About Bill Rickards

A Philadelphia suburb native, Bill graduated from Temple University in 2016 with a degree in journalism. During his time as an undergraduate, Bill covered Philadelphia’s city council and a range of issues like civil asset forfeiture and soda taxes for both the student newspaper and his personal blog. Bill began his career by interning and briefly working for the Tax Foundation in Washington D.C. during the last stretch of the 2016 election before moving back to Philadelphia. Drawn to FIRE by his passion for journalism and media, Bill is a certified news junkie. He can be found on weekends in one of Philly’s many concert venues.

Commentary

  • Why did this Wisconsin college stop a student from handing out Valentine’s Day cards?, October 3, 2018

  • What’s your favorite banned book?, September 27, 2018

  • FIRE’s Joe Cohn to testify before House Committee on Education and the Workforce, September 25, 2018

  • FIRE’s Azhar Majeed urges free speech advocates to look ‘Beyond the Narratives’ in University of Missouri law journal, June 1, 2018

  • By censoring art, University of Southern Maine misses an opportunity, May 11, 2018

  • Association of American Universities endorses free speech statement, April 20, 2018

  • In new survey, college presidents say they support free speech, but FIRE wants action, April 13, 2018

  • ‘On Liberty’ comes to life, April 11, 2018

  • Hannibal Buress has his mic cut off at Loyola University Chicago, March 20, 2018

  • UPDATE: After Florida school shooting, ‘Worst Colleges for Free Speech’ promising high schoolers a right to protest, March 14, 2018

    • Articles

  • Associated Press, November 17, 2018, DeVos wants to change campus rules on sexual misconduct

  • LA Times, November 16, 2018, Betsy DeVos moves to strengthen the rights of the accused in campus sexual misconduct cases

  • Politico, November 16, 2018, House Democrats say they will fight DeVos’ proposal on school sexual assault

  • NPR, November 16, 2018, Education Dept. Proposes Enhanced Protection For Students Accused Of Sexual Assault

  • The Washington Post, November 14, 2018, Betsy DeVos set to bolster rights of accused in rewrite of sexual assault rules

  • Inside Higher Ed, October 17, 2018, Student Affairs Leaders Lean Left

  • The Chicago Tribune, October 11, 2018, Conservative activists accuse DePaul of censorship after university bars them from holding event on campus

  • The College Fix, October 5, 2018, City hides records of police helping private university spy on student critics

  • New Hampshire Union Leader, September 26, 2018, Americans for Prosperity hosts free speech event at University of New Hampshire

  • Carolina Journal, September 21, 2018, Report gives N.C. public universities high marks for protecting free speech