School Spotlight
The College of William & Mary
Location:
Williamsburg, Virginia
Type:
Public
Speech Code Rating
The College of William & Mary has been given the speech code rating Green. Green light institutions are those colleges and universities whose policies nominally protect free speech.
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Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation Policy
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: July 19, 2021Discriminatory Harassment means unwelcome conduct based on a person’s belonging to or a perception that a person belongs to a protected group. Harassment violates this policy when it creates a hostile environment. … Hostile Environment means conduct that is sufficiently severe or pervasive such that it unreas... Read MorePolicy Prohibiting Sexual Harassment, Gender-Based Harassment and Sexual Misconduct: Title IX Sexual Harassment
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: July 19, 2021Title IX Sexual Harassment means conduct on the basis of sex that satisfies one or more of the following: … 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 university’s education program or activit... Read MoreUse of Campus Facilities Policy
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Protest and Demonstration Policies
Last updated: July 19, 2021A. Prior Scheduling Is Generally Required. Except for spontaneous activities permitted under paragraph B, below, groups and individuals desiring to use university space and facilities must submit requests through the Scheduling Office as far in advance as practical. Any requests not received sufficiently in advance ... Read MoreStudent Handbook: Rights and Responsibilities- Rights, Privileges and Immunities
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression
Last updated: July 19, 2021The members of the university community, as individuals, shall enjoy all rights, privileges, and immunities guaranteed every citizen of the United States and the Commonwealth of Virginia. … Among the basic rights are freedom of expression and belief, freedom of association and peaceful assembly … Read MoreAcceptable Use Policy for Students
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Internet Usage Policies
Last updated: July 19, 2021The following activities are prohibited: Transmitting unsolicited messages which constitute obscenity, harassment or threats; … Read MoreStudent Handbook: Student Code of Conduct – Conduct Affecting Persons
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: July 19, 2021Causing physical harm, threatening harm to any person, or behaving in a manner that a reasonable person would find alarming or intimidating. Negligent conduct that results in injury to others violates the Student Code. Read More
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.
Grades
FIRE surveyed roughly 37,000 students at 154 colleges and universities about the climate for free speech at their institutions. In 2021, FIRE released rankings of those schools, based on a number of factors, including openness, tolerance, self-expression, administrative support for free speech, and campus policies, scoring overall speech climate on a scale from 0-100. See the full report on FIRE’s 2021 College Free Speech Rankings for more information.
Rankings / out of 154 colleges surveyed |
|
| Overall Ranking | 10 |
| Ideological Diversity | 114 |
Overall / out of a top score of 100 |
|
| Overall Score | 65.88 |
| Openness | 10.07 |
| Tolerance (Liberals) | 11.4 |
| Tolerance (Conservatives) | 7.18 |
| Administrative Support | 5.92 |
| Comfort | 15.68 |
| Disruptive Conduct | 9.63 |
| Speech Code | GREEN |
College of William and Mary: Suppression of Affirmative Action Bake Sale
January 23, 2004
A student group critical of William and Mary’s race-based affirmative action policies held an affirmative action bake sale parodying the school’s policies. The student group contacted FIRE after the administration decided to censor the group’s activity. After receiving much criticism in the media, the administration relented and allowed a second bake sale, but would not… Read more
When good policy goes bad: Free speech violations at a ‘green light’ school
August 3, 2021
Upholding free speech rights on campus requires more than good policy. While colleges and universities receiving FIRE’s “green light” rating are compliant with the First Amendment on paper, administrations frequently struggle to accurately and evenly apply those policies in practice. The College of William & Mary is a perfect example. The institution has made tremendous… Read more
‘Model’ William & Mary Student Defenders group prioritizes people over punishment
September 3, 2019
Most of them have never been in trouble before. Undergraduates at The College of William & Mary are routinely among the premier students in the nation. The 300-year-old university, set on 1,200 idyllic acres in Williamsburg, Virginia, has been called a “Public Ivy,” and it only admits about a third of the students who apply…. Read more
Don’t shout down, speak up!
