Using FIRE's Spotlight

FIRE’s Spotlight gives users a complete picture of the the state of liberty—everything from speech codes to actual cases of repression, media coverage, and entries from FIRE’s blog, The Torch—at specific colleges and universities, or perform more complex searches to find institutions that meet particular criteria.

Finding a College or University

FIRE’s Spotlight provides two ways to find speech codes, media coverage,  FIRE cases and commentary, and other information relevant to specific colleges or universities—by browsing or by searching.

Browsing

If you know the institution you wish to find, simply follow these steps: 

Searching

FIRE’s Spotlight also allows you to perform more advanced searches by searching for universities based on their public or private status, geographic region, speech code rating, or policy type. 

FIRE’s Speech Code Rating System

Next to each listing, and on each page for a particular college or university, you will see a colored traffic light—red, yellow, green, or black (for those universities not rated by FIRE, as explained in detail below). This is FIRE’s Speech Code Rating System, which informs you of FIRE’s opinion of the degree to which free speech is curtailed at a particular institution.
 
The Speech Code Rating System applies equally to public and most private universities. While private institutions are not directly legally bound to uphold the Constitution, those that promise debate and freedom are morally bound—and may be contractually bound, depending on the circumstances—to uphold the fundamental principles of free speech and of academic freedom, principles that underlie the First Amendment. Therefore from a moral perspective, FIRE makes no distinction between public universities and those private universities that advertise themselves as centers of liberal learning.
 
Of course, some private institutions—such as religious colleges—have particular missions that they believe require restrictions on speech. When a private university states clearly and consistently that it holds a certain set of values above a commitment to freedom of speech, FIRE does not rate that university. However, FIRE will still record the restrictions on speech at those institutions so that students can have a better understanding of the environment in which they will be educated.
 
For more on the distinction between public and private institutions, see About Speech Codes.
 
Red Light: A “red light” institution has at least one policy that both clearly and substantially restricts freedom of speech. A “clear” restriction is one that unambiguously infringes on what is or should be protected expression. In other words, the threat to free speech at a red light institution is obvious on the face of the policy and does not depend on how the policy is applied. A “substantial” restriction on free speech is one that is broadly applicable to important categories of campus expression. For example, a ban on “offensive speech” would be a clear violation (in that it is unambiguous) as well as a substantial violation (in that it covers a great deal of what would be protected expression in the larger society). Such a policy would earn a university a red light.

When a university restricts access to its speech-related policies by requiring a login and password, it denies prospective students and their parents the ability to weigh this crucial information. At FIRE, we consider this action by a university to be deceptive and serious enough that it alone warrants a “red light” rating.

Yellow Light: A “yellow light” institution is one whose policies restrict a more limited amount of protected expression or, by virtue of their vague wording, could too easily be used to restrict protected expression.

For example, a ban on “posters containing references to alcohol or drugs” violates the right to free speech because it unambiguously restricts speech on the basis of content and viewpoint, but its scope is very limited.

Alternatively, a policy banning “verbal abuse” could be applied to prohibit a substantial amount of protected speech, but is not a clear violation because “abuse” might refer to unprotected speech, such as threats of violence or harassment as defined in the common law. In other words, the extent of the threat to free speech depends on how such a policy is applied.

Green Light: If a college or university's policies do not seriously imperil speech, that college or university receives a “green light.” A green light does not indicate that a school actively supports free expression. It simply means that FIRE is not currently aware of any serious threats to students’ free speech rights in the policies on that campus.

Interpreting the Policies 

When you select an institution, you will be directed to the school page for that college or university. At the very top, you will see the institution’s name, address, and website; the name, email address, and telephone number of the president (or equivalent); the federal appellate circuit where it is found; and the designation attributed to that institution according to FIRE’s Speech Code Rating System. If FIRE has been involved publicly in a case there, you will see a link to FIRE’s statements and press releases. You will also see all relevant posts to FIRE’s weblog, The Torch, and all external media coverage available on FIRE’s website.
 
Underneath the basic information, you will find that institution’s policies concerning free speech. Broadly speaking, FIRE catalogs two types of policies: Restrictions on Expressive Rights and Advertised Commitments to Free Expression. Restrictions on Expressive Rights are further subdivided into the following categories:

• Harassment Policies 
• Policies on Tolerance, Respect, and Civility
• Policies on ‘Bias’ and ‘Hate Speech’ 
• Policies Restricting Freedom of Conscience
• Free Speech Zones
• Posting Policies
• Internet Usage Policies

Each category title links to a page that explains in greater detail the issues involved with that category of policy, and the ways in which they can restrict free speech. For more information on these categories, see About Speech Codes.
 
Under each category, you will see the individual policy titles alongside a red, yellow, green, or (in the case of not-rated institutions) black bullet point. The bullet point’s color indicates whether the policy in question would be classified as red, yellow, or green light. This feature allows users to quickly identify which policies at a given institution are responsible for the institution’s speech code rating.

Underneath the titles, you will find relevant excerpts from the policies, and under each excerpt a link to the full policy. Although FIRE rates each institution’s commitment to principles of free speech (based on the moral principles of the Constitution), we invite all visitors to make their own assessments of the speech codes at America’s colleges and universities.