School Spotlight

University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
Speech Code Rating
Facilities Use Policy
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Protest and Demonstration Policies
Last updated: September 21, 2020The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (“University”) is a campus community in which the ideals of freedom of inquiry, thought, and expression are respected and sustained. The University is committed to supporting the exercise of protected expression in University-controlled Facilities while mai... Read MoreThe Policy on Prohibited Sexual Harassment Under Title IX
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: September 21, 2020Sexual Harassment (also Title IX Sexual Harassment): Conduct on the basis of Sex that satisfies one 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 a University education program or... Read MorePolicy on Prohibited Discrimination, Harassment and Related Misconduct Including Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment, Sexual Violence, Interpersonal Violence and Stalking
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: September 21, 2020a. Hostile Environment Harassment Unwelcome conduct based on Protected Status that is so severe, persistent, or pervasive that it alters the conditions of education, employment, or participation in a University program or activity, thereby creating an environment that a reasonable person in similar circumstances and... Read MoreUNC-Chapel Hill Network Acceptable Use Policy
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Internet Usage Policies
Last updated: September 21, 2020Users may not store, display or disseminate unlawful communications of any kind, including but not limited to threats of violence, obscenity, child pornography, or other illegal communications. This provision applies to any electronic communication distributed or sent within University IT or to other networks while ... Read MoreFreedom of Speech and Expression University Standard
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Protest and Demonstration Policies
Last updated: September 21, 2020Students, staff, and faculty may assemble and engage in spontaneous expressive activity as along as such activity is lawful and does not materially and substantially disrupt the functioning of the University. A material and substantial disruption includes but is not limited to, any or all of the following: A. Any ac... Read MoreFreedom of Speech and Expression University Policy
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression
Last updated: September 21, 2020The University is committed to providing an inclusive and flourishing environment for free speech and expression consistent with the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and Section 14 of the North Carolina State Constitution. 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
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Resident Assistants Feared Firing For Speaking to Media
December 17, 2020
In October 2020, Resident Assistants at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill were reportedly concerned about the implications of the university’s vague media relations policy, interpreting it as requiring them to refrain from speaking to student journalists. FIRE wrote to UNC Chapel Hill to urge the university to amend its policy to make… Read more
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Removal of Student’s Parody Website from University-Hosted Service
February 1, 2019
On February 1, 2019, FIRE wrote to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to contest the removal of a student-created website that criticized the university’s historical treatment of race-related issues. The student created the parody website “UNC Anti-Racist Jeopardy” using web.unc.edu, a university-provided service enabling students and faculty to publish their own websites…. Read more
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Professor Denied Right to Teach Course Critical of UNC, Academic Freedom Threatened
September 14, 2017
In November of 2016, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill infringed on the academic freedom of Professor Jay Smith by refusing his requests to teach the course “Big-Time College Sports and the Rights of Athletes, 1956 to the Present” during the 2017 fall semester. FIRE wrote UNC to echo the concerns raised by 45… Read more
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Heckler’s Veto Results in Termination of Emeritus Professor’s Network Access
June 1, 2011
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) succumbed to the “heckler’s veto” by revoking Emeritus Professor Elliot Cramer’s network access because of outside complaints about a website link to an organization that advocates for animal welfare. Despite telling the complainant that the dispute was “not a University matter” and that the university did… Read more
Mohammed Cartoon Controversy: FIRE Response to Intimidation and Newspaper Disputes
February 22, 2006
As a result of worldwide controversy regarding caricatures of the prophet Mohammed, first published in a Danish newspaper, free speech was being openly disregarded on American college campuses. In the weeks following the printing of the cartoon, students, professors, and student publications not only reprinted the controversial cartoons but even created their own satirical cartoons… Read more
University of North Carolina System: State of the First Amendment
January 10, 2006
FIRE teamed up with the John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy to release the Report on the State of the First Amendment in the University of North Carolina System. The Report notes that UNC System’s many speech codes and illiberal restrictions on religious groups would likely not survive a legal challenge. It also… Read more
