School Spotlight

Century College
Speech Code Rating
Acceptable Use of Information Technology Resources 09-10
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Internet Usage Policies, Statement
Last updated: January 24, 2005Users may not use any Century College IT resource to: ... send e-mail that is intended to intimidate or harass; create a hostile working or learning environment by displaying sexually explicit images or sounds .... Read MoreNondiscrimination in Employment and Education Opportunity 09-10
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies, Statement
Last updated: December 15, 2013Sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, sexually motivated physical conduct, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when: ... Such conduct has the purpose and effect of threatening an individual's employment; interfering with an individual's work or aca... Read More
Mohammed Cartoon Controversy: FIRE Response to Intimidation and Newspaper Disputes
February 22, 2006
As a result of worldwide controversy regarding caricatures of the prophet Mohammed, first published in a Danish newspaper, free speech was being openly disregarded on American college campuses. In the weeks following the printing of the cartoon, students, professors, and student publications not only reprinted the controversial cartoons but even created their own satirical cartoons… Read more
Century College: Censorship of Mohammed Cartoons
February 16, 2006
At Century College in Minnesota, a professor faced repeated obstruction and opposition when she attempted to display the controversial Mohammed cartoons on a bulletin board. After repeatedly encountering censorship of her display, Professor Karen Murdock finally posted them behind a curtain so that passers-by would not be offended. Yet even after assuring Murdock and FIRE… Read more
Is Nothing Sacred? Comedy Central Joins Many Universities in Caving to Threats of Violence for Depictions of Mohammed
April 23, 2010
Comedy Central’s cartoon hit South Park is famous for its shocking and offensive humor, targeted at subjects ranging from Queen Elizabeth to Scientology. The show’s renowned satire takes an unapologetic attitude towards goring sacred cows, and fans have come to regard South Park‘s principled stance on free speech as sacred in and of itself. This… Read more
Professor Under Review for Saying 9/11 Might Be an ‘Inside Job’
July 6, 2006
The provost of the University of Wisconsin at Madison announced last week that the university would conduct a “review” of an instructor who has publicly stated that he believes the 9/11 attacks were an “inside job.” The instructor, Kevin Barrett, was a guest on a radio show last week where he defended his controversial views…. Read more
Minnesota Sees Resurgence of Outrage Over Mohammed Cartoons
April 14, 2006
On Monday, April 10, the president of Century College, Larry Litecky, among others, received an outraged e-mail from Farheen Hakeem—comedian, community activist, and candidate for Commissioner of Hennepin County in Minnesota. The e-mail addressed the actions of Professor Karen Murdock, who garnered a good amount of attention throughout February and March for posting the Danish… Read more
Possibly the Most Newsworthy Cartoons in History
March 17, 2006
It’s official: the editor who chose to republish some of the cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammed at the University of Illinois has been fired by the paper’s board of directors. According to an article from CNN, “The Illini Media Co. board of directors, which comprises students and faculty, voted unanimously to fire the editor after… Read more
Avoiding Controversy at Century College
March 16, 2006
Weeks after the Mohammed cartoons were posted, torn down, posted behind a curtain, and then banished altogether, Century College is still working to keep controversy at bay. The Department of Social Sciences has decided to make the bulletin boards in its building “discipline-specific,” making future displays of controversial material impossible. At a meeting of the… Read more
Victory for Censorship at Century College
March 9, 2006
As today’s press release reveals, Minnesota’s Century College has repeatedly chosen silence over discussion as a means of dealing with the infamous Mohammed cartoons. The controversy hit Century’s campus on February 7, when Karen Murdock, an adjunct professor of geography, hung the twelve Danish cartoons on a bulletin board near her office. They were repeatedly… Read more
Minnesota Prof Censored for Posting Mohammed Cartoons
March 9, 2006
MINNEAPOLIS, March 9, 2006—The uproar over cartoons of the prophet Mohammed may be fading in some places, but not at Century College in Minnesota. After repeatedly encountering censorship of her display of the cartoons on a hallway bulletin board, Professor Karen Murdock finally posted them behind a curtain so that passers-by would not be offended…. Read more
Mohammed Cartoon Controversy Part II: Free Speech and the ‘Direct Assault’
February 27, 2006
A reader of The Torch recently responded to FIRE’s statement that colleges have a responsibility to allow publication of the infamous Mohammed cartoons by saying: Muslims all over the world got deeply hurt…and are in lot of pain. This is not an issue of freedom of expression, but amounts to direct assault. I hope and… Read more
Follow FIRE