Red Light Policies

• Residence Life Policies: Bias Incident Reporting

  Speech Code Category: Policies on Bias and Hate Speech
  Last updated: June 2, 2016

  A Bias Incident is defined as any act (oral, written, graphic, or physical) directed against any person or group as a result of their personage including but not limited to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, ability, or veteran’s status, that has the effect of creating an offensive, demeaning, intimidating or hostile environment for that person in particular or others who may see, hear, or otherwise witness the act. Furthermore, students’ use of epithets or names in a derogatory manner will be constituted as a bias incident. Bias incidents will be handled through the Residence Life disciplinary procedures or the Conduct Code, depending upon the nature of the act.

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• Undergraduate Code of Conduct: Expectations of Conduct

  Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
  Last updated: June 2, 2016

  Although it is neither possible nor necessary to specify every instance of misconduct that could result in disciplinary action against a student, the following are examples of the types of behavior that are considered violations of this Code.

  . . .

  Misuse of computer or network resources, including but not limited to: use of another individual’s identification or password; using computer or network resources to send anonymous, obscene, unwanted, harassing, or abusive messages;

  . . .

  Engaging in conduct that is likely to cause physical injury or emotional distress or otherwise endanger any person.

  Threatening,  intimidating, or coercing any person.

   

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• Policy 5.1 Information Technology Conditions of Use

  Speech Code Category: Internet Usage Policies
  Last updated: June 2, 2016

  Limited and reasonable personal use of Emory’s IT resources is acceptable and allowed, as long as it does not: … Reflect poorly on the institution

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• Office of Equal Opportunity Programs: Discriminatory Harassment Policy

  Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
  Last updated: June 2, 2016

  Emory’s policy prohibits discriminatory harassment of a non-sexual nature, which includes verbal, physical, or graphic conduct that denigrates or shows hostility or aversion toward an individual or group on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, gender, genetic information, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran’s status, or any factor that is a prohibited consideration under applicable law, and that is so severe or pervasive that it:

  • Has the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive employment, educational, or living environment; or
  • Has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work performance or a student’s academic performance.

  Depending upon its severity and/or pervasiveness, the prohibited behavior may include conduct or material (physical, oral, written, graphic, electronic messages or media posted or circulated in the community) involving epithets, slurs, negative stereotyping, threatening, intimidating, or hostile acts, that serve no scholarly purpose appropriate to the academic context and gratuitously denigrates or shows hostility or aversion toward an individual or group because of race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, gender, genetic information, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran’s status, or any factor protected by applicable law.

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• Policy 1.3 Equal Opportunity and Discriminatory Harassment Policy

  Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression
  Last updated: June 2, 2016

  Emory University is an inquiry-driven, ethically engaged, and diverse community dedicated to the ideals of free academic discourse in teaching, scholarship, and community service. Emory University abides by the values of academic freedom and is built on the assumption that contention among different views is positive and necessary for the expansion of knowledge, both for the University itself and as a training ground for society at large. Emory is committed to the widest possible scope for the free circulation of ideas.

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• Policy 8.5 Campus Life Student Organization Speakers Policy

  Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression
  Last updated: June 2, 2016

  The University places a very high value on freedom of speech and on the opportunity for intellectual stimulation that can be a product of controversial content.

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• Policy 1.3 Equal Opportunity and Discriminatory Harassment Policy

  Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
  Last updated: June 2, 2016

  Sexual harassment includes unwelcome conduct, based on sex or on gender stereotypes, when;

  • Submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual’s employment or student status or;
  • Submission to or rejection of such conduct is used as the basis for employment or academic decisions affecting such individual or;
  • Such conduct is so severe and/or pervasive it has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with a person’s university employment, academic performance or participation in university programs or activities, or creates a working, learning, program or activity environment that a reasonable person would find intimidating, hostile or offensive.

