School Spotlight
Carnegie Mellon University
Location:
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Type:
Private
Speech Code Rating
Carnegie Mellon University has been given the speech code rating Yellow. Yellow light colleges and universities are those institutions with at least one ambiguous policy that too easily encourages administrative abuse and arbitrary application.
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Sexual Misconduct Policy (Interim): Definitions- Sexual Harassment
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: July 29, 2022Sexual Harassment means any unwelcome conduct or cues of a sexual nature, whether verbal/aural (sounds), visual/graphic (e.g. pictures and videos), physical, or otherwise, when: … Such conduct creates a hostile environment. A hostile environment exists when the unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature is sufficien... Read MoreCarnegie Mellon University Policy on Disorderly Conduct
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Policies on Tolerance, Respect, and Civility
Last updated: July 29, 2022Disorderly conduct is ordinarily defined as the use of abusive or obscene language or gestures to/by a member of the campus community, publicly intoxicated behavior or persistence, after a request to desist, in behavior which inconveniences or impedes other members of the campus community in their proper use of ... Read MoreSexual Misconduct Policy (Interim): Definitions- Federal Rule Sexual Misconduct
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: July 29, 2022FEDERAL RULE SEXUAL MISCONDUCT is a subset of Prohibited Conduct which meets the definition of Sexual Harassment in the Title IX Regulations at 34 CFR Part 106.30. Something which meets the definition of category of Prohibited Conduct (defined above) rises to the level of Federal Rule Sexual Misconduct when it meets... Read MoreCarnegie Mellon University Computing Policy
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Internet Usage Policies
Last updated: July 29, 2022The following activities are expressly prohibited at Carnegie Mellon: … Using mail messages to harass or intimidate another person (such as by repeatedly sending unwanted mail or broadcasting unsolicited mail). Read MoreStudent Handbook: Community Policies- Discriminatory Harassment
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: July 29, 2022Carnegie Mellon is firmly committed to intellectual honesty, freedom of inquiry and expression, and respect for the dignity of each individual. Acts of discriminatory harassment or intimidation by a student directed toward any member of the community are inconsistent with this commitment and will not be tolerated. C... Read MoreCarnegie Mellon University Policy on Freedom of Expression
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression, Protest and Demonstration Policies
Last updated: July 29, 2022Carnegie Mellon University values the freedoms of speech, thought, expression and assembly – in themselves and as part of our core educational and intellectual mission. If individuals are to cherish freedom, they must experience it. The very concept of freedom assumes that people usually choose wisely from a r... Read More
Policies are rated on their inclusion of 10 due process safeguards. Each policy may receive 2 points for fully including that safeguard, 1 point for partial inclusion, and 0 points for no meaningful inclusion. Most, but not all, institutions have separate policies for sexual misconduct and all other misconduct. See FIRE’s Spotlight on Due Process report for more information.
Grades
FIRE surveyed roughly 44,000 students at 203 colleges and universities about the climate for free speech at their institutions. See the full report on FIRE’s 2022 College Free Speech Rankings for more information.
Overall / out of a top score of 100 |
|
| Overall Score | 52.37 |
Rankings / out of 203 colleges ranked |
|
| Overall Ranking | 57 |
| Openness | 42 |
| Tolerance (Liberals) | 61 |
| Tolerance (Conservatives) | 76 |
| Administrative Support | 88 |
| Comfort | 75 |
| Disruptive Conduct | 99 |
Administrative Behavior |
|
| Supported Scholars | 0 |
| Sanctioned Scholars | 0 |
| Successful Disinvitations | 0 |
Climate |
|
| Speech Climate | AVERAGE |
| Speech Code | YELLOW |
Carnegie Mellon University: Professor’s tweet wishing Queen Elizabeth ‘excruciating’ death results in calls for punishment
September 9, 2022
On the morning of September 8, 2022, amid speculation about Queen Elizabeth’s then-impending death, Carnegie Mellon University Professor Uju Anya tweeted: “I heard the chief monarch of a thieving raping genocidal empire is finally dying. May her pain be excruciating.” The tweet was met with criticism, including from prominent public figures such as Amazon founder… Read more
FIRE urges Twitter, Carnegie Mellon not to censor professor who wished Queen Elizabeth ‘excruciating’ death
September 9, 2022
Queen Elizabeth’s death yesterday spurred a global outpouring of grief from many of her fans, alongside discussion and debate about the complicated history of England’s monarchy. Much of this debate took place on Twitter, which, for better or worse, serves as a modern public square for commentary about current events. But critics succeeded in at… Read more
Apology for anti-Asian bigotry statement at Carnegie Mellon highlights difficulty of discussing China on campus
March 30, 2021
Troubled by the “hate targeted toward those of Asian descent,” Carnegie Mellon University’s Graduate Student Assembly Executive Committee released a statement to their fellow graduate students on March 8 offering solidarity to members of the campus’ Asian community and a list of resources to support them. But two weeks later, in consultation with CMU’s administration,… Read more
Speech Code Countdown: Most of America’s ‘Best Colleges’ Restrict Speech
October 5, 2016
U.S. News & World Report recently released its annual rankings of the “Best Colleges” for 2017. The rankings are based on a multitude of “indicators of academic excellence” that prospective students use to narrow down their college application lists, including graduation and retention rate, financial resources, the institution’s reputation, and student selectivity. But U.S. News’… Read more
What Makes a ‘Green Light’ Computer Use Policy?
January 10, 2014
FIRE has recently been examining some of the best “green light” university policies here on The Torch, including policies regarding harassment and civility. The policies discussed in those entries, maintained by Mississippi State University and North Carolina State University, respectively, are ideal examples for other schools to follow in crafting their own policy. Today, we examine computer and Internet usage… Read more
FIRE Names Seven Best Schools for Free Speech on ‘Huffington Post’
May 24, 2011
PHILADELPHIA, May 24, 2011—Today the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) commends the nation’s seven best colleges and universities for freedom of speech in an article by FIRE President Greg Lukianoff on The Huffington Post. The colleges listed are Arizona State University, Dartmouth College, The College of William & Mary, the University of Pennsylvania,… Read more
The State of Free Speech on Campus: Carnegie Mellon University
February 3, 2009
Throughout the spring semester, FIRE is drawing special attention to the state of free speech at America’s top 25 national universities (as ranked by U.S. News & World Report). Thus far, we have told you about the restrictive policies in place at UCLA, the University of Virginia, and Georgetown University. Today we review policies at… Read more