Georgetown University
Location: Washington, District Of Columbia
Website: http://www.georgetown.edu
Type: Private
Federal Circuit: DC circuit
Speech Code Rating
Georgetown University 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 here.
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Georgetown University Law Center: Students Prevented from Campaigning for Democratic Presidential Candidate Due to Ban on Partisan Political Speech
February 1, 2016
During the 2015 fall semester, Georgetown University Law Center’s Office of Student Life (OSL) prevented a group of students supporting the 2016 presidential campaign of Senator Bernie Sanders from tabling either inside or outside the law school with materials showing support for their candidate.
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Georgetown University: Unequal Treatment of Student Organizations
May 4, 2010
Despite its Speech & Expression Policy stating that "’time, place and manner’ are the only norms allowable in governing the expression of ideas and sharing of information that is the very life of the university," Georgetown University has consistently refused to recognize the pro-choice student group H*yas for Choice, saying that doing so would conflict with its Catholic and Jesuit mission. Georgetown’s Access to Benefits Policy denies groups like H*yas for Choice equal treatment among student groups, contradicting its moral and contractual promises of free speech. Further, H*yas for Choice was denied recognition despite the existence of recognized groups of […]
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Georgetown University: Student Newspaper’s Censorship of Columnist
April 1, 2000
The editor-in-chief of the Georgetown University’s student newspaper, The Hoya, has resorted to student self-censorship. David Jung Wong, a sophomore from Hollywood, Florida, fired Robert Swope, a conservative columnist, for having angered campus feminists with his weekly op-eds. Wong was unhappy with Swope’s unrepentant politically incorrect views and took it upon himself to rid the paper of its token conservative columnist. Wong’s decision has been the subject of discussion in a number of national publications, almost exclusively by intellectually diverse and liberty-loving female authors. Cultural critic Camille Paglia, libertarian intellectual Wendy McElroy, Jewish World Review columnist Michelle Malkin, National Review’s […]
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Red Light Policies
Student Code of Conduct: Incivility
Speech Code Category: Policies on Tolerance, Respect, and Civility
Last updated: January 17, 201818. Incivility (typically resolved via Administrative Action)Engaging in behavior, either through language or actions, which disrespects another individual, including but not limited to:
- a fellow Georgetown student;
- ‘a University Official or law enforcement officer.
Policy Statement on Harassment
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: January 17, 2018Harassment is verbal or physical conduct that denigrates or shows hostility or aversion to an individual because of [age, color, disability, family responsibilities, gender identity and expression, genetic information, marital status, national origin and accent, personal appearance, political affiliation, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, source of income, veteran’s status or other factors prohibited by federal and/or District of Columbia law], when such conduct has the purpose or effect of: unreasonably interfering with an individual or third party’s academic or work performance; creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive educational or work environment; or otherwise adversely affecting an individual or third party’s academic or employment opportunities.
Harassment may include, but is not limited to: verbal abuse or ridicule, including slurs, epithets, and stereotyping; offensive jokes and comments; threatening, intimidating, or hostile acts, and displaying or distributing offensive materials, writings, graffiti, or pictures. Harassment may include conduct carried out through the internet, email, social media, or other electronic means.
This policy does not apply to conduct that is unrelated to a Protected Category.
Division of Student Affairs: Speech and Expression Policy
Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression
Last updated: January 17, 2018A university is many things but central to its being is discourse, discussion, debate: the untrammeled expression of ideas and information.
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“Free speech” is central to the life of the university. … The long and short of the matter is that “time, place and manner” are the only norms allowable in governing the expression of ideas and sharing of information that is the very life of the university.
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It is Georgetown University’s policy to provide all members of the University community, including faculty, students, and staff, the broadest possible latitude to speak, write, listen, challenge, and learn.
The ideas of different members of the University community will often and naturally conflict. It is not the proper role of a University to insulate individuals from ideas and opinions they find unwelcome, disagreeable, or even deeply offensive. Deliberation or debate may not be suppressed because the ideas put forth are thought by some or even by most members of the University community to be offensive, unwise, immoral, or ill conceived.
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[C]oncerns about civility and mutual respect can never be used as a justification for closing off the discussion of ideas, no matter how offensive or disagreeable those ideas may be to some members of our community.
Division of Student Affairs: Bias Reporting System
Speech Code Category: Policies on Bias and Hate Speech
Last updated: January 17, 2018The Code of Student Conduct defines a bias-related incident:
The term ‘bias related’ refers to language and/or behaviors which demonstrate bias against persons because of, but not limited to, others’ actual or perceived: color, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, national origin, race, religion, and/ or sexual orientation.