  Depending upon the severity and/or pervasiveness of the conduct, sexual harassment may include, for example, subjecting a person to egregious, unwelcome sexual attention, physical or verbal advances, sexual flirtations or propositions, vulgar talk or jokes, degrading graphic materials or verbal comments of a sexual nature about an individual or his or her appearance, or the display of sexually suggestive objects outside a scholarly context and purpose.

  Sexual harassment includes sexual misconduct, sexual violence, sexual assault, intimate partner violence, stalking, and gender-based bullying.  Prohibited sexual harassment in the working or learning environment includes an attempt to coerce an unwilling person into a sexual relationship; to punish a refusal to comply with a sexual based request; to condition a benefit on submitting to sexual advances, and to make direct or implied threats that submission to sexual advances will be a condition of employment or academic opportunity. Sexual harassment may also occur in the form of unwelcome, sexually suggestive cartoons, pictures, email, text, tweets, video or other graphic materials that may contribute to a hostile working or learning environment.

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• Policy 8.14 Respect for Open Expression Policy

  Speech Code Category: Protest and Demonstration Policies
  Last updated: June 2, 2016

  [T]he foundations of this Policy are grounded in the principles of the entire campus being open and available to members to build community through Protest and Dissent.  As such, all spaces, both indoors and outdoors, are available to support both planned and impromptu Protest and Dissent except for the specific locations and situations listed below.  For planned events, reservations can be made and no reservation shall be denied because of the content of expression. For impromptu Dissent, please see 8.14.5.7.

  The following locations are not available for these types of Events, Meetings, or Protests unless a special exception is granted; however, if the focus of the Dissent or Protest includes one of these areas, there is an affirmative support to ensure protests occur in places like the outdoor spaces in front of the buildings or common gathering places close to these locations.

  a. Private offices, research laboratories or associated facilities, and computer centers.

  b. Specific areas of offices, museums, libraries, and other facilities that contain valuable or sensitive materials, collections, equipment, and records protected by law, or by existing University policy such as educational records, student-related or personnel-related records, or financial records.

  c. Classrooms, seminar rooms, auditoriums, meeting rooms, or outdoor spaces in which classes, private Events, or Meetings are being held or are scheduled to be held during the time of the Protest.

  d. Outdoor and indoor locations when the free flow of traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian, will be unreasonably impeded; when entrances or exits to private offices, classrooms, and meeting spaces are blocked;   or when undue health and safety risk to members of the Community are created.

  e. Hospitals, clinics, and surrounding green space or grounds (including, but not limited to, sidewalks, access roads, parking areas, etc.), healthcare service providers, emergency facilities, communication systems, utilities, or other facilities or services vital to the continued functioning of the University.

  We fully support and acknowledge as a Community that sometimes impromptu Dissent and Protest is pivotal to achieve the Principles of this Policy. Not having a reservation is not sufficient reason for terminating any Protest unless the impromptu Protest unreasonably interferes with prior scheduled Meetings, Events, or essential operations of the University. The Committee shall ensure impromptu Protests continue until they should otherwise be relocated to allow for prior scheduled activities. To encourage such impromptu Dissent, the Committee for Open Expression shall demonstrate this affirmative commitment by working with those involved to reserve space where the Protest or Dissent can be continued should the space being used interfere with other scheduled Meetings, Events, or essential operations.

  All general outdoor public areas of the institution, even those that have reservation procedures, should be available for impromptu Protest and Dissent unless otherwise violating sections of this policy.  Requirements to reserve space should not be unreasonable in terms of time frame, requirements, or costs to the group wishing to host the Event. No group or organization should be denied use of a space on campus because of the content of the Meeting, Event, or Protest, unless such content would otherwise violate the responsibilities set forth in 8.14.5.5 of this Policy.

   

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• Editorial: Fostering the Exchange of Ideas

  September 1, 2016

  By Staff at Providence Journal  Incoming first-year students at the University of Chicago received an unusual welcome letter from their dean of students this summer: A message that stressed tolerance for free speech, open inquiry, and an opposition to censorship. These are, needless to say, essential values for a courageous, free and open society… Read more here.

