Dartmouth College: Abolition of Speech Code

A set of statements published on Dartmouth's website, in the wake of a controversy regarding a fraternity at the college, sparked confusion over Dartmouth's commitment to free speech. The statements appeared to contradict Dartmouth's reverence for free speech and expression. After FIRE expressed its concern over the potential speech code, the statements where removed from Dartmouth's website and the school affirmed its commitment to free speech.

Case Materials

• "Dartmouth Ends Confusion Over Speech Policies, Affirms Commitment to Free Speech, and Removes Troubling Documents From Website," May 9, 2005: In a remarkable development for liberty on campus, Dartmouth College has issued a clear and unambiguous statement in favor of free speech. The statement ends what Dartmouth called “confusion” about the college’s policies by removing from its website documents containing language that earned the college a poor, “red” rating on FIRE’s speechcodes.org database. This action follows a series of communications between FIRE and Dartmouth.
• "Dartmouth College’s Page on ‘Speechcodes.org’ Until May 9, 2005," May 9, 2005
• "FIRE Letter to Dartmouth College President James Wright, April 19, 2005," April 19, 2005
• "FIRE Letter to Dartmouth Trustee T. J. Rodgers, February 28, 2005," February 28, 2005
• "Letter to the Dartmouth Community from Dean of the College James Larimore, May 11, 2001," May 11, 2001
• "Letter to the Dartmouth Community from President James Wright, May 10, 2001," May 10, 2001

Blog Entries

• "Dartmouth's Speech Codes: FIRE Responds to Challenge," by William Creeley, April 30, 2009

Media Coverage

• "Lighting the FIRE of Liberty in Philadelphia,"
  by Chris Perez and Robert Shibley, Pennsylvania Independent, January 25, 2006
• "Dartmouth Shifts—to the Right?,"
  by Doug Lederman, Inside Higher Education, June 28, 2005
• "10 great cigars and why I smoked them,"
  by Mike Adams, Townhall.com, June 13, 2005
• "Dartmouth Praised for Taking Lead in 'Free Expression',"
  by Jody Brown and Jim Brown, Agape Press, May 16, 2005
• "The Lone Pine Revolution,"
  by Scott Glabe and Michael Ellis, The Dartmouth Review, May 14, 2005
• "Dartmouth trustee vote raises controversy,"
  by Jason Schwartz, The Daily Pennsylvanian, May 13, 2005
• "Red Light, Green* Light,"
  by Scott Glabe, The Dartmouth Review, May 13, 2005
• "Freer Speech at Dartmouth?,"
  by Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Education, May 10, 2005
• "Free speech org. lauds College policies,"
  by Rebekah Rombom, The Dartmouth, May 10, 2005
• "Voting in action-packed trustee election ends,"
  by Stuart Reid, The Dartmouth, May 6, 2005
• "Trustee Election at Dartmouth Is Seen as 'Battle for Academic Freedom',"
  by Paul Fain, The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 5, 2005
• "Ivies confront free speech uproar,"
  by Rebekah Rombom, The Dartmouth, April 7, 2005
• "Free Speech and Its Limits,"
  by Robert Donin, The Dartmouth, March 18, 2005
• "Encouraged But Not Convinced,"
  by T. J. Rodgers, The Dartmouth, March 7, 2005
• "Campus Speech Codes At Dartmouth,"
  by J. Scholer, The Dartmouth Review, October 23, 2003
• "Playing with FIRE,"
  by Michael Ellis, The Dartmouth Review, June 2, 2003
• "The Punishment Does Not Fit the 'Crime',"
  The Dartmouth Review, November 11, 2002