School Spotlight

Bellevue College

Location: Bellevue, Washington
Type: No Type Yet

Speech Code Rating

Bellevue College has not been given a speech code rating. To request speech code information about this school, please submit a speech code request form.

  • Catalog: Student Code- Student Responsibilities 08-09

    Speech Code Rating: Not Yet Rated
    Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies, Statement
    Last updated: December 15, 2013

    Any student shall be subject to disciplinary action as provided for in this chapter, who ... Commits any prohibited act including but not limited to the following: ... Engaging in unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature where such behavior knowin... Read More

  • Student Handbook: Posting 08-09

    Speech Code Rating: Not Yet Rated
    Speech Code Category: Other Speech Codes, Statement
    Last updated: October 28, 2013

    BCC permits posting of materials in designated posting locations only, and requires the materials to be approved in advance at the Campus Business Center, room C105, or the Student Programs office, room C212. Read More

  • Student Handbook: Sexual Harassment 08-09

    Speech Code Rating: Not Yet Rated
    Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies, Statement
    Last updated: December 15, 2013

    For general policy purposes, the term "sexual harassment" may include, without limitation, such behavior as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other physical or verbal conduct and expressive behavior of a sexual nature where: ... Such conduct has the purpose or effect of substantially int... Read More

  • Student Handbook: Student Rights and Freedoms 08-09

    Speech Code Rating: Not Yet Rated
    Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression, Statement
    Last updated: October 28, 2013

    Students are guaranteed rights of free inquiry, expression, and peaceful assembly upon and within college facilities that are generally open and available to the public. Read More

  • Following FIRE letter, Bellevue College clarifies that students can repeat, ask questions about ‘racist statements’ without discipline

    July 30, 2020

    In the wake of George Floyd’s homicide and the ensuing national unrest, an administrator at Bellevue College, a public institution in Washington state, sent an email to the student body reciting some points and criticisms of the Black Lives Matter movement and telling students and faculty not to repeat or question them. This week, after… Read more

  • Spring 2007 ‘FIRE Quarterly’ Now Available

    May 24, 2007

    Check out our latest, newly re-designed issue of The FIRE Quarterly, which contains news updates on FIRE events and victories in cases at universities across the country. Some highlights from this edition include a look at our victory at San Francisco State University (SFSU), where FIRE stepped in to defend SFSU’s College Republicans after the… Read more

  • FIRE Quarterly: ‘From the Board of Directors’

    March 2, 2007

    Daphne Patai, a member of our Board of Directors, contributed to our recent edition of The FIRE Quarterly with a column reinforcing the importance of FIRE’s work after a year in which we saw so many attempts to limit student speech on campus. She wrote: Where restrictions on speech must, by law, be content-neutral, universities… Read more

  • Victory for Free Speech at Bellevue Community College: College Drops Punishment of Professor for Politically Incorrect Math Question

    February 27, 2007

    FIRE’s long-fought case at Bellevue Community College (BCC) has finally drawn to a close. Last week, BCC announced that it would no longer pursue a week-long unpaid suspension of Professor Peter Ratener, who composed a math exam problem that featured a woman named Condoleezza dropping a watermelon off the roof of a federal building. Ratener… Read more

  • Bellevue Community College Professor Still Waiting for Justice

    December 21, 2006

    Controversy has surrounded Bellevue Community College (BCC) Professor Peter Ratener ever since his case hit the news last year. Ratener had produced a math exam question that involved someone named Condoleezza throwing a watermelon off of a building. Even though he apologized profusely for any offense that question caused, BCC suspended Ratener for a week… Read more

  • Election Day on Campus

    November 7, 2006

    While most universities nominally encourage students’ political activism, several universities have undermined students’ attempts to voice their political opinions in the weeks leading up to the midterm elections.   Lafayette College President Daniel Weiss cancelled a scheduled visit to campus by Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial candidate Lynn Swann, who was invited to speak on campus by… Read more

  • Freedom of Conscience Violated at Bellevue Community College

    November 6, 2006

    Bellevue Community College (BCC) has once again come under public criticism over a violation of its students’ First Amendment rights. On October 26, five students attempted to attend a political rally for Democratic candidate Maria Cantwell, the incumbent Washington Senator. The students wore T-shirts supporting the campaign of Cantwell’s opponent, Republican Mike McGavick. Organizers of… Read more

  • ‘Seattle Times’ Columnist Weighs In on Professor Peter Ratener

    October 4, 2006

    In today’s Seattle Times, opinion columnist Bruce Ramsey pens a column about Professor Peter Ratener of Bellevue Community College, whose case FIRE took up last month. For those who don’t remember, Professor Ratener had the misfortune to write a math exam question that involved both a watermelon and a person named Condoleezza, leading to punishment… Read more

  • Bellevue Community College Named Leader in Diversity

    September 27, 2006

    Earlier this month, FIRE reported that Bellevue Community College (BCC) decided to suspend Professor Peter Ratener for a week without pay for his now infamous math question featuring Condoleezza and a watermelon. BCC has still not reversed this decision, which is set for arbitration. While BCC’s overreaction to Ratener’s question has outraged fans of free… Read more

  • Columbia University: Land of the Free?

    September 25, 2006

    On the same day last week, Columbia University announced that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had been invited to speak on campus and then, a few hours later, revoked that same invitation. Although the entire situation presents many issues relating to free speech and academic freedom, I was most struck by a statement that Columbia President… Read more

  • The Watermelon Rolls On

    September 20, 2006

    It’s been about a week since FIRE went public with our opposition to Bellevue Community College’s treatment of Professor Peter Ratener for writing a math exam question that involved a person named “Condoleezza” dropping a watermelon off of a roof. Reaction to this case has been strong, and more varied than usual. In my opinion,… Read more

  • No Benefit of the Doubt for Ratener

    September 15, 2006

    Check out the article in this morning’s edition of Washington’s King County Journal about Peter Ratener at Bellevue Community College (BCC). The article points out that Ratener has apologized profusely for his math question gaffe, and finally enlisted FIRE’s help after BCC caved to “some leaders of the local black community” who “urged the board… Read more

  • The Response to Ratener and the ‘Racist’ Math Problem

    September 14, 2006

    Yesterday’s press release, in which we defended the rights of Professor Peter Ratener at Bellevue Community College (BCC) in Washington State, has sparked some strong reaction. Some of the reactions were fully anticipated, others have been fairly surprising. As readers know, and as was well-covered today in Inside Higher Ed, BCC decided to suspend Ratener… Read more

  • Ratener’s Situation Not So Novel

    September 14, 2006

    Instead of ascribing racist or politically biased motivations to Peter Ratener’s test question, we should realize that professors include interesting content in tests all the time. On Ratener’s exam, the very next question after the one mentioning Condoleezza features a “Professor Flunkem,” obviously in an attempt to introduce some levity into the test-taking scenario. And… Read more

  • Bellevue’s Overreaction, Part II

    September 13, 2006

    Today’s FIRE press release dealt with the case of Professor Peter Ratener at Bellevue Community College (BCC) in Washington state, who has been suspended for a week for writing a supposedly “racist” math problem. Suspending a professor for a week for such speech—especially when one of your deans has acknowledged that the “offensive” message was… Read more

  • Professor Suspended for Condoleezza Math Problem

    September 13, 2006

    Today’s press release discusses the case of Professor Peter Ratener at Bellevue Community College (BCC) in Washington state. Ratener was in the news last spring for having composed a math exam question featuring someone named Condoleezza dropping a watermelon from the roof of a federal building. On April 15, BCC’s Board of Trustees condemned Ratener… Read more