By its very nature, bias will be deemed an aggravating circumstance to any violation of the Code of Student Conduct, regardless of its category. Consequently, bias-related violations will result in a more serious action up to, and including, permanent separation from the University.
Examples may include defacement of posters or signs, intimidating comments or messages, vandalism to personal or university property, or similar acts, if there is evidence that the target or victim was chosen because of a characteristic such as those listed above.
Please be aware, however, that just because the expression of an idea or point of view may be offensive or inflammatory to some, it is not necessarily a bias-related incident. The University values freedom of expression and the open exchange of ideas and, in particular, the expression of controversial ideas and differing views is a vital part of the University discourse. While this value of openness protects controversial ideas, it does not protect harassment or expressions of bias or hate aimed at individuals that violate the Code of Student Conduct.
Student Code of Conduct: Bias-Related Incidents
Speech Code Category: Policies on Bias and Hate Speech
Last updated: January 17, 2018An act of harassment or bullying based upon an individual’s or group’s actual or perceived status will be considered bias–related and will result in more significant sanctions.
Policy Statement on Sexual Misconduct
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: January 17, 2018Sexual Harassment is defined as any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature, including sexual advances, request for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual or gender-based nature when: … Such conduct has the purpose or effect of interfering with an individual’s work or academic performance, denying or limiting an individual’s ability to participate in or benefit from the University’s education programs, or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment for work or academic pursuit.
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A hostile or offensive environment exists when conduct is severe or pervasive. Factors to be considered in determining whether conduct is severe or pervasive include the nature, scope, frequency, and duration of the conduct and the number of persons involved. Simple teasing, offhand comments, or isolated incidents that are not severe or pervasive do not create a hostile or offensive environment.
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To constitute sexual harassment, the conduct in question must be objectively intimidating, hostile or offensive, and must interfere with a person’s ability to participate in employment or educational programs or activities of the University. The victim’s perception of the offensiveness of the alleged conduct, standing alone, is not sufficient by itself to constitute sexual harassment.
Division of Student Affairs: Speech and Expression Policy
Speech Code Category: Protest and Demonstration Policies
Last updated: January 17, 2018[C]ertain areas of campus shall be considered “public squares” and shall be available, without prior arrangement, for individuals and groups during daylight hours for the purpose of exchanging ideas. These areas include: Red Square (the plaza adjacent to ICC), the east area of Regents Lawn between Regents Hall and Tondorff Road, Leavey Lobby, and a portion of the entry foyer in Healey Family Student Center.
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An individual, organization, or department hosting an event is responsible for all costs associated with the event, including security if such is deemed necessary by the University administration. No University subsidy will be available unless by prior arrangement. A group hosting an event is responsible for all costs associated with the event. However, excessive security costs shall not be construed as a disincentive to host an event of a controversial nature, so groups encountering budget limitations should reach out to the Center for Student Engagement as early as possible to plan for event costs accordingly. In rare cases, groups may request a waiver of security costs.
Student Code of Conduct: Harassment and Bullying
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: January 17, 2018Any severe, pervasive, or persistent act or conduct, whether physical, cyber/electronic, or verbal, that can reasonably be expected to inflict fear, to intimidate, to incite violence, or to force someone to do something against his/her will or self-interest.
Harassment and/or bullying may include, but is not limited to, any act that may:
- Place an individual in reasonable fear of physical harm;
- Cause a substantial and foreseeable detrimental effect on an individual’s physical or mental health;
- Substantially interfere with an individual’s ability to participate in or benefit from the University’s education and/or co-curricular programs;
- Create an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment that interferes with an individual’s work or academic pursuit.
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Student Says Georgetown Law Suppresses Political Activity; School Says it Supports Free Speech
November 9, 2016
By Susan Svrluga at The Washington Post Alexander Atkins decided to study law to learn why things are the way they are and how they can be changed. Like many of his classmates, he was drawn to Georgetown University Law Center because it is right at the heart of the political system in Washington, at the base of Capitol Hill. He felt sure it would give him a great opportunity to engage in democracy… Read more here.
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Congressional Hearing on Campus Political Activity
March 3, 2016
By Josh Logue at Inside Higher Ed Students and several experts testified in front of Congress Wednesday that many private, nonprofit universities are overly restrictive of campus political speech out of misplaced fear that their tax-exempt status may be in jeopardy. Among those who testified before the House of Representatives Ways and Means oversight subcommittee yesterday were Alex Atkins, a Georgetown University Law Center student who was barred from distributing pro-Bernie Sanders campaign material [1] on campus, and Catherine Sevcenko, director of litigation for the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), which advocates for free speech on campus. Read […]
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Congressional Hearing Probes Censorship on Campus
March 3, 2016
By Bradford Richardson at The Washington Times A congressional committee on Wednesday heard testimony from students and education experts in an attempt to forestall a troubling trend of censorship in higher education. Read more here.