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Denial of Freedom of Association for Christian Fraternity
July 23, 2004
At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill a Christian fraternity, Alpha Iota Omega (AIO), was stripped of its recognition after UNC administrator Jonathan Curtis declared that the fraternity was required to add an unconstitutional “nondiscrimination” clause to its student group constitution. AIO objected to the “nondiscrimination” clause because it would have forbidden the… Read more
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Refusal to Allow Christian Clubs to Require Christian Leadership
December 27, 2002
An administrator at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill threatened the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF) with a loss of all privileges and funding because it required its leaders to adhere to the IVCF’s Christian doctrine. After FIRE reminded UNC of the student organization’s rights of religious liberty, free expression, and free association, however,… Read more
New faculty-authored report evaluates culture of free expression at UNC Chapel Hill
February 13, 2020
For those interested in the growing body of research evaluating students’ perspectives on matters of free expression, a new report from an interdisciplinary team of professors at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has made a valuable contribution to the dialogue. The report, by UNC professors Jennifer Larson, Mark McNeilly, and Timothy Ryan,… Read more
Duke-UNC Middle East studies program gets its funding, but concerns remain
October 2, 2019
Last month, the Department of Education announced a review of its “National Resource Center” grant to the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies (Duke-UNC CMES), arguing that the institutions had misspent their federal funding. (Per federal law, the grant must support certain academic purposes.) The review, which appears to have been precipitated by a federal… Read more
FIRE statement on Department of Education letter to Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies
September 20, 2019
The Department of Education’s review of the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies’ use of Title VI poses a threat to institutional academic freedom. Per federal law, the Department of Education’s “National Resource Center” grant to the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies (Duke-UNC CMES) must be dedicated to certain academic purposes. The Department argues… Read more
Grave consequences: The need for independent counsel in higher education judicial systems
July 1, 2019
At the southern end of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a large brick and glass building houses the Office of Student and Academic Services. Its basement is home to Chapel Hill’s student-run honor system, which charges, investigates, adjudicates, and sentences students for everything from plagiarism to assault. At the head of the… Read more
REPORT: North Carolina is home to some of America’s best colleges for free speech
September 24, 2018
Eight colleges in North Carolina earn FIRE’s highest rating for free speech — more than in any other state — but 17 still maintain policies that substantially restrict student expression. PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 24, 2018 — A new report finds that North Carolina’s colleges and universities lead the way nationally for protecting student free speech. The… Read more
FIRE interviews UNC faculty council committee member about new free speech statement
April 27, 2018
FIRE’s Mary Zoeller recently caught up with Lindsie Trego, a graduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Media and UNC’s School of Law, to talk about her work as a member of the UNC faculty council’s communications working group. Last week, the faculty council voted to approve a policy… Read more
Faculty council at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill adopts ‘Chicago Statement’
April 16, 2018
The governing faculty body at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill voted last week to endorse a free speech policy statement based on the “Report of the Committee on Freedom of Expression” at the University of Chicago (better known as the “Chicago Statement”). In doing so, UNC – Chapel Hill joins 36 other… Read more
Announcing a weekly FIRE video series: FIREside Chats
November 30, 2017
We are excited to announce a new series of weekly video conversations with FIRE staff where we candidly discuss the top student and faculty rights stories of the day. In our first episode of FIREside Chats, Will Creeley moderates a discussion about the Anthony Scaramucci controversy at Tufts University with Brynne Madway and Adam Steinbaugh…. Read more
Undercover cop joined protests of Confederate statue on UNC campus
November 8, 2017
A University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill campus police officer went undercover in August to join a group protesting the removal of a Confederate statue, according to other protesters. That’s legal, but it’s bad for free speech. At the center of this conflict is Silent Sam, a statue erected in 1913 to honor UNC alums who… Read more
UNC Board of Governors to discuss system-wide free expression policy
November 1, 2017
Last August, FIRE reported on the passage of House Bill 527, North Carolina legislation aimed at improving free speech protections on public college campuses in the state. The law requires the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina to develop a free expression policy that would cover all UNC campuses, a process the… Read more
Victory: Academic freedom for faculty preserved at UNC – Chapel Hill
September 14, 2017