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• College Goes Berserk Over Trump Slogan on Whiteboards

  July 9, 2016

  By Garth Kant at World Net Daily WASHINGTON – The powers-that-be at Skidmore College in upstate New York seem to have read a lot more into the slogan of GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump than just a call to “Make America Great Again.”… Read more here.

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• The Battle Against ‘Hate Speech’ on College Campuses Gives Rise to a Generation that Hates Speech

  May 26, 2016

  By Nina Burleigh at Newsweek During his 18 years as president of Lebanon Valley College during the middle of the past century, Clyde Lynch led the tiny Pennsylvania liberal arts institution through the tribulations of the Great Depression and World War II, then raised $550,000 to build a new gymnasium before he died in 1950. In gratitude, college trustees named that new building after him… Read more here.

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• Sensitive Students, Faculty Make for Interesting Times on Campus

  May 10, 2016

  By Staff at The Oklahoman DURING a commencement speech at the University of Michigan last month, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg talked in part about the need for students to expose themselves to new ideas and try to get along with people they don’t agree with. This is among “the most important skills in the working world,” Bloomberg said… Read more here.

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• Hamilton Awards Speech: “The Only True ‘Safe Space’ is Liberty and Freedom”

  May 10, 2016

  By Heather Mac Donald at Heatstreet A college bureaucrat, gazing over this gathering, would undoubtedly conclude that she was in an “unsafe space.”… Read more here.

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• Emory University Open Expression Committee Opinion on Trump Chalkings, ‘Mein Trumpf’ Poster and Other Matters

  May 10, 2016

  By Eugene Volokh at The Washington Post Emory University’s Standing Committee for Open Expression — an official university body — has just issued another broadly speech-protective opinioninterpreting the Emory Open Expression Policy. (Note that my brother and co-blogger Sasha Volokh, a professor at Emory Law School, is on the committee.) The opinion, of course, is constrained by the terms of the policy, but I think it faithfully interprets the policy as offering broad protection for student speech. The opinion has no formal precedential value, as I understand it, but I suspect that in practice it will be quite influential. An […]

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• Chalk One up for Free Speech on Campus

  May 3, 2016

  By Dick Poman at NewsWorks The freak show grinds on — Carly Fiorina fell off a stage, a perfect metaphor; Ted Cruz tried in vain to reason with Trumpitistas who brainlessly chanted Der Leader’s “Lyin’ Ted” mantra; Hillary Clinton said that her March promise to put coal miners “out of business” was merely a “misstatement” (yeah, sure); Trump said that Cruz’s dad aided Lee Harvey Oswald (?!?) — but let’s briefly leave the trail. Please. If only to salvage our sanity… Read more here.

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• What Might Save us From ‘Victimhood’ Culture

  April 29, 2016

  By Mary Rezac at Catholic News Agency Denver, Colo., Apr 29, 2016 / 03:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. This quote from British author Evelyn Beatrice Hall (often misattributed to Voltaire) might sound rather foreign on many college campuses throughout the country today, who in many ways seem to prefer to be defended from the First Amendment rather than to defend it… Read more here.

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• Sidewalk Messages Result in Free Speech Dust-up at UW-La Crosse

  April 22, 2016

  By Nathan Hansen at La Crosse Tribune Pro-Trump political messages — and the campus’ official response to them — have upset a number of students at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse… Read more here.

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• Iowa Students Fight for Right to Chalk

  April 20, 2016

  By Jeff Charis-Carison at Iowa City Press-Citizen When members of Students for Life drew hearts on a walkway at the University of Iowa last week, they kicked off the latest skirmish in a new frontier of free-speech controversies on college campuses nationwide: a battle over chalk art… Read more here.