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Georgetown is One of the Worst Campuses in the US for Free Speech
March 2, 2016
By Katherine Araujo at The Tab College campuses seem like the ideal environment for free speech to thrive in. Take a bunch of young, energetic, and inspired students and now place them all in one location — anything less than complete freedom of expression would be a recipe for disaster. Read more here.
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Colleges Use Tax-Exempt Status to Excuse Restricting Free Speech
March 2, 2016
By Natalie Johnson at The Daily Signal Universities point to the tax code as an excuse to suppress free speech on campuses across the United States, an education rights group told a House panel. Read more here.
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Georgetown Faculty Joins Mount St. Mary’s in Calling for Academic Freedom
February 18, 2016
By Susan Svrluga at The Washington Post The Georgetown University Faculty Senate has joined the criticism of Mount St. Mary’s College, as the controversy over an incendiary remark by the president and the college’s subsequent dismissal of two professors continued to percolate on the Maryland campus and beyond. Read more here.
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Colleges Wrestle Federal Laws in Order to Stay Politically Engaged
February 16, 2016
By Josh Logue at Inside Higher Ed Two recent incidents at two very different places, Liberty University and Georgetown University Law Center, have resurrected a persistent issue for private, nonprofit colleges during election season. How far is too far when it comes to partisan political advocacy? Read more here.
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Georgetown Law Tells Students: No Political Campaigning on Campus
February 3, 2016
By Jacob Gershman at The Wall Street Journal Georgetown University law students are free to support whom ever they want for president. They just can’t be very public about their political preference on campus. … Read more here.
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Georgetown Law School Won’t Let Students Campaign for Bernie Sanders
February 2, 2016
By Robby Soave at Reason Online Georgetown University is wildly confused about its free speech obligations: the law school recently barred students from campaigning for Bernie Sanders on campus, citing misplaced concerns that doing so violates IRS law. … Read more here.
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Students at Georgetown Banned from Handing Out Campaign Materials Supporting Bernie Sanders
February 2, 2016
By Mary Lou Byrd at The Washington Free Beacon Students at Georgetown University Law Center were prevented from showing their support for Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and forbidden by the university from handing out campaign materials on campus. … Read more here.
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Rights Group Slams University for Ban on Students Campaigning for Bernie
February 2, 2016
By Staff at Sputnik International The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) is calling for the Georgetown University Law Center to revise its policy governing partisan political speech after a group of students were prevented from handing out campaign materials. The school (incorrectly, according to FIRE) claims that the school’s tax-exempt status requires campaigning to be stifled. … Read more here.
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Georgetown Law Prohibits Students from Engaging in Political Speech ‘Over the Internet’
February 2, 2016
By Greg Piper at The College Fix It’s never a good sign when lawyers think basic political freedoms are subject to the whims of the IRS. … Read more here.
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The Phony Debate About Political Correctness
January 14, 2016
By Erica Hellerstein and Judd Legum at Think Progress In 1991, New York Magazine published an influential cover story, titled “Are You Politically Correct?” The headline was splashed across the glossy’s front page in bold red and white letters, followed by a list of supposed “politically correct” questions: … Read more here.
