School Spotlight
Orange Coast College
Speech Code Rating
CCCD Student Code of Conduct: Grounds for Discipline 08-09
Speech Code Rating: Not Yet Rated
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies, Statement
Last updated: December 15, 2013Harassment: Verbal or physical abuse, or the threat of physical abuse on or off District Property of any Member of the District Community or members of his/her family. Read MoreCCCD Student Code of Conduct: Sexual Harassment 08-09
Speech Code Rating: Not Yet Rated
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies, Statement
Last updated: December 15, 2013Sexual harassment is defined as (a) verbal harassment, e.g., epithets, derogatory comments or slurs; ... (c) visual forms of harassment, e.g., derogatory posters, cartoons, or drawings; ... or (e) an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment. Read MoreCCCD Student Code of Conduct: Disruptive Behavior 08-09
Speech Code Rating: Not Yet Rated
Speech Code Category: Other Speech Codes, Statement
Last updated: October 28, 2013Disruptive behavior, disobedience, habitual profanity or vulgarity or the open defiance of the authority of or abuse of District personnel. Read More
Orange Coast College: Administrators Demand Removal of Student Group’s Pro-Second Amendment Flags
February 21, 2019
On February 21, 2019, FIRE wrote to Orange Coast College over allegations that administrators censored the flags a student group displayed at a February 12 campus recruitment event. The group, Young Americans for Freedom, reported that administrators demanded they remove from their display two flags supporting the Second Amendment on the basis that they violated… Read more
Orange Coast College: Suspension of Professor Without a Hearing for Political Science Lecture
October 5, 2001
At Orange Coast College, days after the September 11th 2001 terrorist attacks Professor Kenneth W. Hearlson, a professor of contemporary politics, invited all students to join him in a discussion of the recent terrorist attacks. During the event Hearlson argued that silence on crimes against Jews in the Middle East was consent to terrorism. Several… Read more
Faculty Network interview: Marilyn Kennedy, Orange Coast College
February 24, 2021
In this occasional feature, FIRE interviews members of our Faculty Network to discuss their research, teaching, and advocacy on free expression at their institutions. This month, we talked with Marilyn Kennedy, Assistant Professor of English at Orange Coast College. Interviews are conducted via email and are lightly edited for length and clarity. They will run… Read more
FIRE warns Orange Coast College over removal of students’ gun rights flags [UPDATED]
February 22, 2019
Members of Orange Coast College’s Young Americans for Freedom chapter expected to recruit fellow students for their club at a Feb. 12 campus event. Instead, they were reportedly met with administrative censorship of their pro-Second Amendment flags. The troubling incident has raised questions from UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh and was first reported by TownHall.com:… Read more
Revisiting freedom of association following recent controversy at Orange Coast College
May 26, 2017
Last week, the Orange Coast College Republicans announced that they had filed a “formal grievance” against Professor Jessica Alabi, alleging that she had prevented members of the club from attending an “African-American/Women’s round table discussion in the Multicultural Center” in March. Among other demands, the College Republicans have asked that Alabi be investigated and, if… Read more
More Questions than Answers in Orange Coast College Recording Scandal [UPDATED]
February 17, 2017
Update (Feb. 24, 2017): Orange Coast College agreed yesterday to lift student Caleb O’Neil’s suspension and will not punish professor Olga Perez Stable Cox, the Los Angeles Times reports. Today, we’re taking a close look at a story out of Orange Coast College (OCC) in California, where a student has been suspended by the college—and ordered to apologize—for… Read more
FIRE Remembers September 11
September 11, 2007
Today, FIRE joins individuals across America and around the world in reflecting upon the tragic events of September 11, 2001. As university students and professors from Maine to California host commemorations today to remember those who suffered and died six years ago, we take a moment to look back at how those events played out… Read more
Speech Code of the Month: Coast Community College District
June 1, 2006
FIRE announces its Speech Code of the Month for June 2006: Coast Community College District. The Coast Community College District consists of three California community colleges with a total enrollment of more than 60,000 students: Coastline Community College, Golden West College, and Orange Coast College. You may remember that FIRE had to intervene at Orange… Read more
OCC Professor Cleared of Students’ Charges
December 12, 2001
Tiny Mob, a Big Injustice
December 5, 2001
Acute Lesson in Political Science
December 1, 2001
Academics and Muslims Await Results of Probe
November 26, 2001
FIRE Letter to Orange Coast College President Margaret Gratton, November 19, 2001
November 19, 2001
November 19, 2001 President Margaret Gratton Orange Coast College 2701 Fairview Rd. Costa Mesa, CA 92626 Dear President Gratton: Last month, FIRE wrote to you, your staff, and your Board of Trustees regarding Orange Coast Community College’s failure to defend Free Speech, academic freedom, Due Process, and Professor Kenneth Hearlson. We have yet to receive… Read more
Academic Freedoms Erode Since the Attacks
November 8, 2001
FIRE Letter to Orange Coast College President Margaret Gratton, October 5, 2001
October 5, 2001
October 5, 2001 President Margaret Gratton Orange Coast College 2701 Fairview Rd. Costa Mesa, CA 92626 RE: Professor Kenneth Hearlson Dear President Gratton: As you can see from the list of our Directors and Board of Advisors, FIRE unites leaders in the fields of civil rights and civil liberties, scholars, journalists, and public intellectuals across… Read more