School Spotlight
Bowdoin College
Speech Code Rating
Student Handbook: Student Sexual Misconduct and Gender Based Violence Policy
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: September 16, 2019“Sexual Harassment” means unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature. Where sexual harassment is sufficiently severe or pervasive that it substantially interferes with a student’s College employment, academic performance, participation in College programs or activities, or living, learning, or working environment, the sex... Read MoreStudent Handbook: College Policies- The Academic Honor Code and Social Code
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: September 16, 2019The following activities, occurring on or off College premises, constitute breaches of the Social Code: 1. Conduct that is unbecoming of a Bowdoin student. Examples include, but are not limited to: lewd or indecent behavior (or sponsorship thereof); physical abuse or assault; threats; intimidation; retaliation; hara... Read MoreCampus and Community Index: Frequently Asked Questions
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Policies on Bias and Hate Speech
Last updated: September 16, 2019What kinds of incidents should be reported? Reports may fall under, but are not limited to, the following general categories: Graffiti/Vandalism on any College property or in local areas that communicate offensive, hurtful, inappropriate or unwelcoming messages that represent bias; Bias-related threats that target ... Read MoreFaculty Handbook: Freedom of Speech and Political Activity
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression
Last updated: September 16, 2019Free speech is a constitutional right in a democratic society and a cornerstone of intellectual life at Bowdoin. Members of the college community are encouraged to express their views on all matters including controversial, political issues in the public domain. Preservation of freedom of speech is a primary task of... Read MoreStudent Handbook: College Policies- The Academic Honor Code and Social Code
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression
Last updated: September 16, 2019Uncompromised intellectual inquiry lies at the heart of a liberal arts education. Read MoreStudent Handbook: Values of a Learning Community
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression
Last updated: September 16, 2019Freedom of inquiry and expression – A learning community encourages free expression of widely varying views; it challenges assumptions and values. Read More
Bowdoin College: Professor Investigated Because Article Embarrasses the College
February 26, 2009
Economics professor Jonathan Goldstein was investigated after he distributed copies of a research paper that embarrassed the college in front of prospective students. Dean for Academic Affairs Cristle Collins Judd instigated an investigation “in the realm of harassment and hostile work environment, as well as for possible violation of other College policies.” Judd also suggested… Read more
Bowdoin College: When It Comes to Sombreros, Do As We Say, Not As We Do (Or We’ll Kick You Out of Your Dorm)
March 7, 2016
Bowdoin College—which only last year held an event offering sombreros for alumni to wear in photobooth pictures—is cracking down on students who attended a party last month where some attendees wore tiny sombreros. The event, a birthday party with a “tequila” theme, has provoked a backlash at Bowdoin, and attendees have been accused of “an… Read more
‘NY Times’ on Lasting Impact of ‘CLS v. Martinez’
June 10, 2014
The New York Times’ Michael Paulson reviews the tension between student religious groups and college nondiscrimination policies in an article published today. I’m pleased to see front-page attention being paid to the fact that since the Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Christian Legal Society v. Martinez, student religious groups are increasingly being forced off campus simply for requiring that group leaders actually share the group’s faith. As Paulson writes, student groups from Maine to California are being forced to either open their leadership ranks to students who don’t believe in the group’s tenets, or leave campus.
Rights in the News: FIRE on a Roll with Numerous Victories and Successful Videos
April 24, 2009
The past week at FIRE has been filled with victories for free speech on campus, and the media has responded. After FIRE’s victory for freedom of conscience at Virginia Tech, the St. Petersburg Times published a column by Bill Maxwell entitled "A diversity step too far." In it, Maxwell agrees with FIRE’s efforts to protect… Read more
Bowdoin Censures Professor Who Dared to Report Negatively on College
April 23, 2009
Earlier this month I reported on FIRE’s case at Bowdoin College, whose dean threw the book at an economics professor who dared to distribute a research paper that had conclusions that embarrassed the college. Had he not done so, his paper would not have been investigated at all, and the dean wouldn’t have gone through… Read more
Rights in the News: At Maryland, Virginia Tech, UMass and Elsewhere, FIRE Cases Grabbing Headlines
April 10, 2009
Another week, another crush of FIRE cases from around the country battling for headlines. I’ll start with Greg’s Huffington Post blog on the controversy swirling around the University of Maryland campus in the wake of a legislator’s threat to pull funding from the university if it allowed students to screen an adult film on campus—which,… Read more
Bowdoin College Throws the Book at Professor over Embarrassing Research Results
April 10, 2009
Doug Lederman at Inside Higher Ed reports today on FIRE’s case at Bowdoin College, where a professor and his research have been investigated after he distributed copies of a research paper that embarrassed the college in front of prospective students. Economics professor Jonathan Goldstein, who has been at Bowdoin for 29 years, was interested in… Read more
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