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Academic Fascism II
August 17, 2015
By Walter Williams at DeSoto Times-Tribune Last week’s column highlighted college campus absurdities and the ongoing attack on free speech and plain common sense. As parents gear up to fork over $20,000 to $60,000 for college tuition, they might benefit from knowing what greets their youngsters. Deceitful college officials, who visit high schools to recruit students and talk to parents, conceal the worst of their campus practices. Let’s expose some of it. Christina Hoff Sommers is an avowed feminist and a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. She’s spent a lifetime visiting college campuses. Recently, upon her arrival at Oberlin […]
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Video: Megyn Kelly Offers Helpful Advice to Students Seeking “Safe Space” from Opinions
April 23, 2015
By Ed Morrissey at Hot Air “Life doesn’t only involve the people who think the way you think,” Megyn Kelly told college students toward the end of her interview with Christina Hoff Sommers. Kelly and Sommers discuss the latter’s recent experiences at college campus events, where the mere presence of her fact-based critiques of “rape culture” hysteria are enough to send campus activists into rumpus rooms to protect themselves from the supposed cognitive damage that alternative points of view provide. “In the words of my old trainer,” Kelly concludes out of frustration, “toughen up, buttercup.” Heather Wilhelm calls all of […]
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Christina Hoff Sommers Lecture Leads to ‘Trigger Warnings’ and ‘Safe Spaces’ at Oberlin and Georgetown
April 22, 2015
By Allum Bokhari at Breitbart Equity feminist and former philosophy professor Christina Hoff Sommers is not a particularly threatening figure. But student activists at Oberlin and Georgetown colleges, where Sommers recently spoke, were insistent that her presence on their campuses posed a threat to the student population. Activists at Georgetown University held up “trigger warning” placards at Sommers’ lectures, warning that her arguments would be potentially traumatizing. They also posted signs directing students to a “safe space” in another part of the college. Much like the recent Calgary Expo, the prospect of having their beliefs challenged was enough to make the activists feel […]
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Top 10 Worst Offenders of Free Speech on College Campuses
March 6, 2015
By Napp Nazworth at The Christian Post The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education released its list of the top 10 worst offenders of free speech on college campuses in 2014. The top 10, in alphabetical order, are: Brandeis University, California State University-Fullerton, Chicago State University, Georgetown University, Kansas Board of Regents, Marquette University, Modesto Junior College, U.S. Department’s of Education and Justice, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and University of Iowa. FIRE, founded in 1999, advocates for individual rights at American colleges and universities. It was founded by University of Pennsylvania professor Alan Charles Kors and civil liberties attorney […]
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Georgetown Among Most Oppressive Colleges For Free Speech
March 4, 2015
By Hannah Crites at The Washington Times College campuses are supposed to be welcoming academic arenas where young people can discuss and argue ideas in a spirit of free and open inquiry. But after a recent incident, in which Georgetown University safety personnel removed pro-choice protesters from a sidewalk adjoining the campus, student groups there are wondering how free they really are to express ideas. “In terms of promoting dialogue, the university could do a better job,” said Caleb Younger, a junior and member of the university’s Georgetown Democrats. “There is some aggression toward certain groups, and the university is […]
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Examiner Local Editorial: Muzzling free speech on campus
January 2, 2013
One New Year’s resolution we’d like to see in 2013 is a renewed effort to uphold the First Amendment on college campuses. According to a new report by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, or FIRE, 62 percent of the nation’s colleges and universities “maintain severely restrictive speech codes … that clearly and substantially prohibit protected speech.” FIRE noted that the overwhelming majority of speech is protected. But narrow exceptions (such as “fighting words,” obscenity and defamation) “are often misused and abused by universities to punish constitutionally protected speech.” Restrictions intended to protect students from harassment or bullying have been […]
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Dartmouth trustee vote raises controversy
May 13, 2005
While Penn prepares to graduate a new class, alumni of Dartmouth College hope to finally see the end of a controversy over trustee elections. Unlike at Penn — where all new trustees are selected by the current board — Dartmouth alumni vote directly to elect seven of the 17 members of the Board of Trustees. With two such seats up for grabs this year, campaigning and politicking have reached unprecedented levels in Hanover, N.H. Much of the intensity stems from the fact that although Dartmouth’s Alumni Council, a group mostly made up of class- and alumni-group leaders, originally nominated four […]
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Trustee Election at Dartmouth Is Seen as ‘Battle for Academic Freedom’
May 5, 2005
Elections of trustees to college and university boards are generally a snooze. Not so at Dartmouth College, where an alumni vote for two slots on the Board of Trustees has featured as much drama as a mudslinging congressional campaign. The results of the election will be released in the next few weeks. Dartmouth alumni choose seven members of the college’s 17-trustee board. With two seats open this year, the Alumni Council, a body composed mostly of class and alumni-group leaders, selected a slate of four candidates for the election. However, two dark-horse candidates have mounted successful petition campaigns to get […]
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Debate suggesting “major religions should portray God as a woman” canceled at Georgetown University in Qatar
October 17, 2018
