Radio Free Campus

In this episode of Radio Free Campus, co-hosts Steve McGuire and Justin Garrison talk about Tyler Austin Harper's recent essay on leaving Bates College because its excessive racial politics made him feel like a tokenized minority. They also discuss a new report that claims civil dialogue is a right-wing conspiracy to silence dissent. Steve and Justin also explain the AAUP's official move into election politics. The show hosts end by announcing MTSU's Michael Federici as this episode's "Hero of the People" and the Uncivil Collective as RFC's "Apparatchik of the Month."

Uncivil Collective Report on Civil Discourse: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/697aaee6d514536250bb76e6/t/6a345c4b012f5525a5b8a3ad/1781816395757/UNCIVIL_funder_analysis_report_June_2026.pdf

"Why I Quit the Tenure Track", Tyler Austin Harper: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/09/elite-academia-leadership-hypocrisy/687969/

Was Jason Arday an academic superstar or a plagiarizing fraud? Do Nathan Cofnas's research interests invalidate his critique of Arday's work? Why are so few talking about the University of Cambridge's role in this story?

In this episode of Radio Free Campus, co-hosts Steve McGuire and Justin Garrison discuss the case of Jason Arday, a former Cambridge professor accused of plagiarism and found dead shortly after a scandal about his research broke in July 2026. The hosts discuss the accusations against Arday, how he and Cambridge responded to questions about Arday's academic qualifications and integrity, and what has happened to Nathan Cofnas, the most recent scholar to raise questions about the originality of Arday's scholarship.

ACTA: https://www.goacta.org/

Campus Freedom Initiative: https://www.goacta.org/campus-freedom-initiative/

Steve McGuire: https://www.goacta.org/staff/steven-mcguire/

Justin Garrison: https://www.goacta.org/staff/justin-garrison/

The "Vanderbilt Report" criticizes the field of anthropology as allowing politics to shape its research. How did Carolyn Rouse, a Princeton professor and president of the American Anthropological Association, respond to the criticisms? In this episode of Radio Free Campus, co-hosts Steve McGuire and Justin Garrison analyze Rouse's masterclass in obfuscation, ad hominem attacks, whataboutism, and just plain weird comments during an interview with the Chronicle of Higher Education about the report's claims.

The RFC hosts also discuss the enduring blockheadedness of viewpoint diversity opponents, and they talk about the University of Chicago Law School's classroom laptop ban. Finally, Steve and Justin announce Jeffrey Collins, associate director of academic affairs the University of Florida's Hamilton School, as this episode's "Hero of the People" and, you guessed it, Carolyn Rouse as RFC's "Apparatchik of the Month."

Harvard University has many problems, especially when it comes to intellectual diversity. Can they undertake the hard work of reform, including hiring more conservative scholars? In this episode of Radio Free Campus, Steve McGuire talks with the legendary Harvey C. Mansfield, professor emeritus at Harvard, about higher education's lack of conservative intellectuals and other problems. If you want to know more about Mansfield's work discussed in the episode, check out his books Where Harvard Went Wrong and The Rise and Fall of Rational Control.

How biased is academic research? Are some fields more interested in ideological conformity than intellectual diversity and academic freedom? In this episode of Radio Free Campus, co-hosts Steve McGuire and Justin Garrison discuss the recently released "Vanderbilt Report" on the professional quality of academic research in selected humanities and social science disciplines. The report paints a nuanced picture of the role ideology can play in academic research, but Steve and Justin comment on how that hasn't stopped opponents of intellectual diversity from dismissing the report out of hand. Steve and Justin also announce Jonathan Turley as this episode's "Hero of the People" and Russian President Vladimir Putin as RFC's "Apparatchik of the Month."

