School Spotlight
Fordham University
Speech Code Rating
Student Handbook: Information Technology Usage
Speech Code Rating: Red
Speech Code Category: Internet Usage Policies
Last updated: April 14, 2021IT resources and services cannot be assessed or used in the following manner: … Using any IT resource or communication services, including email or other means, to intimidate, insult, embarrass and harass others; to interfere unreasonably with an individual’s work, research or educational performance; or... Read MoreStudent Handbook: Bullying
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Bullying Policies
Last updated: April 14, 2021Bullying creates feelings of defenselessness, fear, undermines a person’s diginity, and is defined as the repeated, unreasonable actions of a person or group of persons directed toward another person or group of persons, which are intended to hurt, intimidate, degrade, humiliate, and/or under... Read MoreStudent Handbook: Distribution of Literature
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Protest and Demonstration Policies
Last updated: April 14, 20212. Registered student organizations often distribute information in the form of handouts, fliers, and newsletters … As with any other club or organization activity, these events must be coordinated with the Office for Student Involvement and/or the Assistant Dean/Director of Student Involvement. The source of ... Read MoreStudent Handbook: Advertisements in Student Publications
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Other Speech Codes
Last updated: April 14, 2021Advertisements must be legal, truthful, and compatible with the values and mission of the University as a Jesuit, Catholic institution. These values include concern for each student, respect for individuals and groups of people and for the dignity of the human person. To this end, the University prohibit... Read MoreStudent Handbook: Speakers Policy
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Policies on Tolerance, Respect, and Civility
Last updated: April 14, 2021[E]xpression that is indecent or is grossly obscene or grossly offensive on matters such as race, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation is inconsistent with accepted norms of conduct at the University. Read MoreStudent Handbook: Demonstration Policy
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Protest and Demonstration Policies
Last updated: April 14, 2021Organizers and participants must follow these guidelines in planning and conducting pickets and other demonstration events: … A member of the Fordham University community must be designated Organizer/Liaison for the event. The Organizer/Liaison must meet with the Dean of Students to coordinate the planned even... Read MoreSexual and Related Misconduct Policy and Procedures For the Fordham University Community
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: April 14, 2021Sexual Harassment: Unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that is severe, pervasive, or persistent, including but not limited to sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, and: … Such conduct is sufficiently severe, pervasive, or persistent to have the p... Read MoreStudent Handbook: The University Code of Conduct
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: April 14, 2021Harassment (verbal or other) or physical abuse, threatening or attempting to inflict physical injury, or creating substantial risk of such injury to another member of the Fordham University community or to any person on University premises. Read MoreSexual and Related Misconduct Policy and Procedures For the Fordham University Community: Conduct Prohibited by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: April 14, 2021Sex- or Gender-Based Harassment (Title IX): Unwelcome conduct that a reasonable person would consider so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access to a University education program or activity. Read MoreFordham University Mission Statement
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression
Last updated: April 14, 2021Fordham strives for excellence in research and teaching, and guarantees the freedom of inquiry required by rigorous thinking and the quest for truth. Read MoreStudent Handbook: Demonstration Policy
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression
Last updated: April 14, 2021By its very nature, the University is a place where ideas and opinions are formulated and exchanged. Each member of the University has a right to freely express their positions and to work for their acceptance whether they assent to or dissent from existing situations in the University or society. Read MoreStudent Handbook: Bias-Related Incidents and/or Hate Crimes
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression
Last updated: April 14, 2021[T]he University values freedom of expression and the open exchange of ideas. The expression of controversial ideas and differing views is a vital part of University discourse. Although the expression of an idea or point of view may be offensive or inflammatory to others, it may not constitute a hate crime or bias-r... Read More
Fordham University: Student Banned from Campus, Placed on Probation After Instagram Photo Commemorating Tiananmen Square Massacre
July 17, 2020
Student Austin Tong, a Chinese-American immigrant, posted an Instagram photo of himself holding a gun in his backyard on the 31st anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, as well as a separate post critiquing what he saw as a nonchalant response to the homicide of retired St. Louis Police Chief David Dorn. In response to… Read more
Fordham University: Prospective Students for Justice in Palestine Chapter Rejected Over Political Beliefs
January 25, 2017
On December 22, Dean of Students Keith Eldredge overruled the USG and said he would not grant SJP official recognition, writing that he “cannot support an organization whose sole purpose is advocating political goals of a specific group, and against a specific country” and that “the Israeli-Palestinian conflict … often leads to polarization rather than dialogue.”