Georgetown University in Qatar endorses “[a] commitment to open discourse and the free exchange of ideas” in its Code of Conduct’s Ethos Statement. That promise has proven difficult to keep. Last week, the university announced the cancellation of its debating union’s scheduled Oct. 9 discussion, “This house believes that major religions should portray God as a woman,” in which students and two faculty members planned to weigh in. The level of disrespect 🙄 #guqatar #جورج_تاون_تتعدى_على_الله pic.twitter.com/zmW0IgROqK — العنود بنت حمد ال ثاني 🇶🇦 (@3nnadi) October 9, 2018 The event provoked a strong response on social media, leading to the (roughly […]
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Rep. Holmes Norton latest policymaker to highlight importance of campus free speech
May 23, 2018
In her recent and stirring commencement address to the latest graduates from Georgetown University Law Center, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton dedicated the final 10 minutes to discuss the critical importance of campus free speech. She set the stage with the following observation: The law has been fundamental to change in our country, especially the First Amendment. Yet there is recent disquieting evidence on college campuses of intolerance of speech at odds with the progressive views members of your generation and I share. […] Will a generation that is using protest so precociously for issues they favor, like gun safety, also […]
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Georgetown fails to live up to free speech promises by not recognizing pro-choice student group
March 29, 2018
Georgetown University’s claims concerning its deeply held religious convictions regarding abortion are in conflict with the university’s numerous free speech promises to students and faculty. Again. H*yas for Choice, a pro-choice student group, has been the subject of institutional ire at Georgetown for years, and at the center of an ongoing saga involving refusal of recognition and frequent censorship by the administration. This month, calls have been renewed for Georgetown to live up to its free speech promises and officially recognize the embattled group. Although the university promises its students and faculty the right to engage in free expression, it […]
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Georgetown University adopts ‘Chicago Statement’
June 15, 2017
The fight to defend free speech just got a boost at Georgetown University. FIRE is pleased to announce that last week Georgetown joined a growing list of colleges and universities that have adopted policy statements committing themselves to protecting free speech that closely mirror the University of Chicago’s “Report of the Committee on Freedom of Expression,” better known as the “Chicago Statement.” Georgetown’s new policy statement, which was approved by the faculty senate, board of directors, and President John J. DeGioia, comes amidst a long and heated nationwide debate over campus free speech rights. You may recall that Georgetown itself […]
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Leadership roundup: How college leaders are answering questions about free speech
April 25, 2017
Controversy around free speech on college campuses seems to only be escalating: Charles Murray’s disastrous visit to Middlebury College, the violent response to Milo Yiannopoulos’ visit to the University of California, Berkeley, the shutting down of Heather Mac Donald’s Claremont McKenna College event, and just last week, Berkeley’s attempt to shut down Ann Coulter’s visit to the birthplace of the free speech movement, which has already prompted a lawsuit. After a free speech controversy engulfs a college community, campus leaders are often left with questions from students, faculty, alumni, and the press about where the school stands on the issues. […]
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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 the 10 worst colleges for free speech—published today with detailed descriptions at The Huffington Post—includes both public and private institutions. Public colleges and universities are bound by the First Amendment. Private colleges on this list are not required by the Constitution to respect student and […]
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Georgetown Law’s New Political Activity Policy Still Creating Problems for Campus Speech
November 10, 2016
On Monday, Georgetown Law Students for Democratic Reform (GLSDR) were told by campus administrators that they could not hold a phone bank supporting New York Democratic congressional candidate Zephyr Teachout on campus because doing so would violate Georgetown University Law Center’s newly-revised “Student Organizations Policy on Partisan and Political Activities.” What’s more, this ban came despite GLSDR having already secured official permission to hold their event. The prohibition, and apparent confusion on the part of Georgetown Law’s own administration, illustrates the numerous problems FIRE anticipated with the revised policy when it was released earlier this year: It still burdens a […]
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FIRE a Topic of Conversation at Georgetown Law Center’s Conference on Sexual Assault and Academic Freedom on College Campuses
October 24, 2016
On October 14, Georgetown Law Center hosted a conference on Sexual Assault and Academic Freedom on College Campuses, bringing together campus presidents, professors, lawyers, Title IX investigators, and researchers to discuss topics ranging from free speech on campus and its impact on minorities to the problems accused students and survivors face in sexual assault investigations. I was in attendance and took this opportunity to listen to other voices in this area. Panel One: Words, Violence, and the Law — on College Campuses The first panel brought together Catherine Ross of the George Washington University Law School, Kathy Baker of Chicago-Kent […]
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Censored Again: H*yas for Choice’s Condom Envelopes Targeted by Georgetown Police
October 11, 2016
Georgetown University just can’t seem to remember its commitment to free speech when the school’s pro-choice student group, H*yas for Choice, is involved. H*yas for Choice, which has frequently been the target of censorship, is asking the Georgetown University Police Department (GUPD) to apologize and to commit to receiving additional training on the university’s Speech and Expression policy after officers removed envelopes filled with free condoms—which aren’t sold or provided elsewhere on campus—from the doors of H*yas for Choice student representatives. Last month, the GUPD were called to the Village C West residence hall after receiving a report of alleged […]
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Speech Code Countdown: Most of America’s ‘Best Colleges’ Restrict Speech
October 5, 2016