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• Jefferson Muzzles go to 50 Colleges and Universities

  April 20, 2016

  By Eugene Volokh at The Washington Post The Thomas Jefferson Center (with which I’m involved as a member of the board of trustees) has just released its yearlyJefferson Muzzles, so I thought I’d pass along the center’s explanation of who the “winners” are this year. Note that the Ccnter supports academic freedom and free speech broadly, and not just those aspects that are legally protected by the First Amendment; so you’ll see many private institutions mentioned here, even though the First Amendment as such does not restrict private entities, as well as the public institutions to which the First Amendment applies… Read […]

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• ‘The Chalkening’ of Trump: Terror Grows on Campuses

  April 18, 2016

  By Bob Unruh at World Net Daily On university campuses, where many enthusiastic students vote for the first time, political candidates’ slogans typically appear on signs, bumper stickers, T-shirts, placards, dorm-room walls and even in chalk on sidewalks… Read more here.

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• Poll: Students Support Free Speech, as Long as You Don’t Intend to Offend Anyone

  April 7, 2016

  By Stephen Loiaconi at KVAL WASHINGTON (Sinclair Broadcast Group) — A majority of American college students support restrictions on “intentionally offensive” speech on campus, according to a new study, but their broader views on First Amendment rights reflect those of society in general… Read more here.  

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• The Sissification of Academia

  April 6, 2016

  By Bob Barr at Townhall For decades, liberals have forewarned the destruction by conservatives of their Ivory Towers of academia. They whine that conservatives are out to “starve” educational institutions by cutting their bloated, taxpayer-funded budgets; they blame conservative opposition to their precious Common Core scheme as “paranoia,” and they defend teacher unions to the death… Read more here.

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• Emory University Prez Just Responded to ‘Offensive’ Chalk Hoopla in a Way Trump Fans are Gonna Love

  April 4, 2016

  By Chris Martin at Independent Journal  Last week, students at Emory University were all aflutter over “#Trump2016” and similar political phrases scrawled in chalk on the school’s campus. Feeling “unsafe” and “afraid,” they took their concerns to the administration… Read more here.

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• Hoff: Divisive Rhetoric no Excuse for Stifling Speech

  April 2, 2016

  By Casey Hoff at Sheboygan Press The outcry of students at Emory University in Atlanta — who felt intimidated and “unsafe” because they had the horror of seeing “Trump 2016” written in chalk on the campus grounds — is an example of a dangerous trend on college campuses in the United States where feeling “unsafe” is cited as a reason to suppress political speech… Read more here.

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• Pro-Trump Chalk Messages Cause Conflicts on College Campuses

  April 1, 2016

  By Katie Rogers at The New York Times Students at several college campuses are clashing with their administrations and debating the limits of free speech after finding chalk messages voicing support for Donald J. Trump scrawled on campus property… Read more here.

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• Emory President Responds to Chalk Incident with Chalking of His Own

  April 1, 2016

  By Anthony Gockowski at Campus Reform Despite pressure from students, Emory University President James W. Wagner has reaffirmed his school’s commitment to free speech… Read more here.

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• Action Bronson Cut From University Concert: Another Free Speech Violation

  April 1, 2016

  By Max Kutner at Newsweek In what is being called another attack on free speech at American colleges by campus liberals, a student-run programming board at George Washington University (GW) has responded to student outcry by removing a controversial rapper, who some say is transphobic and promotes rape, from an upcoming concert lineup… Read more here.

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• Some Emory Students Push Back on “Fear” Over Trump Messages

  March 30, 2016

  By Staff at Atlanta Journal Constitution  Another chapter is rolling out at Emory University, after last week’s messages supporting Donald Trump were written on chalk on the Atlanta school’s sidewalks… Read more here.

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• Emory President Does His Own Chalking: ‘Emory Stands for Free Expression!’

  March 30, 2016

  By Greg Piper at The College Fix  He can chalk the chalk, but can he walk the walk?… Read more here.

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• Emory Students Explain Why ‘Trump 2016’ Chalk Messages Triggered Protest

  March 25, 2016

  By Max Kutner at Newsweek When the words “Trump 2016” and other chalked messages supporting the Republican presidential front-runner appeared Monday around the Emory University campus in Atlanta, students say they immediately felt threatened. Within hours, they launched a protest. … Read more here.