Immigrants from repressive countries warn of free speech erosion in U.S. academia
July 7, 2021
Vaguely worded laws, censorship, and due process violations are commonplace in some of the most repressive regimes in the world. Therefore, it’s no coincidence that international students flock to the United States from all corners of the globe — making up an amazing 5.5% (~1.1 million) of the total U.S. college student population — to… Read more
‘Fordham should be ashamed’: Bitter outcome for pro-Palestinian group after university’s four-year fight to censor
May 14, 2021
Last week, the New York State Court of Appeals declined to hear the appeal of the student-plaintiffs in Awad v. Fordham University, a case challenging Fordham’s 2017 denial of recognition to a prospective chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine on account of the group’s viewpoint. The decision from New York’s highest court leaves in… Read more
New York schools continue to flout student rights — and New York courts continue to let them
April 16, 2021
Earlier this month, in a disappointing ruling, the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department, one of the state’s intermediate appellate courts, reversed a trial court’s decision that protected the due-process rights of students at New York’s private colleges and universities. NYU students win first-round victory in challenge to fall semester suspensions The case… Read more
FIRE to New York’s highest court: Hold Fordham to its promises in Students for Justice in Palestine case
February 17, 2021
FIRE filed a brief in New York’s highest court today, asking the court to accept an appeal from the Fordham students who have been trying to form a pro-Palestinian club since 2015. The filing comes on the same day Fordham was named one of FIRE’s 2021 10 Worst Schools for Free Speech. As we have… Read more
10 Worst Colleges for Free Speech: 2021
February 17, 2021
This year, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education is releasing its 10th list of the “worst colleges for free speech.” Since our first list in 2011, more than 70 institutions in 31 states have found themselves named and shamed for actively working to shut down student and faculty speech rights. Each year, hundreds of… Read more
FIRE presents the 10 Worst Colleges for Free Speech: 2021
February 17, 2021
PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 17, 2021 — Would you make a student homeless during the pandemic because you didn’t like something he said? Or threaten faculty doctors fighting COVID-19 with termination for speaking to the press? If you’re a campus official at one of the schools on this list, you just might! In the 10th edition of… Read more
Austin Tong is suing Fordham — to protect your rights.
September 1, 2020
The call came in to Austin Tong’s parents’ Long Island home just before 10:30 p.m. His dad answered, but the man on the phone wanted Austin. On the other end of the line were two Fordham University security officers. They were also, they said, right outside. “My dad gave me the phone,” Tong recalls. “The… Read more
Analysis: Department of Education investigates Fordham over broken speech promises in Austin Tong case
August 25, 2020
Fordham University’s ongoing attempt to punish student Austin Tong for his social media posts faces new opposition after the Department of Education on Thursday sent a letter notifying Fordham that it is investigating whether the university’s actions violate its promises of free expression. In theory, the investigation could lead to financial penalties of up to… Read more
In court filing, Fordham gives up the charade
August 20, 2020
In a court filing this week, Fordham University finally admitted a truth that FIRE and Fordham students have known for a while: Fordham just doesn’t care about student speech rights. Sure, Fordham makes big promises about freedom of expression. The university “guarantees the freedom of inquiry” to students, and claims they have “a right to… Read more
FIRE files amicus brief after Fordham ignores state law, its own policies, our advice, and common sense in banning pro-Palestinian student group
July 31, 2020
Editor’s note: Due to an electronic filing oversight beyond the control of amici or amici’s counsel, the motion to file was successfully filed on Aug. 4, not on July 31 as originally reported. Today, a coalition of civil liberties organizations, led by FIRE, filed a motion for leave to file a friend-of-the-court brief in the case… Read more
Advice to Fordham: Ignoring FIRE will only get you scorched
July 23, 2020
Almost a week after the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education warned Fordham University that it must immediately rescind the egregious punishment it handed down to a student who posted an off-campus Instagram photo holding a legally obtained gun, the university remains silent. FIRE requested a response by July 22, but the private university has… Read more
Fordham student punished for holding gun in Instagram photo memorializing Tiananmen Square massacre
July 17, 2020
University bars student from campus and demands bias training Student, who emigrated from China, forced to write apology letter for post memorializing anniversary of Chinese government’s massacre of pro-democracy activists in Tiananmen Square FIRE: Fordham betrayed its ideals and this student THE BRONX, N.Y., July 17, 2020 — The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education… Read more
April 2020 Speech Code of the Month: Fordham University
April 2, 2020
As colleges across the country have closed their physical campuses and moved to online instruction in response to the COVID-19 crisis, it may seem unnecessary to designate a policy as our Speech Code of the Month. After all, if students aren’t on campus, they aren’t taking part in demonstrations on the quad or posting signs… Read more
After two-plus years in court, Students for Justice in Palestine wins recognition at Fordham
August 7, 2019
Since December 2016, Fordham University has refused to grant official recognition to a chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (“SJP”) based on the group’s political views. That may come to an end soon, however, as a New York court this week ordered Fordham to recognize the student organization. The SJP students filed their lawsuit… Read more