U.S. News & World Report recently released its annual rankings of the “Best Colleges” for 2017. The rankings are based on a multitude of “indicators of academic excellence” that prospective students use to narrow down their college application lists, including graduation and retention rate, financial resources, the institution’s reputation, and student selectivity. But U.S. News’ ranking system fails aspiring students by overlooking one of the most important factors students should consider when choosing a college or university: whether the institution is committed to free speech. FIRE has revisited these rankings to answer that very question. And over the next few […]
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After Congressional Hearing, Colleges Still Haven’t Gotten the Point
April 6, 2016
On March 24, Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) introduced a new policy on partisan political speech on campus, replacing an earlier policy that effectively banned any campaign-related speech or expressive activity. As FIRE legal intern Alex Atkins wrote last week, the revision came on the heels of a March 2 congressional hearing on freedom of expression on campus, prompted by FIRE’s press release about Georgetown Law’s restrictive policy. The revised policy, however, still burdens a broad swath of student political speech and should make clear to Congress that there is still much more to be done to protect students’ […]
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Georgetown Law’s New Political Activity Policy: A Good Start, But Far From Finished
April 1, 2016
At the start of the school year, when classmates and I decided to promote Bernie Sanders for President at Georgetown University Law Center, we assumed that our biggest challenge would be convincing our peers of the merits of Sanders’s campaign. Instead, our primary obstacle has been convincing Georgetown that we should be permitted to engage in this type of political discourse at all. Over six months ago, our group was denied a reservation for a table on campus to engage in campaign-related outreach. I quickly learned that, with the exception of wearing a campaign pin or placing a sticker on […]
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As the 2016 Election Cycle Rages On, FIRE Reminds Colleges that Political Speech Is Free Speech
March 16, 2016
PHILADELPHIA, March 16, 2016—At too many colleges and universities nationwide, election season results in the censorship of political activity and speech on campus. To ensure that students and faculty are free to speak their minds in support of their preferred candidates, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) is proud to release an updated and expanded Policy Statement on Political Speech on Campus. FIRE’s Statement provides an overview of the political speech rights of students and faculty at both public and private colleges nationwide. With the 2016 presidential primaries well underway, FIRE has already written to American University and Georgetown […]
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Email Congress About Campus Censorship Today
March 3, 2016
Yes, this blog post talks about tax policy. But entertainingly, I promise. But even if you don’t want to read further, please do this: Send your stories of campus censorship to the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives through the committee’s website. Or email: campus.speech@mail.house.gov. The committee is collecting stories of how free speech is being stifled on college campuses and needs to hear from you, Torch readers. Now, if you want to know the fascinating reason why the committee is engaged in this issue, read on. When I give presentations, I always warn students that […]
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Georgetown Law Students Forbidden from Campaigning on Campus for Bernie Sanders as Election Season Kicks Off in Iowa
February 1, 2016
WASHINGTON, February 1, 2016—As the presidential nomination season officially kicks off today in Iowa, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) is asking one school in the nation’s capital to act quickly to revisit policies that restrict students from engaging in political speech on behalf of their chosen candidates. Today, FIRE wrote to Georgetown University Law Center asking it to revise its policy governing partisan political speech. The school has prevented a group of students supporting Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders from handing out campaign materials on campus, incorrectly claiming that the school’s tax-exempt status requires this limitation. “Every campaign […]
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FIRE Announces 10 Worst Colleges for Free Speech in 2014
March 2, 2015
PHILADELPHIA, March 2, 2015—More than half of America’s top colleges maintain speech codes that blatantly violate First Amendment standards. But every year the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) takes a closer look at the previous year’s incidents of college censorship to determine the nation’s 10 worst abusers of student and faculty free speech rights. This year’s list of the 10 worst colleges for free speech—published with detailed descriptions at The Huffington Post—includes many public colleges or universities bound by the First Amendment. Some of them, on the other hand, are private colleges that, though not required by the […]
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Georgetown Returns to Its Normal, Confused State on Free Speech
September 26, 2014
Maybe FIRE was too quick to celebrate when Georgetown University provided a clarifying statement about student speech rights back in May, following repeated urging from students and free speech advocates who called the university out on its inconsistent treatment of students and student groups. On Monday, university police removed the student group H*yas for Choice from where they were tabling just outside the university’s front gates, bringing them back on campus (and away from their intended audience, attendees of a nearby event), before allowing them back outside the gates an hour and a half later. University police have now conceded […]
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Georgetown’s Revised Speech and Expression Policy Shows Significant Improvement
May 20, 2014
After a years-long wait for a clarifying statement about student speech rights, Georgetown University has finally provided one. While Georgetown’s new “Speech and Expression Policy” still has room for improvement, Vice President of Student Affairs Todd Olson, former Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) President Nate Tisa, and the university’s Speech and Expression Committee have taken a significant step forward with their revisions to the policy.
