Who we are:
We are the USC campus chapter of the Heterodox Academy. Our group consists of faculty, staff, and alumni concerned about the state of free speech, viewpoint diversity, constructive disagreement and the pursuit of truth at USC. This newsletter provides commentary and updates on the state of these values at USC and across academia, as well as news about our campus chapter.
Our priorities:
The university has made a move towards institutional neutrality but we encourage the university to now officially endorse the Chicago Principles around free speech.
USC is ranked #245 out of 251 on the 2025 Free Speech Rankings Report produced by FIRE. We ask that the university prioritize improving our ranking, especially now we’ve fallen from #109 to #245 in a single year.
If you’d like to get more directly involved in our group, please write us at heterodox.usc@gmail.com.
Resources:
USC Policy on Free Speech (for faculty and students)
USC Student Handbook (Section on free expression begins on page 70 of the PDF)
The USC Center for the Political Future advances cross-aisle dialogue on the USC campus and beyond.
Heterodox Academy (HxA) is a free, nonpartisan membership organization for those in the academy committed to advancing the principles of open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement to improve higher education and academic research.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression defends fundamental rights on college campuses.
The Academic Freedom Alliance (AFA) is a non-profit organization whose members are dedicated to protecting the rights of faculty members at colleges and universities to speak, instruct, and publish without fear of sanction or punishment