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• Trump Chalk at Emory University

  March 24, 2016

  By Peter Hart at National Coalition Against Censorship  On March 22 the watchdogs at FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights in Education) posted a piece headlined, “Good News for Free Speech at Emory University.” The Atlanta college was commended for how it handled a case of vandalism against a pro-Palestine student exhibit, and a working group addressing student complaints decined to support a ban on the controversial app Yik Yak. … Read more here.

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• Emory Students Want Professors Evaluated on Number of Microaggressions They Commit

  December 14, 2015

  By Robby Soave at Reason.com If Emory University students got their way, end-of-semester course evaluations would ask them to indicate whether their professors had committed “microaggressions” against them. The explicit goal of such a question on evaluations would be to punish professors who engaged in speech that offended students. According to student-protesters, as reported by The Emory Wheel: We demand that the faculty evaluations that each student is required to complete for each of their professors include at least two open-ended questions such as: “Has this professor made any microaggressions towards you on account of your race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, […]

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• Emory Committee Releases Formal Statement on ‘Chalkening’ Controversy, Political Expression

  May 11, 2016

  The Emory University Senate’s Standing Committee for Open Expression has seen the writing on the wall. Or, more specifically, on the sidewalk. The university-affiliated committee tasked with interpreting Emory’s Open Expression Policy released a comprehensive 12-page statement this week urging increased free speech protections at Emory in the wake of this semester’s controversy over pro-Donald Trump chalk messages and several other incidents that ignited debate over the bounds of political speech. The group, composed of students, faculty, administrators and staff, formally voted on the statement in late April. Emory University School of Law professor and committee member Alexander “Sasha” Volokh […]

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• Emory President Chalks Pro-Speech Message After Trump Controversy as Students, Alumni Urge More Action (VIDEO)

  March 30, 2016

  Emory University President James Wagner has expressed his support of free speech —in chalk— following the controversy over chalk messages written on campus last week in support of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. President Wagner’s supportive message comes after students from Emory’s Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) chapter and a separate, non-partisan coalition of Emory alumni began parallel initiatives asking Emory to overhaul the university’s restrictive speech codes and officially commit to protecting free expression on campus. Wagner visited a YAL campus event last Friday, talked to the students, and even added his own sidewalk chalk message to the array […]

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• So About Free Speech at Emory…

  March 23, 2016

  Just yesterday, we reported that the Emory University Senate Standing Committee for Open Expression had issued a statement strongly supporting free speech on campus. But just over the past 24 hours comes news of Emory’s apparent implosion over the appearance of “Trump 2016” chalkings on campus. Most notable, from FIRE’s perspective, is this suggestion from Emory President James Wagner: The University will review footage “up by the hospital [from] security cameras” to identify those who made the chalkings, Wagner told the protesters. He also added that if they’re students, they will go through the conduct violation process…. While Emory does […]

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• Good News for Free Speech at Emory University

  March 22, 2016

  Last week, The Volokh Conspiracy reported that the Emory University Senate Standing Committee for Open Expression released an opinion strongly supporting free speech on campus. The opinion responds to two separate acts of vandalism within 48 hours last February targeting a wall display posted by Emory Students for Justice in Palestine (ESJP). The vandals apparently disagreed with the political messages about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict displayed on the wall and aimed to suppress ESJP’s speech. The committee’s opinion explains that the vandalism of ESJP’s display violates Emory’s Open Expression Policy. Additionally, the committee concludes the only way the wall display would […]

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• Emory Students Demand Course Evaluations Include Rating for Microaggressions

  December 11, 2015

  College course evaluations, while valuable, do not always give a precise measure of the competence of a professor. Students, who have been judged all semester by professors, have an opportunity to pass judgment themselves. Some of them take the task seriously and offer constructive comments. For others, it’s payback time. This is a process with which I am familiar: I teach appellate legal writing at George Mason University’s law school, a required course which some students approach with as much delight as a trip to the dentist. I do my best to make the material engaging, and some students respond […]

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• Not Everyone at Emory Got Salman Rushdie’s Important Message About Free Speech