July 10, 2018
On Sept. 27, 2017, student group W&M Concerned Students , shut down Claire Guthrie Gastañaga, the executive director of the ACLU of Virginia, from speaking at my school, College of William & Mary. Gastañaga’s speech topic was, ironically, “Students and the First Amendment.” A few minutes into her speech, hecklers began shouting phrases at Gastañaga… Read more
Student Defender Profile: Marvi Ali, chair of William & Mary’s Conduct and Honor Advisor Program
July 18, 2017
All this week, in honor of the debut of FIRE’s new Student Defenders program, we’ll be profiling students already involved in these initiatives at a handful of colleges and universities across the nation. While these groups are different at every school, student defenders are united by a common mission: helping peers accused of conduct violations… Read more
What comes next for students at ‘green light’ schools? Putting policy into practice.
July 6, 2017
FIRE has labeled my school, The College of William & Mary, a “green light” institution, meaning that we have policies supporting and protecting free speech on campus. I am proud of my school’s speech code rating; the prospect of being exposed to a wide range of ideas and perspectives is one of the reasons I… Read more
William & Mary’s ‘Flat Hat’ Champions Free Speech on Campus
February 23, 2015
FIRE’s Free Press Week may have been last week, but there is no shortage of examples of the value of a free student press. The latest proof of that comes from The College of William & Mary, where student newspaper The Flat Hat ran a terrific staff editorial on Thursday arguing against a proposal, submitted… Read more
Introducing FIRE Summer Intern Brendan Zehner
June 17, 2014
Brendan Zehner is a rising senior at The College of William and Mary (W&M), where he is a double major in history and public policy. He comes to FIRE as a staunch believer in the First Amendment and he hopes to gain the skills to become a force to be reckoned with when it comes to student rights and due process.
‘Flat Hat’ Highlights William & Mary’s ‘Green Light’ Rating
January 29, 2014
The Flat Hat, the student newspaper at The College of William & Mary, points out this week that for yet another year, the university can boast of its “green light” rating for free speech. As The Flat Hat observes, William & Mary is one of an elite few institutions nationwide that maintain policies respecting free… Read more
Some U. of Rochester Students Just Don’t Get How Free Speech Works
April 12, 2013
Last week, I told you about the kerfuffle happening at the University of Rochester, where a professor, Steven Landsburg, has come under fire for hypothetical situations involving rape that he presented in a personal blog post. I praised university administrators for resisting the all-too-common urge to censor or punish the professor’s controversial expression, particularly since… Read more
William & Mary’s ‘Flat Hat’ Reminds Students: Freedom of Speech Must be Protected
September 25, 2012
Earlier this month, FIRE published our list of the seven best schools for free speech in 2012. On that list was The College of William & Mary, making its second appearance this year. However, as student newspaper The Flat Hat points out, the school’s history hasn’t always been free-speech friendly. Carter Lockwood congratulates William &… Read more
Praise for Free Speech at Virginia Schools in ‘Richmond Times-Dispatch’
June 1, 2011
In response to Greg’s article on The Huffington Post commending the nation’s seven best colleges and universities for freedom of speech, the Richmond Times-Dispatch has offered glowing praise for the two Virginia schools that made the list (the University of Virginia (UVa) and the College of William & Mary) and for FIRE’s efforts in combating censorship on campuses nationwide…. Read more
FIRE Names Seven Best Schools for Free Speech on ‘Huffington Post’
May 24, 2011
PHILADELPHIA, May 24, 2011—Today the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) commends the nation’s seven best colleges and universities for freedom of speech in an article by FIRE President Greg Lukianoff on The Huffington Post. The colleges listed are Arizona State University, Dartmouth College, The College of William & Mary, the University of Pennsylvania,… Read more
Virginia Newspaper Touts Growing Number of ‘Green Light’ Schools
February 8, 2011
With only 14 “green light” colleges and universities in the entire country, the state of Virginia should be proud to be home to two of them. Writing in the Daily Press (Hampton Roads, Va.), Michael F. Cochrane commends the University of Virginia (UVa) and The College of William & Mary for preserving free speech on… Read more
New Video: William & Mary Alum Braum Katz Shares Tips on Getting Your School to ‘Green Light’
November 10, 2010
After his FIRE internship ended in the summer of 2007, Braum Katz left Philadelphia with a mission: to transform his school, The College of William & Mary, from a “red light” to a “green light” institution by reforming its unconstitutional campus policies. By rallying his fellow students and working in cooperation with the college administration,… Read more
How Do You Keep a College Student from Drinking?
