George Washington University: Secret Informer Line

Case Materials

• "The George Washington University's Informer Line Continues to Invite Secret Denunciations and Dossiers," FIRE Press Release, May 14, 2002: At the George Washington University (GW), despite widespread public criticism, the administration has yet to dismantle a "Compliance Line" that receives anonymous allegations against students and professors and allows GW officials to conduct secret investigations. Although he publicly backed away from the policy, GW President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg has done nothing to revoke this outrageous informer line.
• "FIRE's Letter to GW's President Trachtenberg," May 14, 2002

Media Coverage

• "Rudeness Police," John Banzhaf, The GW Hatchet, September 21, 2004: Frivolous administrative "investigations" continue to chill faculty expression. In an article in The GW Hatchet, law professor John Banzhaf highlights an abuse of basic rights and common sense at George Washington University, a university with which FIRE has clashed on numerous occasions.
• "George Washington U. Professors Blast Hot Line for Anonymous Complaints," The Chronicle for Higher Education, May 24, 2002
• "George Washington U. May Cut Faculty Complaint Line," Julie Gordon, The GW Hatchet, May 2, 2002
• "GW Cuts Anonymous-Complaint Line," Jon Ward, The Washington Times, April 29, 2002
• "Column: Administrators Tip Line Is Bad Policy for GW," The GW Hatchet, April 25, 2002
• "Faculty React to Complaint Line," The GW Hatchet, April 25, 2002
• "GW May Cut Complaint Line," Trevor Martin, The GW Hatchet, April 25, 2002
• "GWU Hot Line Angers Faculty," The Washington Times, April 19, 2002