The Torch
January 8, 2009
This week brought news that world-renowned scholar, critic, civil libertarian, and member of FIRE's Board of Advisors Nat Hentoff has penned his final column for The Village Voice, ending a spectacular run of over fifty years at the influential weekly. Writing with impeccable moral clarity through the past five decades, Nat's extraordinary tenure at the Voice established him as one of our nation's most prominent and principled defenders of the First Amendment. FIRE salutes Nat for his years of courageous columns in the Voice—and looks forward to reading what comes next.
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The Torch
January 6, 2009
FIRE announces its Speech Code of the Month for January 2009: University at Buffalo (also known as SUNY Buffalo). The university's Guide to Residence Hall Living contains a Statement of Civility that requires students in the residence halls "to be courteous and polite or, simply put, to be mannerly." The policy provides that "[a]cts of incivility—will not be tolerated by the Residential Life community." This policy impermissibly restricts students' right to freely express themselves in the residence halls, which are the closest thing students have to their own homes while attending college. Learning to live with and engage other people outside of one's own family is often a vital part of the college experience, and college dormitories should be a place where lively debate occurs as students challenge one another's pre-existing ideas and conceptions. UB's policy, with its Victorian-era requirement of "mannerly" conduct and expression at all times, instead requires students to walk on eggshells around one another to avoid being guilty of "incivility." A university may certainly require that student conduct in the residence halls not interfere with other residents' ability to sleep or study. But to require that all interaction be "courteous," "polite," and "mannerly" is to stifle debate in one of the places that students interact most freely and naturally—the place where they live.
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Press Release
December 30, 2008
While restrictions on freedom of speech and other First Amendment rights once again abounded on America's campuses in 2008, FIRE enlisted more students and faculty members than ever in its fight against campus censorship. Thanks to this groundswell of support, FIRE secured essential victories for freedom of speech and against limits on political activism—both on our nation's campuses and in courts of law.
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The Torch
December 23, 2008
One of FIRE's most shocking cases in 2008 was that of Keith John Sampson, a student-employee at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) who was found guilty of racial harassment for merely reading the book Notre Dame vs. the Klan: How the Fighting Irish Defeated the Ku Klux Klan during his work breaks. Thanks to FIRE's involvement and the extensive media coverage of the case, the finding against Sampson was eventually overturned and his school record was cleared, but the story behind this incident is still disturbing months later. Filmmaker Andrew Marcus has produced a short documentary on Sampson's case in the hopes of restoring his reputation and bringing to light the incidents of censorship that are all too common on college campuses today.
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Update: December 22, 2008, Read More About Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis: Student Employee Found Guilty of 'Racial Harassment' for Reading a Book »
FIRE Update
December 22, 2008
After FIRE intervened in defense of Binghamton University Department of Social Work student Andre Massena, we announced that the department had backed down from its attempts to suspend or expel him because of his political activism against a professor who was also head of the Binghamton Housing Authority—activism which had embarrassed the department. It seems that the department is now trying to expel him by other means. One angry student, the pseudonymous "Lisa White," has reported that students have noticed the changes in how professors are treating and grading Massena, and that she and at least one other student are voluntarily leaving the department. Meanwhile, Massena's case has been featured by the Binghamton Review in a strong article that chronicles this outlandish case to the utter shame of the department. FIRE is taking the allegations very seriously, since the department's track record and outrageous actions against Massena to date have given us every reason to believe the allegations. We will investigate them and will back Massena strongly if we determine that the department is engaging in retaliation for his speaking out.
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Update: December 23, 2008, Read More About Binghamton University: Student Suspended for Posters Criticizing Department of Social Work and Government Agency »
The Torch
December 19, 2008
Today FIRE named seniors Laura Fitzpatrick of Groton Dunstable Regional High School (Groton, Mass.) and Matthew Hancock of Serena High School (Serena, Ill.) the winners of FIRE's first "Freedom in Academia" essay contest. Laura will receive a $5,000 scholarship for first place and Matthew will receive a $2,500 scholarship for second place. Steven Zavala of Three Rivers High School (Three Rivers, Mich.) was awarded an honorable mention and will receive a $500 scholarship. Students were instructed to watch two short videos about FIRE's work on campuses: FIRE on Campus: An Introduction to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education and FIRE in Action: Valdosta State University, and write an essay explaining how the universities depicted violated freedom of speech and how they betrayed the purpose of a university.
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The Torch
December 17, 2008
FIRE, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and eleven other civil liberties organizations have sent an open letter today to Michigan State University President Lou Anna K. Simon in defense of MSU student government leader Kara Spencer. The signing organizations agree that MSU's anti-spam policy, which was used to punish Spencer for sending e-mails to 391 faculty members about pressing matters of university policy, is constitutionally suspect on its face, vague, allows the university unfettered discretion in requiring prior approval, and discriminates on the basis of content. These organizations also call the policy's use against Spencer "egregiously wrongheaded" and ask that President Simon immediately overturn the finding that Spencer is a spammer. UPDATE: We have added the Woodhull Freedom Foundation, which asked to join the open letter to MSU, to the list of signatories.
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Update: December 23, 2008, Read More About Michigan State University: Student Government Official Threatened with Suspension for E-mailing Faculty about University Scheduling Concerns »
Press Release
December 15, 2008
Today FIRE has released its 2009 report on campus speech codes, revealing that American colleges and universities systematically violate students' and faculty members' right to freedom of expression. Spotlight on Speech Codes 2009: The State of Free Speech on Our Nation's Campuses reports on policies at 364 American colleges and universities. FIRE found that approximately 74 percent of schools surveyed maintain policies that clearly restrict speech that, outside the borders of campus, is protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
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FIRE Update
December 12, 2008
FIRE is excited to announce that Harvey Silverglate, FIRE Co-founder and Chairman of FIRE's Board of Directors, is running for a position on Harvard's Board of Overseers. Harvey has been a close observer of Harvard since graduating from the Law School in 1967. His statement focuses on freedom of speech, academic freedom, and due process, in addition to other concerns raised by what Harvey deems the "corporatization" of the modern university. Harvard alumni who would like to sign his nominating petition may contact his research assistant, Kyle Smeallie, at kyle@harveysilverglate.com. We wish Harvey every success.
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Press Release
December 10, 2008
A Michigan State University student government leader has been found guilty of "spamming" and misuse of university resources after she criticized the administration's plan to change the school calendar. MSU junior Kara Spencer had carefully selected and e-mailed 391 of the school's faculty members, encouraging them to express their views about the changes. Spencer, who plans to appeal her unconstitutional punishment, has turned to FIRE for help.
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Update: December 23, 2008, Read More About Michigan State University: Student Government Official Threatened with Suspension for E-mailing Faculty about University Scheduling Concerns »