University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill professor of history Jay Smith has been granted permission to teach his course, “Big-Time College Sports and the Rights of Athletes, 1956 to the Present” during the spring 2018 semester. This decision comes after he was initially denied permission to teach the class in November 2016 for vague… Read more
Threat to strip UNC law school center’s right to litigate draws objections over academic freedom and First Amendment [Updated]
August 1, 2017
Update 1:15pm: The motion to strip the Center for Civil Rights at the University of North Carolina law school of its ability to litigate cases has passed. Motion passes 5 to 1 with 1 abstention. Will go to full board at Sept 8 #UNCBOG for a full-body vote. — Sarah Leck (@Sarah_Leck) August 1, 2017 At a meeting… Read more
Flawed FERPA ruling stifles transparency in higher education
May 23, 2017
On May 3, the North Carolina Superior Court in Wake County ratified the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s (UNC’s) use of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) to block its student newspaper’s request for public records under the North Carolina’s open records law. The court’s distorted interpretation of FERPA could severely… Read more
News Organizations Join Forces to Sue UNC For Access to Records
November 30, 2016
On November 21, The Daily Tar Heel, the student newspaper at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), Capitol Broadcasting Company, The Charlotte Observer, and the Durham Herald Company (Plaintiffs) filed suit against UNC under the North Carolina Public Records Law after UNC refused to release records relating to sexual assault investigations. The… Read more
UNC Chapel Hill Apologizes After Campus Police Attempt to Remove Professor’s Sign
August 13, 2015
It shouldn’t need to be said that a campus police officer has no business demanding that a professor remove a sign from her window. It especially doesn’t need to be said that three campus police officers should not be doing so. However, that’s what happened at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which… Read more
FIRE’s Majeed: 2015 Already a Good Year for Speech Code Reform
July 30, 2015
Over at The Huffington Post today, my colleague Azhar Majeed takes an encouraging survey of the solid progress FIRE has already made in 2015 in reforming restrictive speech codes. Azhar reviews the four schools that have already earned FIRE’s best, most speech-friendly “green light” rating thus far in 2015—George Mason University, Purdue University, the University… Read more
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Earns FIRE’s Highest Rating for Free Speech
July 7, 2015
CHAPEL HILL, N.C., July 7, 2015—The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) has eliminated all of its speech codes, earning the highest, “green light” rating from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). With assistance from FIRE in revising its policies, UNC joins a prestigious group of colleges and universities that have… Read more
University of North Carolina Votes to Remove Controversial Anti-Harassment Rule
May 1, 2015
Earlier this week, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) Faculty Council voted to eliminate a university anti-harassment rule that’s been suspended since 2013. UNC’s Student Congress has also approved the change to this speech-restrictive policy, meaning that only UNC Chancellor Carol Folt is left to approve it. UNC law professor Richard Myers,… Read more
Questions Raised as UNC Board of Governors Considers Vote to Shut Down Academic Centers [UPDATED]
February 27, 2015
Today, the University of North Carolina (UNC) System’s Board of Governors could vote to shut down three academic centers housed at institutions within the system: the Center on Poverty, Work & Opportunity at the University of North Carolina School of Law; the Institute for Civic Engagement and Social Change at North Carolina Central University; and… Read more
FIRE’s Robert Shibley: UNC Doesn’t Need Another Restriction on Speech
February 11, 2015
FIRE Executive Director Robert Shibley took to The News & Observer (Raleigh, North Carolina) yesterday to protest the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s consideration of a ban on the phone app Yik Yak, which allows users to share anonymous comments with those geographically close to them. As we’ve argued on The Torch before,… Read more
UNC, Halloween, and the ‘Professionalism’ Threat to the First Amendment
October 31, 2014
This being Halloween week, we’ve seen a few cautionary notices from universities warning of the potential for hurt feelings and emotional harm caused by culturally “insensitive” Halloween costumes. To cite one example, the University of Minnesota (UM) cautioned students to “keep in mind that certain Halloween costumes perpetuate racial, cultural, and gender stereotypes” and that… Read more
Catch FIRE President Greg Lukianoff in D.C., Chapel Hill, and Berkeley Next Week
September 19, 2014
FIRE President Greg Lukianoff will be on the move next week as he travels from campus to campus to promote free speech and First Amendment rights at America’s colleges and universities. On Monday, Greg will be participating in the Fourth Annual President’s Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge National Gathering on the campus of George… Read more
FIRE Welcomes David Deerson
June 20, 2014
FIRE is delighted to welcome David Deerson to our staff as a program associate for FIRE Campus Outreach! David joins the growing FIRE Student Network team as we gear up for our annual summer conference and make exciting outreach plans for this summer and for back-to-school season in the fall. David’s history with FIRE as a 2011 summer intern and an active participant of FIRE’s programs, along with his professional experience, make him a fantastic addition to our team as we work to expand our network of students, faculty, and alumni dedicated to defending civil liberties on their campuses.
