. We do not hire people based on their political or social experiences. It is all about how good of a lecturer or researcher they are.”

I am not in favor of trading, but of adding multiple perspectives

As a rector, Kummeling has strongly advocated an inclusive curriculum. How to achieve that? Isn't our curriculum too Western-oriented? "But that doesn't mean we should exclude certain philosophers or books as that would kill academic freedom. Schopenhauer once wrote that women are no good. You shouldn't ban a book like that, but it could be a good starting point for a discussion. We need to contextualise things from the past as we did in the Utrecht University Building with the bust of South African president Paul Kruger." 

He would like the curriculum to have more room for alternative perspectives. "I am in favour of diversity as it enriches the debate. For example, I once asked a student assistant to collect information about coalition formation. Then you almost automatically get documents about coalition formation in Western Europe. But it also happens in Africa. By studying that, we can learn a lot. I am not in favour of trading, but rather of adding more perspectives."

Photo: DUB

However, students may feel uncomfortable when faced with lecturers with strong opinions or behaviours. Some students are bothered by how their lecturers defend their ideas about the climate, while others find that gender issues are so closely scrutinised it is difficult to argue against them. For example, a teacher may participate in a pro-Palestine occupation one day and stand in front of a classroom that disagrees with occupations the next day. The rector says that teachers should ask themselves if students or colleagues still feel safe to express different opinions around them.

Photo: DUB

Kummeling says that scientists should have the freedom to express their ideas and opinions. For example, a teacher can be active in a political party or join a talk show table. In Kummeling's view, it is a good thing that scientists share their views about the climate. It is also good that they protest on the A12 motorway wearing their gowns. Again, as long as they listen to other people's objections and where they come from. “Repeating the message is not effective, apparently. Scientists should think about how they can best talk to people to show their knowledge.”

Scientists have an additional responsibility when teaching a lecture. “Teachers must ensure high-quality education. There are protocols for this and classes are evaluated. This means the teacher must adopt an open attitude, not impose opinions, use good scientific sources, and encourage students to think about the subject matter.”

Students may sometimes feel uncomfortable about the issues a teacher raises

If a student feels unsafe, Kummeling believes they should first approach the teacher in question, but there are other channels to do this, such as education coordinators or training committees. “Students may sometimes feel uncomfortable because of the issues raised by the teacher. This may happen regarding gender neutrality, for example. But that is also part of the learning process. The university is the right place to learn to deal with this. But, even then, the teacher must have an open attitude. They shouldn't declare certain issues taboo like they sometimes do in the United States.”

He says there are no signals that a similar problem is going on in Utrecht. Concerns only arise when it comes to Gaza.  “A teacher has every right to participate in a protest at the university. They may defend a boycott of Israeli universities, for instance. But as teachers, they have another role. If you are outspokenly critical of Israel or advocate a one-state solution, you must ask yourself what kind of effect you will have on Jewish students. As a teacher, you are not allowed to exclude anyone. Moreover, I've heard that some employees demand colleagues take a certain position, and if they don't do that, they deem those colleagues morally reprehensible. People literally avoid each other because of that. Such an attitude doesn't belong at a university."

This is not the only threat to academic freedom the rector identifies. He also sees a threat coming from the government as Dutch universities have been less and less able to chart their own courses. “Universities should have the freedom to set the course for their research. The government is increasingly interfering with that content and becoming increasingly directive. That is a bad news.”

As an example, the rector says that when admitting programmes, the government's main consideration is whether or not there is a prospect in the labour market, while sometimes a programme can be valuable and interesting for society in terms of content. Another example is that the government is making less and less money available to universities in the form of research funding, giving universities less freedom in choosing subjects.

This is the second part of the conversation with the rector about academic freedom. The first part covered international partnerships and the debate with pro-Palestine demonstrators advocating a boycott of Israeli universities.