Programs & Campaigns

NEAVS Supporters Speak Out

Letter from Tovis Page, PhD3, Harvard University, to Mr. Richard Cravatts, Publisher

Dear Mr. Cravatts,
As a member of the Harvard University community, I was disappointed to hear that you have succumbed to pressure from individual faculty members to censor an advertisement for the New England Anti-Vivisection Society in Harvard’s American Repertory Theater’s program book. While individuals certainly have the right to voice their opinions and concerns about this or any ad in the program, I would hope that publishers like yourself would resist pressure to discriminate, especially against organizations like NEAVS, whose ads you have previously accepted and run.

I am concerned that you have decided to err on the side of censorship instead of freedom of speech, and that you are allowing certain powerful individuals to dictate the terms of public discourse by stifling certain voices. Freedom of thought and expression is especially crucial to the integrity and vitality of a university, particularly one like Harvard, who prides itself in "encourag[ing] students to respect ideas and their free expression, and to rejoice in discovery and in critical thought" as it boasts in its mission statement. As a graduate student at Harvard who intends to make a career in the Academy, I take this commitment to critical thinking and free expression very seriously, and I am deeply saddened that not all faculty members share my commitment. I hope that you will ultimately decide to support the ideals of freedom of expression and open, public debate instead of helping those few individuals who seek to undermine them.

Sincerely,
Tovis Page
PhD3
Harvard University

More letters: Beverly Rockhill, PhD | Paul Waldau, D.Phil, J.D., M.A.

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