Tufts University: Conservative Student Journal Investigated for Harassment

Case Materials

• "Tufts University President Lawrence Bacow's Response to FIRE, December 7, 2007," December 7, 2007
• "FIRE Letter to Tufts University President Lawrence Bacow and Tufts Board of Trustees, December 5, 2007," December 5, 2007
• "Tufts University Makes Progress on Free Speech, but Wrongful Harassment Finding Remains," FIRE Press Release, August 29, 2007: Tufts University President Lawrence Bacow took a significant, positive step this week by pledging that Tufts students will now enjoy the fullest protections guaranteed by the First Amendment. Unfortunately, the administration failed to overturn a wrongful harassment finding against the conservative student newspaper, The Primary Source, for publishing clearly protected political satire. FIRE spearheaded the defense of the student paper after Tufts punished it for printing two articles that offended African-American and Muslim students on campus, and is calling upon Tufts to fully exonerate the paper.
• "Tufts University Decision on the May 18 Appeal of ‘The Primary Source’," August 27, 2007
• "Tufts University President Lawrence S. Bacow's Statement on Freedom of Expression," August 27, 2007
• "FIRE Letter to Tufts University President Lawrence Bacow and Tufts Board of Trustees, July 31, 2007," July 31, 2007
• "Letter from the ACLU of Massachusetts to Tufts University, May 30, 2007," May 30, 2007
• "FIRE Letter to New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, May 29, 2007," May 29, 2007
• "FIRE on Bloomberg and Tufts in ‘The Huffington Post’," May 27, 2007: Popular website ‘The Huffington Post’ has published an open letter to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg authored by FIRE President Greg Lukianoff. Mayor Bloomberg’s recent commencement address at Tufts University praised Tufts for its supposed commitment to free speech—when, in fact, Tufts has recently punished the very students Bloomberg cites for publishing a parody of affirmative action policies and a satirical advertisement critical of Islam. In the letter, FIRE informs Bloomberg that “it appears you have been badly misled by the Tufts administration concerning the university’s respect for free speech in the incident you mentioned.”
• "Michael Bloomberg's Commencement Address at Tufts, May 20, 2007," May 20, 2007
• "Tyranny at Tufts," FIRE Press Release, May 11, 2007: Showing profound disregard for free speech and freedom of the press, Tufts University has found a conservative student publication guilty of harassment and creating a hostile environment for publishing political satire. Despite explicitly promising to protect controversial and offensive expression in its policies, the Tufts Committee on Student Life decided yesterday to punish the student publication The Primary Source (TPS) for printing two articles that offended African-American and Muslim students on campus. FIRE is now launching a public campaign to oppose Tufts’ outrageous actions, and is calling on the president of Tufts to overturn this unwise and illiberal decision.
• "Outcome of the Tufts Committee on Student Life's Hearing on Charges Against 'The Primary Source,' May 10, 2007," May 10, 2007
• "FIRE Letter to Tufts University President Lawrence S. Bacow, April 24, 2007," April 24, 2007
• "'Islam--Arabic Translation: Submission,' from April 11, 2007 Issue of 'The Primary Source'," April 11, 2007
• "'O Come All Ye Black Folk,' from December 6, 2006 Issue of 'The Primary Source'," December 6, 2006

Blog Entries

• "Tufts University Puts Newspaper on Trial for Satire," Tara Sweeney, April 30, 2007: Today, Tufts University will hold a hearing on charges of harassment, creating a hostile environment, and breach of community standards brought against the independent student publication The Primary Source. The charges were brought by students who were offended by two articles that ran in the paper over the last few months. The first “offensive” piece was a satirical Christmas carol from last December entitled, “Oh Come All Ye Black Folk,” which parodied race-based admissions practices. The second article being targeted today ran just last week and mocked Tufts’ “Islamic Awareness Week” by highlighting Islamic fundamentalist terrorism. These articles may indeed offend certain students, but they are a far cry from the legal definition of harassment and creating a hostile environment. Tufts, which promises to uphold students’ right to “controversial expression,” must live up to that promise and cancel today’s hearing.

Media Coverage

• "Partially free is better than partially pregnant," Jan Wolfe and Harvey Silverglate, The Phoenix, August 29, 2007
• "Defining free expression," Elia Powers, Inside Higher Ed, August 28, 2007
• "Byline requirement on Tufts journal lifted," Associated Press, Boston Herald, August 28, 2007
• "Tufts offical says racial parody was harassing, hostile, and an exercise of free speech," Paula Wasley, The Chronicle of Higher Education, August 27, 2007
• "Byline requirement on conservative student journal lifted," Associated Press, Eyewitness News WPRI.com, August 27, 2007
• "Is Mayor Bloomberg OK with being duped by Tufts University?," Greg Lukianoff, The Huffington Post, August 2, 2007
• "Tufts tops list of free-speech foes," Jason Millman, Boston Herald, July 1, 2007
• "And the award goes to...," John Leo, The New York Sun, June 25, 2007
• "Open Letter to NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg," Greg Lukianoff, Huffington Post, May 26, 2007
• "CSL hearing turns spotlight on controversial Source pieces," Kat Schmidt, The Tufts Daily, May 20, 2007
• "The PC enforcers," The Trentonian, May 18, 2007
• "Tufts University: Hostile environment for free thought," Grant Jones, Hawaii Reporter, May 17, 2007
• "Well shut my mouth!," Jan Wolfe and Harvey Silverglate, The Phoenix, May 16, 2007
• "Campus Alert: Don’t joke at Tufts," New York Post, May 14, 2007
• "Tufts case called hit to speech," Robert McCain, The Washington Times, May 14, 2007
• "Campus Alert: Free speech on trial," New York Post, April 30, 2007