College Risk Management Lawyers Call Out FIRE (Without Doing Their Homework)
May 27, 2014
The National Center for Higher Education Risk Management (NCHERM) is likely the most prominent risk management law firm in higher education. This afternoon, NCHERM issued “An Open Letter to Higher Education about Sexual Violence” (PDF). It’s a fascinating document about which you can be assured FIRE will have more later. However, one contention in the… Read more
UNC-Chapel Hill Investigates Allegedly Flawed Study on Student-Athlete Literacy
January 21, 2014
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill) has suspended researcher Mary Willingham’s study on literacy among student-athletes, which she says revealed that less than half of the athletes studied were able to read above an eighth-grade reading level. While the university alleges that there were problems with Willingham’s methodology and that she failed to follow certain… Read more
Media Continues to Report on FIRE’s ’10 Worst Colleges for Free Speech’ List
January 17, 2014
In early January we reported on the coverage that FIRE’s list of 2013’s worst colleges for free speech received from various local media outlets. Over the past few weeks, the press has continued to draw attention to the nefarious reputation that these schools have developed for violating students’ and professors’ free speech rights. In North Carolina, which holds the… Read more
North Carolina Newspaper: Free Speech ‘Indispensable Ally’ of Tolerance
January 6, 2014
An eloquent editorial penned by the editors of North Carolina newspaper The Wilson Times takes the state’s public colleges and universities to task for failing to respect student free speech rights. The editors note that FIRE recently named two North Carolina institutions—Appalachian State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill—to our annual list of the nation’s… Read more
The 10 Worst Colleges for Free Speech: 2013
December 27, 2013
College is where inquisitive minds go to be exposed to new ways of thinking. But on some campuses, the quest for knowledge is frustrated when administrators censor speech they would prefer be kept out of the marketplace of ideas. To close out the year, we at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) want to highlight… Read more
Please Explain Why Putting University Administrators in Charge of Judging Speech Is a Good Idea
July 9, 2013
My colleagues have done a thorough job of explaining why defenders of the Department of Education’s “blueprint” for preventing campus sexual harassment are on very shaky legal and logical ground. They have pointed out that some of ED’s allies have misquoted the findings letter and mocked Senator John McCain’s serious questions about the threat to… Read more
Campus Progress Emphasizes First Amendment Concerns in UNC Honor Code Case
June 11, 2013
Campus Progress’ Jenn Nowicki reported yesterday on the recently dismissed honor code charges against University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC­–CH) student Landen Gambill. Gambill was charged with "disruptive or intimidating behavior" after publicly criticizing UNC’s handling of sexual assault cases, including her own. In dismissing Gambill’s case, and all other pending cases brought under… Read more
Scandal Over Handling of Rape Charge Prompts UNC to Suspend Speech Code; FIRE Had Warned UNC that Rule Was Unconstitutional
June 7, 2013
CHAPEL HILL, N.C., June 7, 2013—The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has indefinitely suspended an unconstitutional speech code used against student Landen Gambill, who drew national attention for her public complaints about the university’s treatment of her sexual assault allegation against a fellow student. Due to the efforts of the Foundation for Individual… Read more
Letter to Editor on ‘National Failure of Student Discipline Codes’
April 1, 2013
Illustration of Justice Scales – Shutterstock In a powerfully written letter to the editor of The GW Hatchet, a student newspaper at George Washington University, attorney Shanlon Wu calls into question whether students can receive a fair and accurate result from university disciplinary processes. Wu, a litigator with the Washington, D.C., firm Wu, Grohovsky &… Read more
Controversy Grows over UNC’s Response to Sexual Assault Claim
March 6, 2013
The controversy surrounding the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s (UNC’s) response to a student’s allegation of sexual misconduct shows no signs of abating. In fact, it may just be getting started, as a new report from the Daily Tar Heel focusing on the accused student’s experience in UNC’s judicial system casts further doubt… Read more
FIRE in the News: Watch Clips of ‘Stossel,’ ‘Red Eye’ Featuring FIRE Cases!
