Press Release
December 8, 2009
Today, FIRE releases its 2010 report on campus speech codes, revealing that for the second year in a row, the percentage of American colleges and universities that systematically violate students' and faculty members' right to freedom of expression has dropped. However, 71 percent of the 375 campuses analyzed still maintain codes that grant students less freedom of speech than they enjoy off campus. Read Full Article
The Torch
December 3, 2009
FIRE announces its Speech Code of the Month for December 2009: SUNY Brockport. SUNY Brockport's "Internet/Email Rules and Regulations" state that "All uses of Internet/e-mail that harass, annoy or otherwise inconvenience others are not acceptable. This includes, but is not limited to ... offensive language or graphics (whether or not the receiver objects, since others may come in contact with it)." (Emphasis added.) This policy is both unconstitutionally vague and unconstitutionally overbroad. What makes it all the more remarkable is that SUNY Brockport has already been sued once over its unconstitutional speech codes; it is absurd that an institution that has already once had to abandon its speech codes because of a time-consuming and expensive First Amendment lawsuit would once again risk liability by maintaining a ridiculous policy such as this one.
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The Torch
November 25, 2009
FIRE sent a letter to University of Minnesota-Twin Cities President Robert H. Bruininks today expressing deep concern over proposals generated by the College of Education and Human Development's Teacher Education Redesign Initiative task groups. The proposed political litmus test would require both current and prospective students to hold mandated political beliefs before being admitted and receiving a degree.
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The Torch
November 25, 2009
This Thanksgiving, all of us at FIRE would like to take a moment to pause from our work and express our deepest gratitude for all that our friends, family, and supporters like you have made possible. There is no more appropriate time to say thank you for all that you have done for the students and faculty members on campuses nationwide who found themselves stripped of their most fundamental rights in the past year. Thanks to your support, FIRE has restored justice to students and faculty members in 26 separate cases in 2009—and those are only the cases that made it into the public eye! We accomplished all this and more thanks to you.
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The Torch
November 18, 2009
FIRE is pleased to announce the publication of Defying the Constitution: The Rise, Persistence, and Prevalence of Campus Speech Codes in the Georgetown Journal of Law & Public Policy. Authored by FIRE's Azhar Majeed, Associate Director of Legal and Public Advocacy, the article chronicles the existence of college and university speech codes nationwide and argues that maintaining them is untenable, given that every single court decision on speech codes has struck them down as unconstitutional. The article analyzes the First Amendment and free speech problems presented by speech codes, examines the harms that they perpetuate on the college campus, and responds to various arguments put forth by their proponents. It also offers potential ways to eradicate speech codes permanently from college campuses. FIRE expects the article to be an informative contribution to First Amendment scholarship, clarifying the state of the law on speech codes. Read Full Article
Press Release
November 12, 2009
The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) is proud to announce the publication of Correcting Common Mistakes in Campus Speech Policies, a practical guide for university administrators seeking to protect freedom of expression on their campus. This new publication is available online and as a PDF for free download, and published copies will be sent to administrators nationwide.
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