  February 26, 2015

  Acclaimed writer Salman Rushdie spoke to students at Emory University last week about what it means to defend freedom of speech and why students must vigilantly do so. Though his plea was well-argued and powerful, it didn’t reach all Emory community members—particularly not whoever destroyed a display set up by student group Emory Students for Justice in Palestine (ESJP) Sunday night and Monday morning. In his final lecture as University Distinguished Professor, Rushdie reflected on his own experiences, from assuming in 1968 when he graduated from Cambridge University that “the battle of free expression had been won,” to facing death […]

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• Is Emory’s Student Government Ready to Take a Stand for Free Speech?

  November 21, 2011

  There’s some good news on the free speech front at Emory University, where (as I wrote here last week) a proposed “free expression zone” policy had all appearances of being woefully misguided and actually quite bad for free speech at Emory. The Emory Wheel expressed worry about the implications of such a zone as well. Now, Student Government Association (SGA) official Andrew Hull is hitting back against the notion that this new policy will restrict free speech. Of the Wheel‘s editorial against the new policy, Hull writes: The first point that the Wheel brings up is that a free expression zone implies limitations […]

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• Emory Students Speak out Against Proposed ‘Free Expression Zone’ Policy

  November 11, 2011

  On Wednesday I gave Emory University a shellacking over a proposed “free expression zone” policy, which was hailed in The Emory Wheel as a step forward by Emory’s student government president and a number of Emory administrators. As I wrote, the fact that such initiatives on supposedly free liberal arts campuses are so positively received does far more to show how far our tolerance for free speech has plummeted rather than grown, seeing the extent to which students are willing to censor themselves today. Fortunately, I’m not alone. Today in the Wheel, Emory graduate student Andy Ratto expresses similar sentiments, saying that […]

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• At Emory, Understanding of Free Speech so Bad it Makes a ‘Free Speech Zone’ Sound Good

  November 9, 2011

  You know standards for free speech on campus have fallen pretty far when a plan to establish a “free speech zone” policy seems like progress and not regression. Just such a move—a joint effort between students and administrators—is underway at Emory University, The Emory Wheel student newspaper reports. The Wheel‘s article merits quoting at length because it’s chock-full of infantilization from Emory’s administrators, as well as the perception—both from students and the administration—that free speech is something that requires permission to exercise and should be turned off the moment it becomes troublesome. The Wheel reports that Student Government Association (SGA) president Adam […]

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• Emory Professor Allowed to Say He’s an Emory Professor on Private Blog

  July 14, 2009

  Steadily growing scrutiny from the higher education media and organizations including FIRE has caused Emory University to backtrack on its previous demand that Professor J. Douglas Bremner remove the name of the university—including the fact that he is an Emory professor—from his private blog. Bremner, a professor of psychiatry and radiology at Emory’s School of Medicine, has used his blog Before You Take That Pill as a launching pad for his criticism of the pharmaceutical industry. Emory demanded that Bremner remove its name from his blog because of a January 28 post in which Bremner mocked a Seattle apartment complex’s […]

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• The State of Free Speech on Campus: Emory University

  March 2, 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). Today we review policies at Emory University, which FIRE has given a red-light rating for restricting free expression on campus. We start by examining whether Emory—a private institution—has made any commitments to free expression that would lead students and faculty to believe they are entitled to free speech at the university. One such commitment is found in the university’s Discriminatory Harassment Policy, which provides that Emory University abides by the values […]

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• Free Speech under Attack during Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week

  October 25, 2007

  This week, as the Terrorism Awareness Project provides speakers at college campuses in order to increase awareness about terrorism of the Muslim extremist variety, the predictable has come to pass: speakers have been prevented by protesters from enjoying their freedom of speech. At Emory University, David Horowitz’s lecture ended prematurely when audience members refused to hear him out. A photo essay describes what protesters did to Nonie Darwish at Berkeley. Rick Santorum suffered a similar fate at Penn State. The Washington Times has a list of those who are blogging about such events here. Students who are hosting a screening […]

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