October 2, 2012
It’s been a big television week for FIRE. Last Thursday, I appeared alongside Campus Freedom Network members David Deerson and Derek Spicer on an episode of the Fox Business Network show Stossel, filmed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). We had a great discussion of speech codes at UNC and civility… Read more
FIRE’s Shibley on ‘Stossel’ This Thursday
September 24, 2012
FIRE’s Robert Shibley was on campus at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) last week for a taping of the Fox Business Network show Stossel, hosted by 19-time Emmy Award winner John Stossel. This week’s episode opens with civil liberties on college campuses, so FIRE supporters know that Robert, along with Campus… Read more
FIRE Senior VP at UNC Today for ‘Stossel’ Taping
September 21, 2012
Today, The Daily Tar Heel encouraged University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill (UNC) students to attend a taping of Stossel, John Stossel’s show on the FOX Business Network, which will be held on campus at 2 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Student Union, hosted by the UNC Young Americans for Liberty. FIRE… Read more
‘Daily Tar Heel’ Editorial Board: Get Rid of UNC’s Speech Codes
September 20, 2012
Fresh off a campus visit from FIRE Senior Vice President Robert Shibley, the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill (UNC) could use a little speech code reform to start off the school year. Recognizing as much is the Editorial Board of the UNC campus paper The Daily Tar Heel, in a stirring opinion piece… Read more
FIRE Speakers on Campuses for Constitution Day
September 17, 2012
What better way is there to celebrate Constitution Day than to go see a FIRE speaker? None, I say! Today, Associate Director of Legal and Public Advocacy Azhar Majeed will be at Indiana University-Bloomington to talk with Young Americans for Liberty (YAL). The YAL chapter is holding a free speech wall event, and Azhar will… Read more
‘Inside Higher Ed’, KC Johnson on the University of North Carolina’s New ‘Two-tiered’ Disciplinary Procedures
April 26, 2012
Yesterday, Inside Higher Ed reported on the University of North Carolina’s recent decision to revoke its Student Honor Court’s power to adjudicate allegations of sexual misconduct. Inside Higher Ed‘s Allie Grasgreen writes: The change, which some have sought for years, appears to be the most extensive yet in response to the "Dear Colleague" letter issued… Read more
Speech Code of the Month: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
February 7, 2012
FIRE announces its Speech Code of the Month for February 2012: the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). For a number of years, UNC earned FIRE’s poorest, “red light” rating for maintaining restrictive speech codes. This rating was due in large part to a list of sexual harassment examples that included a great… Read more
Former FIRE Intern: UNC Should Not Be Comfortable With Unconstitutional Policies
February 1, 2012
David Deerson, a former FIRE intern and current University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill junior, penned an excellent letter to the editor published in today’s edition of The Daily Tar Heel. His letter responds to an article from Tuesday, which reported that UNC’s vice chancellor for student affairs Winston Crisp is comfortable with the… Read more
‘Daily Tar Heel’ Article Shows that Free Speech Has a Long Way to Go at UNC
January 30, 2012
Fresh off reviewing our recently issued speech code report, the Daily Tar Heel at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill (UNC) highlights the fact that UNC at present maintains three "yellow light" speech codes infringing upon students’ freedom of expression. These policies have no place at an institution like UNC that not only… Read more
Victory at University of North Carolina: Religious Student Group Free to Practice Its Beliefs
October 14, 2011
CHAPEL HILL, N.C., October 14, 2011—The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has cleared a Christian student group of any wrongdoing after it dismissed a student who felt that he could no longer adhere to the group’s religious beliefs. Yesterday, Christian a cappella student group Psalm 100 learned that UNC had determined that the… Read more
Will Threat of Legal Action Spur UNC to Restore Emeritus Professor’s Rights?