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Powerful Words from Georgetown Students to Administrators on Free Speech
April 30, 2014
FIRE is no stranger to the free speech problems at Georgetown University—and neither is Georgetown’s student newspaper, The Hoya. In its final editorial submission for the school year, titled “The Final Word,” The Hoya’s editorial staff reviewed many of the changes on Georgetown’s campus—not all of them positive. One of them, of course, is the university’s treatment of free speech.
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Students Focus on Free Speech in Georgetown Elections
February 28, 2014
As Georgetown University students await clarification of the school’s policies governing campus expression, candidates for president and vice president of the Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) are putting freedom of speech and association at the forefront of their campaigns, demonstrating that these rights are a priority for the student body. While the four two-person teams propose different strategies for protecting speech on campus, all of them have made efforts to address this critically important issue.
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Georgetown Sets Unambitious Timeline for Protecting Student Speech
February 14, 2014
On January 20, members of the Georgetown University student group H*yas for Choice were forced to move from the outdoor campus location where they were tabling while a pro-life event took place inside Healy Hall. But despite clear statements from Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson and Georgetown University Student Association President Nate Tisa that the university’s policies did not prohibit the group from tabling where they were, students are still awaiting clarification of the school’s policies governing campus expression. Last week, the university’s Free Speech and Expression Committee met to discuss the issue. Olson apologized to H*yas for […]
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Ge*rgetown University Reminds Us Again Why Censorship Is Ridiculous
January 30, 2014
Georgetown University’s strained relationship with free speech has long been home to one of American academia’s most absurd products of censorship, the pro-choice student group H*yas for Choice. Now Georgetown is back in the news again with the latest chapter in the Chronicles of Making Things Ridiculous Through Censorship. Back in 2010, FIRE wrote Georgetown on three separate occasions about its refusal to accord H*yas for Choice equal treatment with other student groups. While Georgetown cited its Catholic and Jesuit mission as a reason to refuse to recognize H*yas for Choice, FIRE pointed out (and has repeatedly pointed out since […]
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Georgetown ‘Hoya’ Editorial Board Criticizes University Speech Codes
January 23, 2014
Last Friday, the editorial board of Georgetown University’s student newspaper, The Hoya, sounded the alarm over Georgetown’s restrictive speech codes. According to The Hoya, “[t]he Georgetown University Speech and Expression policy contains outdated and harmful sections regarding acceptable expression that deserve public notice, if not immediate revision.” The Hoya’s editorial hit all the right notes. It not only criticized the university’s overly broad and vague prohibition (PDF) on “expression that is indecent or is grossly obscene or grossly offensive on matters such as race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or sexual orientation” but also pointed out that the prohibition conflicts directly with a robust commitment to free […]
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D.C. Area FIRE Supporters: Greg Lukianoff Giving Free Talk at Georgetown Tonight!
December 3, 2013
FIRE President Greg Lukianoff will be speaking at Georgetown University tonight at 7 p.m. The talk is free and open to the public. Greg will discuss the current state of free expression on campus and the premise of his book, Unlearning Liberty: Campus Censorship and the End of American Debate. Georgetown is a “red light” school in FIRE’s Spotlight database, which means the school has at least one speech code that both clearly and substantially restricts freedom of expression. Though Georgetown is a private institution, it clearly promises students freedom of expression in its speech and expression policy. Fortunately, as we reported back in October, efforts […]
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Private Universities and the Conflict Between Mission and Speech
July 15, 2013
Madeline Gootman is a FIRE summer intern. When private universities send out their shiny pamphlets to high school seniors, they highlight their commitment to all things politically correct and otherwise acceptable in academia. However, these commitments to civility, respect, and social comfort are often at odds with the broad promises of free speech that universities make to their incoming students. Unfortunately for students, too many private universities want to have it both ways, promising students the right to free speech and then violating that right when someone’s speech proves too unpopular or controversial. Vanderbilt University’s packet for recently admitted students […]
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‘Free Speech Off the Table’ at Georgetown University
January 15, 2013
Georgetown University’s student newspaper, The Hoya, ran a staff editorial today criticizing the university’s use of “free speech zones.” According to the paper, Georgetown held a student activities fair over the weekend at which officially recognized student groups were given space to set up tables and recruit new members. Unrecognized groups, on the other hand, were relegated to the free speech zones at Red Square or the Leavey Center. The Hoya‘s editorial is notable for several reasons. First and foremost, it is extremely heartening to see the staff of a student newspaper speak out collectively in support of greater free […]
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Kissel to Georgetown: Honor Commitment to Free Speech
May 17, 2012
FIRE Vice President of Programs Adam Kissel comments on a commencement controversy at Georgetown University in The Huffington Post today, arguing that the university should honor its commitment to free speech. Adam contrasts Georgetown’s laudable decision to stick by its promises of free expression in allowing Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius to speak at commencement with the university’s past failure to provide equal treatment to pro-choice student group H*yas for Choice. As Adam notes, Georgetown’s guarantee of freedom of expression cannot be selectively applied.
