School Spotlight

Swarthmore College
Speech Code Rating
Student Handbook: Student Code of Conduct- Banners, Chalkings, and Posters
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Posting and Distribution Policies
Last updated: February 10, 2021Posters need to be “signed” with a recognized student organization or the individual name of a matriculated student. No mentions or images of alcohol are allowed. Posters that violate any of these rules will be removed by College staff or faculty and the individual or group may be fined or held financially responsib... Read MoreBias Incident, Harassment and Hate Crime Response
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Policies on Bias and Hate Speech
Last updated: February 10, 2021Bias incidents are acts of conduct, speech, or expression that target individuals and groups based on their actual or perceived race/color, religion, ethnicity, national origin, gender, gender identity/expression, age, disability, or sexual orientation. Bias-related incidents, while abhorrent and intolerable, do not... Read MoreTitle IX and College-Defined Sexual Misconduct Policy: College-defined sexual harassment
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: February 10, 2021College-defined sexual harassment (CDSH) is any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature or based on sex or gender when at least one of the following conditions are present and Section VI.A.3.i-iii are not applicable: … Hostile Environment: Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an... Read MoreStudent Handbook: Academic Freedom and Responsibility
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression
Last updated: February 10, 2021Membership in the academic community imposes on students, faculty members, administrators, and trustees an obligation to respect the dignity of others, to acknowledge their right to express differing opinions, and to foster and defend intellectual honesty, freedom of inquiry and instruction, and free expression on a... Read MoreStudent Handbook: Student Code of Conduct- Bullying and Intimidation
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Bullying Policies
Last updated: February 10, 2021Bullying. Bullying includes any electronic, written, verbal, or physical act or a series of acts of physical, social, or emotional domination that is intended to cause, or any reasonable person should know would cause, physical or substantial emotional harm to another person or group. Bullying conduct may not only c... Read MoreStudent Handbook: Student Code of Conduct- Discrimination, including Harassment, Based on a Protected Class
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: February 10, 2021Discrimination, including harassment, based on a protected class is defined as unreasonable, unwelcome conduct, based on an individual’s sex, race, color, age, religion, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, marital status, medical condition, veteran status, disabil... Read MoreTitle IX and College-Defined Sexual Misconduct Policy: Title IX sexual harassment
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: February 10, 2021Title IX sexual harassment means: … An individual engaging in unwelcome conduct determined by a reasonable person to be so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access to the College’s education program or activity. Read MoreStudent Handbook: Computer Systems and Networks Acceptable Use Policy
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Internet Usage Policies
Last updated: February 10, 2021Individuals with access to the Swarthmore College network have the following obligations and responsibilities: 1. To respect other people and the College’s intellectual environment. Use of the network may not violate College policies, federal, state, or local law, including the laws of defamation, forgery, copyright... Read More
Compelled Speech and the Veneer of Conformity at Swarthmore College
July 29, 2016
Do we as a society still leave room for harmless errors of judgement, for learning opportunities, and for conversation? Do we leave room to question orthodoxy in all its forms? Increasingly, recent events on college campuses indicate that the answer to these questions is a definitive “no.” One of the more disturbing manifestations of this… Read more
Swarthmore Policy Allows ‘Deviations’ From Own Procedures, Despite Past Problems
July 6, 2016
When I arrived at Swarthmore College in the fall of 2014, I was inundated with commentary about an ongoing federal Title IX investigation into the college, and I was shocked by allegations that Swarthmore systematically ignored cases of sexual assault. It was clear to me that Swarthmore had an inherent conflict of interest in adjudicating… Read more
Swarthmore Admits Treating Student Accused of Sexual Assault Unfairly, Settles Lawsuit
November 21, 2014
As colleges and universities face ever-growing pressure to show that they take the issue of sexual assault seriously, a number of accused students have found themselves steamrolled by unfair and frequently incompetently-run, ends-driven disciplinary proceedings that disregard the procedural protections owed to anyone facing such serious allegations. Over the past year, those students have increasingly… Read more
FIRE’s Samantha Harris Speaking at Swarthmore College Next Tuesday
December 5, 2013
Students and FIRE supporters in the Philadelphia area are invited to hear Samantha Harris, FIRE’s Director of Policy Research, speak at Swarthmore College this coming Tuesday, December 10. Swarthmore has a “red light” rating in FIRE’s Spotlight Database, and was recently discussed on The Torch after the Swarthmore Independent reported that Swarthmore solicits volunteers to serve on panels for hearings involving allegations of sexual… Read more
Swarthmore Students Asked to Volunteer to Be on Sexual Misconduct Hearing Panel
October 10, 2013
Torch readers will already be familiar with some of the procedural safeguards generally missing from sexual misconduct cases tried by campus judiciaries, as well as recent allegations that some college officials are withholding evidence and presuming the guilt of accused students. But on Tuesday, the Swarthmore College student newspaper Swarthmore Independent shed light on another worrying aspect of collegiate procedures in hearings… Read more
The State of Free Speech on Campus: Swarthmore College
January 25, 2013
This winter, FIRE is presenting a blog series on the state of free speech at America’s top 10 liberal arts colleges, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report. So far, we have covered speech codes at Williams College and at Amherst College. Today, we will discuss speech codes at U.S. News‘ third-ranked liberal arts… Read more
Censorship on Campus in 2012: From Benghazi to Free Speech Zones at the University of Missouri
December 31, 2012
Looking back at what 2012 had in store for the fight for free speech and basic rights on campus, the best I can say is that it was a mixed bag. There were some encouraging signs along the way, but also many setbacks. For instance, for the fifth straight year, my organization (the Foundation for Individual… Read more
Emmett Hogan on 2006: The More Things Change…?
January 5, 2007
Emmett Hogan is a student at University of Michigan Law School and a luminary early FIRE employee. As we looked back on 2006 in campus rights and abuses I wanted to check in with him for his thoughts on the past year in FIRE history. This was his thoughtful response: One of FIRE’s most gripping… Read more
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