September 20, 2010
Ban the table the alcohol sits on, apparently: WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (WAVY)—The College of William & Mary is banning tables that can be used for beer pong. The college said they are making the change to support their ban on drinking games. … For years, William & Mary has banned drinking games on campus. A recent… Read more
William & Mary Eliminates ‘Bias Incident Reporting System’; Trend Remains Popular Nationwide
March 4, 2010
The Virginia Informer reported yesterday that The College of William & Mary has removed its Bias Incident Reporting System from its website, bringing to a close a controversial chapter in William & Mary’s recent history. William & Mary first launched the Bias Incident Reporting System in the fall of 2007. In its initial incarnation, the… Read more
How Students Made a Difference for Liberty in 2009
January 6, 2010
For the past few days FIRE has been looking back over our list of accomplishments in 2009. That list would not be complete without mentioning the students who have worked so hard to make their campuses more free. At the College of William & Mary, former FIRE intern and Campus Freedom Network member Braum Katz… Read more
Rights in the News: With FIRE’s Help, Students Standing Up to Their Speech Codes
October 16, 2009
FIRE was elated to begin the week with the announcement that The College of William & Mary had reformed the last of its troublesome speech codes and become one of just eleven colleges to earn a "green light" rating in FIRE’s Spotlight database. Perhaps the fever has spread to neighboring James Madison University, where the… Read more
College of William & Mary Reforms Speech Codes and Receives ‘Green Light’ Rating
October 12, 2009
It’s not often that FIRE gets to praise a university for acting to protect the free speech rights of its students and faculty members, but today we’re happy to announce that The College of William & Mary has eliminated the last of its problematic speech policies. Because of this respect for the First Amendment rights… Read more
William & Mary Closes In on a “Green Light,” but One Dangerous Policy Remains
September 25, 2009
There is excellent news this week out of The College of William & Mary. The student newspaper The Informer reports that the W&M administration has revised several of the university’s speech codes, thanks to pressure from free speech advocates including former FIRE intern Braum Katz, a W&M senior. In particular, the administration has eliminated a ban on anonymous… Read more
FIRE in College of William and Mary’s ‘Flat Hat’
January 27, 2009
Today’s Flat Hat, The College of William and Mary’s student newspaper, reports that William and Mary has again received a "red light" rating from FIRE because the school has at least one policy that clearly and substantially restricts the freedom of speech of its students. Last year’s article on this rating by The Flat Hat… Read more
Unconstitutional ‘Bias Reporting’ Programs: A Nationwide Problem
November 29, 2007
This fall, The College of William & Mary launched a Bias Incident Reporting System “to assist members of the William and Mary community—students, staff, and faculty—in bringing bias incidents to the College’s attention.” In its initial incarnation, the system was fraught with constitutional problems, from both free speech and due process standpoints. The system initially… Read more
Anonymous Tips for ‘Bias’ at William and Mary? Yikes.
November 2, 2007
Check on John Leo’s “By The Way, Somebody Turned You In” over at Minding The Campus, regarding William and Mary’s anonymous bias reporting program: William and Mary’s new and anonymous bias reporting system is so wrong-headed that it’s hard to know where to begin protesting it. Some anonymous reports are legitimate, as Eugene Volokh argues… Read more
When the Truth is Too Outrageous to Parody
July 24, 2007
The following entry was authored by FIRE summer intern Braum Katz, a rising sophomore at the College of William and Mary. In my freshman year of college, I became involved with The Pillory, William and Mary’s only satire and humor magazine. As expected, our first staff meeting consisted of an obligatory discussion on standards of… Read more
William & Mary Apologizes for Censoring Dormitory Staff in Wake of Tragedy
May 13, 2005
In recent news, the College of William & Mary (W&M) has rescinded disciplinary actions against two dormitory housekeepers for talking to the press about the tragic suicides of two students in a campus fraternity house. The two workers had been quoted in the local paper as calling one of the students a “real joyful dude”… Read more