School Spotlight

Connecticut College

Location: New London, Connecticut
Type: Private
Tell Connecticut College to revise its speech policies by filling out this form.

Speech Code Rating

Connecticut College has been given the speech code rating Red. A red light university has at least one policy that both clearly and substantially restricts freedom of speech. Read more

Campus Climate

Overall Ranking

out of 154 colleges surveyed Read more
142

  • Student Policies are Password Protected

    Speech Code Rating: Red
    Speech Code Category: Other Speech Codes
    Last updated: August 23, 2021

    Student Policies All found in the Student Handbook, Section II. The Student Code of Conduct: Student Rights and Responsibilities. (Available on CamelWeb under “Students/Forms and Documents/Student Life”; login required.) Read More

  • Appropriate Use Policy for Computer and Information Resources

    Speech Code Rating: Green
    Speech Code Category: Internet Usage Policies
    Last updated: August 23, 2021

    Using the College’s computers or network or the telephone system to transmit fraudulent, defamatory, harassing, obscene or threatening messages or any communications prohibited by law. Read More

  • Freedom of Expression at Conn

    Speech Code Rating: Green
    Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression
    Last updated: August 23, 2021

    The right of individuals and groups to express themselves freely is fundamental to democracy. It is also central to a Connecticut College education. Freedom of expression is written into our mission of educating students to “put the liberal arts into action as citizens of a global society.” Active citizenship requir... Read More

FIRE surveyed roughly 37,000 students at 154 colleges and universities about the climate for free speech at their institutions. In 2021, FIRE released rankings of those schools, based on a number of factors, including openness, tolerance, self-expression, administrative support for free speech, and campus policies, scoring overall speech climate on a scale from 0-100. See the full report on FIRE’s 2021 College Free Speech Rankings for more information.

 

Rankings / out of 154 colleges surveyed
Overall Ranking 142
Ideological Diversity 146

Overall / out of a top score of 100
Overall Score 53.74
Openness 10.07
Tolerance (Liberals) 11.28
Tolerance (Conservatives) 7.09
Administrative Support 5.82
Comfort 15.43
Disruptive Conduct 10.06
Speech Code RED
At present, FIRE has not been publicly involved in any cases at this school.

  • Connecticut College Password-Protects Key Documents

    May 21, 2009

    Connecticut College—which in past years has earned a red light from FIRE for its speech codes—has password-protected two key documents, the Student Handbook and the Bias Incident Protocol. We at FIRE believe that prospective students and their parents have the right to know whether Connecticut College prohibits free speech—and whether the college even still promises… Read more

  • K. C. Johnson Strikes Again

    August 26, 2005

    The invaluable K. C. Johnson has an excellent op-ed in today’s Inside Higher Ed. K. C. does a wonderful job of collecting evidence that much of the ideological uniformity in higher education is not so much the result of “self-selection” but instead the product of an academic culture that uses ideology as a stand-in for… Read more