In an open letter today, FIRE asks Vanderbilt University Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos important questions about how Vanderbilt will handle the ramifications of its recent decision to ban political and religious student groups on campus from making leadership decisions based on their core beliefs. FIRE points out that Vanderbilt must be willing to explain whether the university will, for example, force a Muslim group whose leader converts to Christianity to retain that person as a leader, or whether politically oriented student newspapers will now be forced to accept columnists who denigrate the newspaper's own beliefs. Read Full Article
Only two days are left to enter FIRE's contest on Prizes.org for the best tweet promoting our video about the infamous Firefly censorship case at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, now with nearly 80,000 views on YouTube. The best tweet promoting the video will receive a grand prize of $300, with smaller prizes for runners-up. Take a look at the contest rules and feel free to vote on as many entries as you like. In two days, only 10 finalists will remain, and voting will begin to determine the grand prize winner. Submit your own entry now!
The University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) has eliminated its speech codes, earning the highest "green light" rating for free speech from the FIRE. While two-thirds of the nation's colleges maintain policies that clearly and substantially restrict freedom of speech, Ole Miss is now a proud exception, having fully reformed four policies that restricted speech protected by the First Amendment. Ole Miss is the 16th school nationwide to earn a green light, the fifth to do so in the last two years, and the first in Mississippi. Ole Miss administrators worked in close contact with FIRE attorneys to address the university's speech codes. Read Full Article
Syracuse University's School of Education has readmitted a graduate student it had expelled from its teaching program after he complained on Facebook about a racially charged comment made in his presence by a community leader. Syracuse had told Matthew Werenczak that his only chance for reinstatement was to undergo a special course of diversity training and counseling for "anger management"—all because he expressed annoyance over a community leader's complaint that student teachers were coming from Syracuse rather than historically black colleges. Within hours of FIRE bringing his case to the public, Werenczak was readmitted. Read Full Article
Syracuse University's School of Education has effectively expelled a graduate student from its teaching program after he complained on Facebook about a racially charged comment made in his presence by a community leader. Syracuse told Matthew Werenczak that his only chance for reinstatement was to undergo a special course of diversity training and counseling for "anger management"—all because he expressed annoyance over a community leader's complaint that student teachers were coming from Syracuse rather than historically black colleges. After completing all requirements but still being denied readmission, Werenczak turned to FIRE for help. Read Full Article
FIRE is pleased to announce the launch of a new series, the CFN Student Spotlight. This new monthly feature will highlight the accomplishments of a Campus Freedom Network member who is doing an exceptional job of promoting free speech and individual rights on his or her campus. The first student in our series is Moriah Costa, Arizona State University ‘14, who collaborated with her student group to erect a “free speech wall” on campus. Congratulations, Moriah!
Auburn University has discriminated against a student by ordering him to remove a Ron Paul banner from his dormitory window. Although the university has nominally instituted a "total ban" on window decorations, a dozen or more other window decorations have been permitted. Moreover, the university has failed to provide any evidence that such a total ban is necessary. Today FIRE has asked Auburn to justify its discriminatory enforcement of the supposed "total ban" on this form of student expression.
Just one day after FIRE announced that the University of Florida (UF) maintained the only remaining Speech Code of the Year for 2011, UF deleted the offending language from its policies. This revision means that just over two weeks after the University of Florida and California State University-Chico were jointly named as having FIRE's Speech Codes of the Year for 2011, both of the speech codes in question have now been eliminated, as Chico State revised its policy last week. While FIRE is pleased with the victory at UF, the university has done the bare minimum, leaving a number of unconstitutional speech restrictions in place. A thorough revision of the university's codes is required to uphold free speech on UF's campus. Read Full Article
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