Press Release
August 4, 2008
Today, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit issued an opinion in DeJohn v. Temple University upholding a decision by a federal district court that Temple University’s former speech code is unconstitutional. Temple’s code prohibited, among other things, “generalized sexist remarks and behavior.” In September 2007, FIRE filed a friend-of-the-court brief urging the Third Circuit to uphold the lower court’s ruling.
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Update: August 5, 2008, Read More About Temple University: Speech Code Litigation »
The Torch
August 4, 2008
In the current issue of The Boston Phoenix, FIRE Co-Founder and Board Chairman Harvey Silverglate decries the downfall of parody and satire as legitimate forms of expression on college campuses. Among the cases from the past twenty years discussed in the piece, titled "Parody Flunks Out," Harvey mentions FIRE's work defending the publishers of the conservative Tufts University newspaper The Primary Source, which was the subject of a harassment investigation following the publication of a satirical Christmas carol. Given the popularity of the satirical newspaper The Onion and television personalities Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert with the college crowd, Harvey notes the disconnect that students face today: "the political arts of parody and satire are, ironically, experiencing a renaissance among the young. But these parodies should come with a warning label to students: don't try this on campus."
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The Torch
August 1, 2008
FIRE announces its Speech Code of the Month for August 2008: Jackson State University in Mississippi. Jackson State's harassment policy provides, in relevant part, that "The scope of any form of harassment includes language to physical acts which degrades, insult, taunt, or challenges another person by any means of communication, verbal, so as to provoke a violent response, communication of threat, defamation of character, use of profanity, verbal assaults, derogatory comments or remarks, sexist remarks, racists remarks or any behavior that places another member of the University community in a state of fear or anxiety." This policy is so extraordinarily jumbled that it is impossible to tell exactly what is prohibited—a sure prescription for an unlawful chilling effect on campus speech. Moreover, although the full scope of the policy is impossible to discern, it is clear that much of what is prohibited is constitutionally protected expression. Jackson State's student handbook promises that "[a]s U.S. citizens, students enjoy the same freedom of speech, peaceful assembly, and right of petition that other citizens enjoy." But under the university's current regulations, nothing could be farther from the truth.
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FIRE Update
July 31, 2008
To expand our growing Multimedia Project, we have uploaded a short video that previews the latest Voices of Vision episode featuring FIRE. This two-minute trailer provides a brief glimpse into FIRE's cases at Le Moyne College, where a graduate student was expelled for defending corporal punishment in the classroom, and SUNY Fredonia, where a professor was denied promotion for publicly disagreeing with the university's student conduct policies and affirmative action practices. If you would like to embed or link to this video on your blog or website, it is also available on YouTube and Veoh.
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The Torch
July 22, 2008
The American Humanist Association's legal center has reached a settlement in the case of Steven C. Bitterman, a professor at Southwestern Community College (Iowa) who was fired in September—over the phone—after students complained about his argument in a Western Civilization course that the biblical story of Adam and Eve should not be taken literally. Bitterman is satisfied with the settlement. FIRE helped Bitterman compose a letter to the college in defense of his academic freedom, and a group of Iowa faculty circulated an open letter on his behalf. Thanks to the AHA for taking up Bitterman's case and defending academic freedom.
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The Torch
July 21, 2008
The Alliance Defense Fund and Pacific Justice Institute have filed a lawsuit on behalf of June Sheldon, a San José City College biologist who was fired after she briefly discussed aspects of the nature-versus-nurture debate regarding sexual orientation and a student complained. Although Sheldon denied having said the wild things the student had accused her of saying, a weak investigation by her dean (without a proper hearing) led the dean to declare that Sheldon had not been teaching “science,” which led to Sheldon being fired. The lawsuit cites FIRE’s February 8 letter to the San José/Evergreen Community College District and emphasizes the district’s violations of Sheldon’s constitutional rights. Thanks to the ADF and PJI for taking up Sheldon’s case and defending academic freedom.
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Update: July 15, 2008, Read More About San José/Evergreen Community College District: Professor Fired for Protected Classroom Speech »
The Torch
July 14, 2008
Keith John Sampson has received a letter from Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) Chancellor Charles R. Bantz apologizing for the poor treatment he received at the hands of the university. In the letter, Bantz reaffirms that the university's Affirmative Action Office was wrong to conclude that Sampson's act of reading a book during his work breaks constituted racial harassment. Bantz further states that he now considers the matter resolved. However, university relations officials at IUPUI have made recent public statements to the effect that the harassment finding against Sampson stemmed from other, undisclosed conduct, thus preventing the matter from being truly resolved. While Bantz's letter constitutes progress on the part of IUPUI, the public smearing of Sampson remains unacceptable.
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Update: July 30, 2008, Read More About Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis: Student employee found guilty of 'racial harassment' for reading a book »
The Torch
July 10, 2008
Given the unprecedented revolt of faculty and students at Brandeis University, FIRE has called on President Jehuda Reinharz to rescind the ill-conceived finding of guilt against Professor Donald Hindley in order to restore order and Brandeis University's good name. This revolt has involved multiple unanimous faculty resolutions against the administration, faculty reports demonstrating that Brandeis administrators violated Professor Donald Hindley's academic freedom and due process rights, the withdrawal of faculty support for the school's harassment policy, the suspension of hearing new faculty grievances, and withering public attention. The faculty is rightly concerned about the "chilling atmosphere concerning free speech" at Brandeis since Provost Marty Krauss placed a monitor in Hindley's classes and threatened him with termination after he criticized the term "wetbacks" in class. FIRE is asking the 160 recipients of copies of our letter to contact President Reinharz and urge him to end this sorry chapter of Brandeis's history.
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Update: July 21, 2008, Read More About Brandeis University: Professor Found Guilty of Harassment for Protected Speech »
Press Release
July 8, 2008
Two months ago, in the face of withering public criticism, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) revoked its original finding that student-employee Keith John Sampson had committed racial harassment by reading a book at work that celebrated the defeat of the Ku Klux Klan in a 1924 street brawl. Now, IUPUI is claiming that Sampson was in fact punished for some other behavior, but the school refuses to reveal any details of this alleged conduct. FIRE is calling on IUPUI to either reveal and prove this alleged offense or stop publicly smearing its own student.
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Update: July 30, 2008, Read More About Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis: Student employee found guilty of 'racial harassment' for reading a book »
FIRE Update
July 7, 2008
The July 7 edition of The Wall Street Journal prominently features a column about the disturbing case of student-employee Keith John Sampson at Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis. In May, FIRE reported that Sampson had been cleared of charges of "racial harassment" for reading a book at work that celebrated the defeat of the Ku Klux Klan by Notre Dame students in a 1924 street brawl. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Dorothy Rabinowitz prominently mentions FIRE's role in her story about Sampson's case and its aftermath.
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