Rhode Island College: Punishment of Professor for Refusal to Censor Speech

Case Materials

• "Rhode Island College Union Files Free Speech Grievance," FIRE Press Release, October 1, 2004: In a welcome development for free speech on America's campuses, the faculty union at Rhode Island College has filed a grievance challenging the college's unconstitutional speech codes. The RIC/AFT Local 1819 filed the grievance after Professor Lisa Church was forced to submit to disciplinary hearings for refusing to punish constitutionally protected student speech.
• "Free Speech Victory at Rhode Island College," FIRE Press Release, September 10, 2004: Rhode Island College (RIC) Associate Dean Scott Kane stated in a decision yesterday that he believes no "further formal action" is required in the trial of Dr. Lisa Church, a professor who refused to censor constitutionally protected speech. While the decision is welcome news for Dr. Church, RIC still refuses to acknowledge the serious constitutional implications of its decision to investigate her actions and continues to enforce an unconstitutional speech code.
• "Letter from Rhode Island ACLU to Rhode Island College President John Nazarian, September 10, 2004," September 10, 2004
• "An Open Letter to President John Nazarian and Rhode Island College," September 3, 2004: Rhode Island College (RIC) has given Professor Lisa Church until today to attend an administrative hearing regarding a "discrimination" complaint filed against her for refusing to censor Constitutionally protected speech. FIRE has issued an open letter to RIC President John Nazarian asking him to end RIC's inappropriate and oppressive investigation immediately.
• "Rhode Island College to Try Professor for Refusing to Punish Protected Speech," FIRE Press Release, August 24, 2004
• "Letter from Rhode Island College President John Nazarian to FIRE, August 24, 2004," August 24, 2004
• "FIRE Letter to Rhode Island College President John Nazarian, August 2, 2004," August 2, 2004

Media Coverage

• "Fraternities Must Stand Up to Schools' Squelching Free Speech," Greg Lukianoff and Matthew Vasconcellos, The Daily Journal, October 11, 2004: While there is no shortage of free-speech battles on college campuses, fraternities have the dubious honor of being at the center of many of the least-sympathetic controversies.
• "RIC faculty union challenges policy limiting speech," Jennifer Jordan, Providence Journal, October 2, 2004: PROVIDENCE -- Prompted by the recent furor over free speech at Rhode Island College, RIC's faculty union has filed a grievance, asking that language it finds unconstitutional be removed from the college's policies.
• "Freedom at RIC," Providence Journal, September 30, 2004: With its decision this month to drop action against a professor who failed to regulate students' conversation, Rhode Island College appears to have come down on the side of free speech.
• "Breaking the Silence," Minnie Quach, Guerrilla News Network, September 29, 2004: Editor's note: Last month, we ran an article entitled, "Backlash 101," by GNN contributor Joshua Holland, editor of USC's progressive paper, The Trojan Horse. Holland argued that heavily-funded conservative groups were taking advantage of an anti-political correctness backlash to make political gains among impressionable college students across the country.
• "Freedom of speech: RIC ends the inquisition, not the debate," Greg Lukianoff, The Providence Journal, September 22, 2004: ON SEPT. 9, Rhode Island College tried to weasel out of an embarrassing free-speech controversy, in which it had tried a professor for doing nothing more than refusing to violate the First Amendment. And though RIC's decision not to proceed with "further formal action" against the professor was welcome, it did nothing to convince civil-liberties watchdogs that free speech is secure at RIC.
• "RIC drops complaint against professor," Tracy Breton, Providence Journal, September 12, 2004: PROVIDENCE -- Rhode Island College has decided not to proceed with any "further formal action" in a case brought against Lisa B. Church, a professor at the college who was summoned to a hearing last week to determine whether she had violated college policy by refusing to punish speech that many consider protected by the First Amendment.
• "RIC drops complaint against professor," Associated Press, September 12, 2004: Rhode Island College has dropped a discrimination complaint against a professor who refused to discipline two students who allegedly made racist remarks.
• "College discusses next move in discrimination case," Brooke Donald, Associated Press, September 3, 2004: Rhode Island College officials were discussing Friday how to proceed with a discrimination complaint against a professor who refused to discipline two students who allegedly made racist remarks.
• "Professor faces deadline for hearing on discrimination complaint," Associated Press, September 3, 2004: A Rhode Island College professor called in for a hearing for failing to discipline two students who allegedly made racist remarks has not scheduled the meeting and wants the college to call off its probe.
• "Attacking speech at RIC," Edward Achorn, Providence Journal, August 31, 2004: A FRIEND of mine is in the middle of the bestseller Reading Lolita in Tehran. It's the story of a teacher in Iran who meets in secret with seven students to read forbidden Western texts -- all the time fearing raids by Islamic morality squads who are out to enforce ideological conformity and purge wayward professors.
• "Professor accused of not punishing students for racist remarks," Associated Press, August 27, 2004: A Rhode Island College professor has been called in for a hearing for failing to punish two students who allegedly made racist remarks, and her case is drawing the attention of civil liberties advocates.
• "RIC hearing focuses on free speech," Tracy Breton, Providence Journal, August 27, 2004: Rhode Island College will hold a hearing to determine whether a professor violated college policy for refusing to punish speech that many consider protected by the First Amendment -- and prompting a national civil liberties advocacy group to cry foul.