September 20, 2011
After months of discussion with little to show for it, Professor Emeritus Elliot Cramer plans to file an ethics complaint against University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) General Counsel Leslie C. Strohm, based in part on Strohm’s role in revoking his university email account and website. A lawsuit, Cramer says, is also imminent…. Read more
At University of North Carolina, Choral Group’s Vote Prompts Investigation–And Raises First Amendment Concerns
September 2, 2011
The Daily Tar Heel reports this week that the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) has launched an investigation into the decision of a Christian a capella student group’s decision to expel one of its members. Daily Tar Heel reporter Paula Seligson writes: The University will investigate whether or not the Christian a… Read more
‘Chronicle’ Article on Emeritus Faculty Highlights Case of Wronged UNC Professor
August 15, 2011
The Chronicle of Higher Education has published an interesting article on the vagaries of emeritus faculty status and what it means at various universities—i.e., whether it comes with perks or is merely symbolic. In part, the article focuses on recent controversial cases in which emeritus status was denied. In one case, law professor Robert Natelson… Read more
‘Triangle Business Journal’ on UNC’s Revocation of Emeritus Professor’s Network Access
July 1, 2011
North Carolina’s Triangle Business Journal is the latest media outlet to report on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s (UNC’s) troubling action against Professor Emeritus Elliot Cramer when UNC succumbed to outside pressure to revoke Cramer’s university network access. The pressure had come from Joseph Villarosa, who has no affiliation with UNC but who drew UNC into his personal… Read more
FIRE’s Shibley Raps UNC’s Punishment of Emeritus Professor in ‘Herald-Sun’
June 24, 2011
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s (UNC’s) decision to revoke the network access of Professor Emeritus Elliot Cramer continues to draw headlines, most recently with today’s column in the Chapel Hill newspaper The Herald-Sun by FIRE Senior Vice President Robert Shibley. For those unfamiliar with the case, Cramer’s network access was revoked by UNC after… Read more
FIRE Corrects the Record on ‘Inside Higher Ed’ Reporting of UNC Case
June 22, 2011
Inside Higher Ed runs a story today on the case of Elliot Cramer, Professor Emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), whose UNC network privileges were terminated by the university as a result of Joseph Villarosa’s attempts to draw UNC into a private dispute between him and Cramer. (Villarosa is unaffiliated… Read more
UNC-Chapel Hill Surrenders to ‘Heckler’s Veto,’ Revokes Emeritus Professor’s Network Access
June 21, 2011
CHAPEL HILL, N.C., June 21, 2011—The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) has surrendered to the “heckler’s veto” by revoking Professor Emeritus Elliot Cramer’s network access following outside complaints about a link on his website to an organization that advocates for animal welfare. Despite telling the complaining individual that the dispute was “not a University… Read more
Resolutions to Protect Academic Freedom of Faculty at UNC-Chapel Hill, University of Delaware
November 19, 2010
Faculty bodies around the country have been enacting new academic freedom protections in the wake of the Supreme Court’s 2006 decision in Garcetti v. Ceballos, about which we have written plenty here on The Torch. In a footnote in Garcetti, the Court reserved the question of whether professors at public universities have academic freedom to criticize university policies or even enjoy… Read more
FIRE’s Robert Shibley Takes on UNC Speech Codes in ‘Chapel Hill Herald’ Op-Ed
October 18, 2010
Sunday’s edition of the Chapel Hill (N.C.) Herald contained a sharp op-ed by FIRE Senior Vice President Robert Shibley, who devoted his section of editorial real estate to an analysis of the problems presented by the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill’s (UNC’s) speech codes and an overview of the school’s recent history with free speech on… Read more
‘The Daily Tar Heel’ on FIRE at UNC-Chapel Hill
October 6, 2010
I was privileged to be part of a panel discussion for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s First Amendment Day observance last Thursday. I joined Jenna Ashley Robinson of the Pope Center for Higher Education Policy and Stephanie Davis, president of UNC’s College Libertarians club, on a panel to discuss free speech at… Read more
FIRE, AAUP, and Thomas Jefferson Center File Brief with Fourth Circuit in Support of UNC Professor
