DePaul University: Censorship of Student Group Protesting Ward Churchill

A student group that protested a campus appearance by University of Colorado Professor Ward Churchill has become DePaul University's latest victim of censorship. FIRE denounced DePaul's Orwellian actions after the university banned its College Republicans from posting flyers protesting Churchill's visit and actually changed its own rules to prevent the organization from attending a workshop that he would be leading.  The school issued a formal warning condemning the student group.

Case Materials

• "DePaul University Revokes Vague Ban on ‘Propaganda’," January 6, 2006: Under pressure from FIRE, DePaul University has lifted a vague ban on “propaganda” that it used last fall to silence student protest of a campus appearance by controversial University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill.
• "E-Mail from DePaul President Dennis Holtschneider to FIRE, December 21, 2005," December 21, 2005
• "DePaul Forbids Student Group to Protest Ward Churchill," December 21, 2005: A student group that protested a campus appearance by University of Colorado Professor Ward Churchill has become DePaul University’s latest victim of censorship. FIRE intervened after the university banned its College Republicans from posting flyers protesting Churchill’s visit and actually changed its own rules to prevent the organization from attending a workshop that he would be leading.  
• "DePaul College Republicans' Flyers Protesting Ward Churchill Appearance," December 20, 2005
• "DePaul University Policy Banning 'Propaganda'," December 20, 2005
• "FIRE's Research on DePaul University’s Shifting Flyer Posting Policy," December 20, 2005
• "Letter from DePaul University President Dennis Holtschneider to FIRE, December 12, 2005," December 12, 2005
• "FIRE Letter to DePaul University President Dennis Holtschneider, November 23, 2005," November 23, 2005
• "Events Page and E-Mail Closing Churchill-led Workshop to DePaul College Republicans," October 28, 2005
• "Formal Warning to DePaul College Republicans for Posting Flyers," October 26, 2005
• "Events Page Showing DePaul's Churchill-led Workshop Open to All Student Organizations," October 15, 2005
• "E-Mail from DePaul University to DePaul College Republicans, September 28, 2005," September 28, 2005

Blog Entries

• "How Did DePaul University Get on FIRE's 'Worst 12' List?," by Peter Bonilla, January 28, 2011

Media Coverage

• "University presidents battle for honors in spinelessness,"
  by John Leo, Universal Press Syndicate, May 1, 2006
• "Fighting Against Political Correctness on Campus,"
  by Dave Eberhart, NewsMax, March 1, 2006
• "College Republicans Prevented from Protesting Speaker [Transcript],"
  by Sean Hannity and Alan Colmes, Hannity & Colmes (Fox News Channel), January 6, 2006
• "DePaul Under Fire Again For Censoring Free Expression On Campus,"
  by Jim Brown, Agape Press, January 4, 2006
• "DePaul U Confronts Amerikan ‘Empire’,"
  by Steven Plaut, Front Page Magazine, January 3, 2006
• "Campus Left to Christians, Conservatives: Shut Up!,"
  by Mark Tapscott, Townhall.com, December 24, 2005