School Spotlight
Colby College
Speech Code Rating
Student Handbook: General College Policies and Procedures- Harassment
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: April 23, 2018Harassment based on any protected classification, including race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national or ethnic origin, or disability, results in loss of self-esteem for the victim and in the deterioration of the quality of the classroom, social, or workplace environment. Harassment i... Read MoreStudent Handbook: General College Policies and Procedures- Chalking
Speech Code Category: Posting and Distribution Policies
Last updated: April 23, 2018On occasion, student organizations or individual(s) promote public awareness on issues and concerns by “chalking” various areas of the campus grounds. Chalking may be done on walkways or roads (not steps or buildings) provided the following guidelines are followed. … Hate speech, harassing messages, as well a... Read MoreStudent Handbook: General College Policies- Banners
Speech Code Category: Posting and Distribution Policies
Last updated: April 23, 2018Banners may be displayed in select locations on campus with prior approval of content from the Office of Campus Life. Groups or individuals who violate this policy may be subject to fines and/or disciplinary action. Read MoreBias Incident Prevention and Response Team: What is a Bias Incident?
Speech Code Category: Policies on Bias and Hate Speech
Last updated: April 20, 2018As expressed in Colby’s Student Handbook, “Colby stands for diversity, for respect for various lifestyles and beliefs, and for the protection of every individual against discrimination. In the classroom and outside, there is freedom to study, to think, to speak, to work, to learn, and to thrive in an environment tha... Read MoreStudent Handbook: Student Conduct Expectations
Speech Code Category: Policies on Tolerance, Respect, and Civility
Last updated: April 23, 2018Students are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with the following fundamental code of conduct: Colby students will not lie, steal, cheat, engage in dishonest or unlawful behavior, or any behavior that inflicts physical or emotional harm on another person. Colby students must abide by College policies and ... Read MoreCode of Ethics for Information Technology at Colby College
Speech Code Category: Internet Usage Policies
Last updated: April 20, 2018Examples of misuse include, but are not limited to, the following: … Sending threatening messages or other material intended to harass. Read MoreStudent Handbook: General College Policies and Procedures- Free Expression
Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression
Last updated: April 23, 2018The right of free expression — which does not include a right to harass, intimidate, injure or silence others — is essential in an academic community and will be vigorously upheld. Infringing upon the expression of views, either by interfering with a speaker, or by defacing or removing properly posted or distributed... Read MoreStudent Handbook: Sexual Misconduct Policy and Processes
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: April 23, 2018Sexual Harassment is any unwelcome sexual advance, request for sexual favors, or other unwanted conduct of a sexual nature, whether verbal, non-verbal, graphic, physical or otherwise, when the conditions outlined in (1) and (2), below, are present. Gender-Based Harassment includes harassment based on a person’s actu... Read More
Colby College president: ‘My responsibility is to foster an environment on campus that supports free inquiry’
June 12, 2017
In an email to the college community this past Friday, Colby College President David Greene responded publicly to students who asked Greene why he did not sign a letter criticizing President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. In his message, Greene took a strong stand in favor of free speech at… Read more
Speech Code of the Month: Colby College
July 20, 2016
FIRE announces its Speech Code of the Month for July 2016: Colby College in Maine. Colby’s Bias Incident Prevention and Response protocol encourages students to report on one another to the administration for a wide range of speech and expression. Not only that, but the college recently placed its previously-public “bias incident log” under password… Read more
The Retreat of the Public Intellectual
September 22, 2006
In the recent edition of the alumni magazine from my alma mater, Colby College, there’s an interesting article by government professor Paul Reisert about the cultural marginalization of academia. He writes, There was a time, not that long ago, when leading figures in higher education served as public intellectuals, addressing the vital issues of their… Read more
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