School Spotlight
Evergreen State College
Speech Code Rating
Evergreen’s Social Contract
Speech Code Rating: Red
Speech Code Category: Policies on Tolerance, Respect, and Civility
Last updated: August 18, 2021The Social Contract is an agreement … The individual members of the Evergreen community are responsible for protecting each other and visitors on campus from physical harm, from personal threats, and from uncivil abuse. Civility is not just a word; it must be present in all our interactions. Read MoreEvent Security and Safety
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Security Fee Policies
Last updated: August 18, 2021Events covered under this policy include but are not limited to: Concerts Lectures/Speeches/Indoor Rallies Public performances or theater productions Sporting events/competitions Outdoor events … Before submitting an offer or contract, the first step for student organizations and other in-house promoters is ... Read MoreCode of Student Rights and Responsibilities: Prohibited conduct
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: August 18, 2021Harassment. Conduct against a person on the basis of protected status that is sufficiently severe, pervasive, or persistent as to interfere with or diminishes the ability of a person to participate in or benefit from the services, activities, or privileges provided by the college, or an employee to engage in work du... Read MoreFree Speech Guide
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Protest and Demonstration Policies
Last updated: August 18, 2021What is a free speech activity? These are activities where students can organize and convey a message. Some examples include: signs and banners that are constructed of soft material; distribution of literature; silent or symbolic protest including wearing of significant clothing, gesturing, displaying a sign, or oth... Read MoreBias Related Incident Response Protocol: Practices & Procedures
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Policies on Bias and Hate Speech
Last updated: August 18, 2021The College champions free expression. The ways in which we address bias incidents respect that value. Bias incidents often center around speech that many community members find offensive. Those who engage in the speech that offends others and those that respond to the speech may be protected by First Amendment righ... Read MoreEvergreen’s Social Contract
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression
Last updated: August 18, 2021Evergreen’s members live under a special set of rights and responsibilities, foremost among which is that of enjoying the freedom to explore ideas and to discuss their explorations in both speech and print. Both institutional and individual censorship are at variance with this basic freedom. Research or other... Read MorePolicies and Procedures: Title IX
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: August 18, 2021“Sexual Harassment,” for purposes of this Title IX Policy and Procedures, Sexual Harassment occurs when a Respondent engages in the following discriminatory conduct on the basis of sex: … Hostile environment. Unwelcome conduct that a reasonable person would find to be so severe, pervasive, and objectively offe... Read MoreAppropriate Use of Information Technology Resources
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Internet Usage Policies
Last updated: August 18, 2021In light of all the policies outlined above in this document, the following are examples of specifically prohibited activities: … sexual harassment or harassment based on race, color, gender, religion, creed, age, marital status, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or veteran status. Read More
So to Speak podcast: Bret Weinstein, professor in exile
March 8, 2018
Former Evergreen State College professor Bret Weinstein describes himself as a “professor in exile.” The evolutionary biologist left Evergreen last September in the fallout from the controversy surrounding the school’s planned Day of Absence programming. Weinstein’s objection to the programming led fifty students to disrupt his class and demand his resignation. The backlash became so… Read more
The 10 worst colleges for free speech: 2018
February 12, 2018
Every year, FIRE chooses the 10 worst colleges for free speech — and unfortunately, 2017 left us with plenty of options: Campuses were rocked by violent mob censorship, monitored by bias response teams, plagued by free speech zones, and beset by far too many disinvitation attempts. Although the number of colleges with the most restrictive… Read more
FIRE names America’s 10 worst colleges for free speech: 2018
February 12, 2018
PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 12, 2018 — Each year, colleges across the country find dubious ways to silence student and faculty expression. In the last year, administrators became embroiled in litigation for telling a student he couldn’t hand out Spanish-language copies of the U.S. Constitution outside a free speech zone, continued a years-long effort to ban a… Read more
Yale 2.0 at Evergreen State College?
June 1, 2017
A faculty member sends an email that critiques a recent announcement from the college administration on an issue related to race, equity, and inclusion; students catch wind of the email, allege that its sender is racist, and organize campus-wide protests in response; the protesters confront the faculty member directly and demand their resignation or firing;… Read more
Hey, Evergreen State: Let It Go!
June 6, 2014
Duquesne University law professor Jacob H. Rooksby reports on the latest failure of common sense on campus over at HigherEducationLaw, and it’s a stunner: Administrators at The Evergreen State College are refusing to let a student theater troupe perform an original work on university property because they’re worried that the production, which includes parodies of Disney songs, might trigger liability for copyright infringement.