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A Chance for Georgetown to Own Up to Its True Values
May 4, 2010
Is Georgetown University going to live up to its free speech promises or not? A group of pro-choice students at Georgetown, H*yas for Choice, wants equal treatment with other groups on campus, but has been told that it does not deserve equal treatment because its mission conflicts with Georgetown’s Catholic and Jesuit identity. That would be perfectly fine if Georgetown had not actually promised its students and faculty that free expression is fundamental to Georgetown’s own vision of its Catholic and Jesuit identity. And, it would be more understandable if Georgetown had not already provided official recognition and substantial benefits […]
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Adam Kissel Defends Rights of Pro-Life and Pro-Choice Students in American University Student Paper
April 26, 2010
In today’s edition of The Eagle, American University’s student paper, Adam Kissel offers his opinion on how individual rights transcend partisan divides. As anyone who has followed FIRE’s work knows, FIRE is proudly nonpartisan. Our staff hails from across the political and religious spectrum, and our cases demonstrate that campus censorship can strike persons of every ideological persuasion. Adam cites two current controversies: While the Supreme Court considers whether belief-based student organizations deserve equal rights on campus, two more universities have been facing this very issue. Georgetown University is facing it over a pro-choice group, the University of Arizona over […]
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Hitting the Nail on the Head
February 8, 2010
The Georgetown Heckler humor magazine says a lot about campus culture with very few words in its satirical “Other Headlines” section this month: University Moves Free Speech Zone to Undisclosed Location That about sums it up!
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Disruption of Petraeus Speech Draws Rebukes from Georgetown Students
January 22, 2010
Yesterday at Georgetown University, approximately fifteen anti-war protesters attempted to disrupt a speech and accompanying question-and-answer session with David Petraeus, current Commander of the U.S. Central Command. The Hoya reports: While his speech was originally slated to be an update address sponsored by the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, after making brief remarks, Petraeus turned the event into a forum for open and candid conversation. He was cut off several times throughout the event, however, due to interruptions by protesters, who rose from their seats to read aloud names and ages of victims of the wars in Iraq and […]
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At Georgetown, Even Satire of Satire May Not Be Acceptable
December 17, 2009
If you feel like banging your head against a wall but lack the motivating force to do so, try reading this blog entry posted yesterday at Vox Populi, the staff blog of Georgetown University news magazine The Georgetown Voice. The article covers a forum prompted by the controversy over a recent issue of the satire magazine The Georgetown Heckler, which offended members of the Georgetown community over its perceived insensitivity. The issue, among other things, takes aim at a satirical April Fools’ Day issue of the student newspaper The Georgetown Hoya—which likewise was met with charges of racism from the […]
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The State of Free Speech on Campus: Georgetown University
January 26, 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). In the first two installments of the countdown, we described the restrictive policies at the University of California—Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of Virginia, both of which receive a poor, “red light” rating from FIRE for restricting student speech. The next institution on the list is Georgetown University, another “red light” institution. Before we delve into Georgetown’s speech codes, it is important to explain why FIRE believes that Georgetown—a private, […]
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Georgetown Student Newspaper Under Fire for Censoring Conservative Columnist
April 7, 2000
The editor-in-chief of the Georgetown University’s student newspaper, The Hoya, has had a rough week. David Jung Wong, a sophomore from Hollywood, Florida, fired Robert Swope, a conservative columnist, for having angered campus feminists with his weekly op-eds. Wong was unhappy with Swope’s unrepentant politically incorrect views and took it upon himself to rid the paper of its token conservative columnist. Wong’s decision has been the subject of discussion in a number of national publications, almost exclusively by intellectually diverse and liberty-loving female authors. Cultural critic Camille Paglia, libertarian intellectual Wendy McElroy, Jewish World Review columnist Michelle Malkin, National Review‘s […]
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Policies are rated on their inclusion of 10 due process safeguards. Each policy may receive 2 points for fully including that safeguard, 1 point for partial inclusion, and 0 points for no meaningful inclusion. Most, but not all, institutions have separate policies for sexual misconduct and all other misconduct. See FIRE’s Spotlight on Due Process report for more information.