ACTA: https://www.goacta.org/

Campus Freedom Initiative: https://www.goacta.org/campus-freedom-initiative/

Steve McGuire: https://www.goacta.org/staff/steven-mcguire/

Justin Garrison: https://www.goacta.org/staff/justin-garrison/

Are the new university civics centers the key to solving the intellectual diversity crisis in higher education? In this episode of Radio Free Campus, podcast co-hosts Steve McGuire and Justin Garrison talk with Lee Strang, executive director of the Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society at The Ohio State University, about how university-based civics centers are at the forefront of a revival of civic education and intellectual diversity in American higher education. Not everyone is pleased. Steve and Justin also discuss the funding and organizational efforts behind the AAUP's campaign to undermine these new civics centers.

Chase Center: https://chasecenter.osu.edu/

ACTA: https://www.goacta.org/

Campus Freedom Initiative: https://www.goacta.org/campus-freedom-initiative/

Steve McGuire: https://www.goacta.org/staff/steven-mcguire/

Justin Garrison: https://www.goacta.org/staff/justin-garrison/

In this episode of Radio Free Campus, podcast co-hosts Steve McGuire and Justin Garrison talk with Lauren Noble, founder and executive director of the Buckley Institute, about Yale's strengths and weaknesses when it comes to promoting free speech and intellectual diversity. Steve and Justin also discuss how a recent Yale report on trust in higher education could generate much needed campus freedom reforms at the Ivy League university.

Website: https://www.goacta.org/

Campus Freedom Initiative: https://www.goacta.org/campus-freedom-initiative/

Steve McGuire: https://www.goacta.org/staff/steven-mcguire/

Justin Garrison: https://www.goacta.org/staff/justin-garrison/

In this episode of Radio Free Campus, co-hosts Steve McGuire and Justin Garrison discuss Israel-Palestine controversies, the coddling of students' minds, and AI resistance at various 2026 graduation ceremonies. Steve and Justin also announce Vanderbilt University Chancellor Daniel Diermeier as this episode's "Hero of the People" and Penn State Dickinson Law School as RFC's "Apparatchik of the Month."

Website: https://www.goacta.org/

Campus Freedom Initiative: https://www.goacta.org/campus-freedom-initiative/

Steve McGuire: https://www.goacta.org/staff/steven-mcguire/

Justin Garrison: https://www.goacta.org/staff/justin-garrison/

In this episode of Radio Free Campus, podcast co-hosts Steve McGuire and Justin Garrison talk with Benjamin Crocker, University Dean at the University of Austin (UATX), about UATX's founding mission, its early successes as a new university, and how UATX sees itself as offering a compelling alternative to what students get from most American universities today.

Want to join ACTA's Webinar on Intellectual Diversity on May 6th? Register here: https://www.goacta.org/event/no-two-minds-alike/

In this episode of Radio Free Campus, co-hosts Steve McGuire and Justin Garrison analyze an argument from a Harvard Law Professor claiming efforts to deplatform invited campus speakers are not always censorship, but could be . . . "pre-emptive protest"? The podcast hosts also discuss the results of ACTA's Ohio Report Card, a study of policies and student perspectives on the free expression climates at Ohio State, Kent State, Miami, Cincinnati, and OHIO. Steve and Justin also announce UC Davis Law School as this episode's "Hero of the People" and a UCLA professor as RFC's "Apparatchik of the Month."

Want to join ACTA's Webinar on Intellectual Diversity on May 6th? Register here: https://www.goacta.org/event/no-two-minds-alike/

Ohio Report Card: https://www.goacta.org/campus-freedom-initiative/oh-report-card/

Ohio Survey: https://www.goacta.org/resource/campus-experience-survey-an-assessment-of-students-at-four-year-public-universities-in-ohio/

UCLA Report Card: https://www.goacta.org/campus-freedom-initiative/ucla-report-card/

Website: https://www.goacta.org/

Campus Freedom Initiative: https://www.goacta.org/campus-freedom-initiative/

Steve McGuire: https://www.goacta.org/staff/steven-mcguire/

Justin Garrison: https://www.goacta.org/staff/justin-garrison/