Fordham objects to new student joining lawsuit over rejected Students for Justice in Palestine chapter
March 19, 2019
Over two years after Fordham University refused to recognize a prospective chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine on the basis of its political beliefs, a group of students continues to fight the school’s decision in court. But over a year after asking a Manhattan judge to order Fordham to recognize the chapter, three of… Read more
UPDATE: After Florida school shooting, ‘Worst Colleges for Free Speech’ promising high schoolers a right to protest
March 14, 2018
Update: FIRE has tallied the number of colleges and universities that have made statements supporting free speech, based on the list compiled by Chris Peterson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology assistant director of undergraduate admissions. Out of the schools in our Spotlight database that made statements on free speech, 61 have a “red light” speech code… 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
Fordham University faces judge, packed courtroom, as it dissembles to defend its refusal of recognition of Students for Justice in Palestine chapter
January 3, 2018
This afternoon, Fordham University asked a New York court to dismiss a lawsuit brought against the university arising from its refusal to recognize a chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine — a refusal that landed Fordham on FIRE’s 2017 list of America’s 10 worst schools for free speech. Following a hearing in a courtroom… Read more
Fordham University sued over rejection of Students for Justice in Palestine chapter
April 26, 2017
Fordham University is facing a lawsuit in a New York state court over its refusal to recognize a chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, which the university rejected because of a fear of “polarization” on campus. Fordham’s conduct, after promising that students would be free to express differing views on campus, was so egregious… Read more
Fordham University Named One of America’s 10 Worst Colleges for Free Speech After Banning Students for Justice in Palestine
February 22, 2017
SJP was banned solely based on the group’s political viewpoint TODAY: Disciplinary hearing for a student who peacefully protested the school’s decision PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 22, 2017—Fordham University’s relentless and ongoing effort to stifle the free speech and association rights of students who want to start a chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) has… Read more
FIRE Announces America’s 10 Worst Colleges for Free Speech: 2017
February 22, 2017
PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 22, 2017—More than 92 percent of American colleges maintain speech codes that either clearly restrict—or could too easily be used to restrict—free speech. Each year, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) takes a closer look at campus censorship to identify America’s 10 worst colleges for free speech. The 2017 list of… Read more
Fordham Finds New, Equally Unacceptable Justification for Denying Recognition to Students for Justice in Palestine
January 27, 2017
Yet again, another university seems to have forgotten the first law of holes: When you find yourself in one, stop digging. On Wednesday, FIRE and the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) publicly called on Fordham University to reverse its viewpoint discriminatory refusal to recognize a prospective Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter. In our… Read more
FIRE, NCAC Call on Fordham to Recognize Students for Justice in Palestine
January 25, 2017
NEW YORK, Jan. 25, 2017—Fordham University is refusing to recognize a prospective chapter of the group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) on the basis of the group’s political beliefs. Today, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) and the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) are calling on Fordham University to reverse the university’s… Read more
Tip of the Iceberg: Recent Controversy Reveals More Free Speech Problems at Fordham
December 7, 2012
After Fordham University made waves a few weeks back over President Joseph McShane’s harsh condemnation of the university’s College Republicans for inviting Ann Coulter to speak on campus (an invite which, it turned out, the group had already decided to rescind), FIRE began to hear from students at Fordham who wanted to (anonymously) tell us… Read more
Fordham University Hits Bottom, Keeps Digging in Ann Coulter Disinvite Kerfuffle
November 15, 2012
Over the past few days, FIRE has highlighted a disappointing situation at Fordham University. In brief: the Fordham College Republicans invited Ann Coulter to speak, public pressure mounted to rescind her invitation, Fordham University President Joseph McShane, S.J., while not cowing to the pressure to ban Coulter from campus, nonetheless denounced her views (and denounced… Read more
Robert Shibley on ‘College Insurrection’ on Fordham’s Ann Coulter Controversy
November 14, 2012
FIRE Senior Vice President Robert Shibley has a new piece at College Insurrection about Fordham University’s condemnation of the College Republicans’ now-rescinded speaking invitation to Ann Coulter, which we discussed earlier this week on The Torch. Robert’s column focuses in particular on the Catholic university’s strikingly selective outrage—as you may remember, the university president chose… Read more
At Fordham University, President’s Criticism of Student Group Sparks Controversy
November 12, 2012
On Friday of last week, the Reverend Joseph M. McShane, president of Fordham University, sent an email to Fordham students and their parents strongly criticizing the Fordham College Republicans’ decision to invite conservative commentator Ann Coulter to speak. Apparently unbeknownst to McShane, the College Republicans had already decided to rescind the invitation. The university’s statement… Read more
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