July 6, 2010
On Friday, FIRE joined the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression in filing an amici curiae brief with the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on behalf of University of North Carolina-Wilmington professor Mike Adams. The brief argues that the U.S…. Read more
One Year Later, Heckler’s Veto Shelved at University of North Carolina
May 5, 2010
North Carolina’s Pope Center for Higher Education Policy is reporting that a visit to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill by former congressman Tom Tancredo went off without incident late last month. Why is this noteworthy, you ask? Because the last time Tancredo visited UNC, his speech was disrupted and he was forced… Read more
Watch the Video of Greg’s UNC Speech
November 19, 2009
FIRE President Greg Lukianoff has had a packed schedule of speeches this fall, having spoken at multiple campuses in Ohio, North Carolina, Texas, and Washington, DC. A video of his "Unlearning Liberty" speech given at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill is available below. The speech, given during UNC’s First Amendment Day, highlights some of… Read more
UNC Rejects the Heckler’s Veto
April 24, 2009
The First Amendment scored a victory this week at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill when UNC removed and arrested six hecklers who disrupted a campus speech by former Virginia congressman and illegal immigration opponent Virgil Goode. Goode was invited to speak on campus by a group called Youth for Western Civilization. Problems with disruptive… Read more
Editorial Board of UNC’s Daily Tar Heel: “Protect Free Speech”
March 2, 2009
The editorial board of the University of North Carolina’s student newspaper, The Daily Tar Heel, has published a strong editorial today in defense of freedom of expression on campus. Writing in response to UNC President Erskine Bowles and the UNC Study Commission to Review Student Codes of Conduct as They Relate to Hate Crimes, the… Read more
FIRE Cautions University of North Carolina System against Implementing Hate Speech Policy
February 16, 2009
Today, FIRE sent a letter to University of North Carolina President Erskine Bowles and the UNC Study Commission to Review Student Codes of Conduct as They Relate to Hate Crimes arguing against the implementation of a system-wide hate speech code. Bowles formed the study commission following the discovery of racist comments painted in North Carolina… Read more
Nearly Three Years Later, Significant Improvement at North Carolina’s Public Universities
September 22, 2008
In January 2006, FIRE and the John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy released a Report on the State of the First Amendment in the University of North Carolina System. The report took an in-depth look at the speech codes in force at each of the sixteen universities in the UNC System and made… Read more
‘UNC Chapel Hill Tries to Spin Away a Major Defeat’
May 18, 2006
The Clarion Call, the online newsletter of The John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy, has published an article Samantha and I wrote about UNC Chapel Hill’s anemic attempt to spin the dismissal of a Christian fraternity’s suit against them as a victory. Some of you may remember FIRE had not one but two… Read more
Laughable Spin at UNC
May 5, 2006
Check out David French’s post over at National Review’s Phi Beta Cons about the University of North Carolina’s lame attempt to spin its loss in a case involving a Christian fraternity’s right to free association into a vindication of what it had said all along. So I know not everyone in the world is a… Read more
Newspaper Theft at Troy University: Facebook Article Involved?
February 15, 2006
Today’s Inside Higher Ed features an article about an instance of illegal censorship at Troy University in Alabama, which holds the dubious distinction of being one of the targets of FIRE’s Speech Codes Litigation Project because of its unconstitutional speech code. The latest instance of censorship at Troy came last Thursday, when nearly 2,000 out… Read more
Liberty in the Balance in North Carolina
February 1, 2006
The number of battles FIRE has had to fight in North Carolina is staggering. Even before our recent (and victorious) headline-grabbing case at UNC Greensboro, we have defended embattled professors at UNC Wilmington, Shaw University, Forsyth Technical Community College, and Duke University; two Christian groups at UNC Chapel Hill; a student newspaper under attack at… Read more
The War on Christians (and Muslims)
December 27, 2005
There has been a lot of talk the past few months about the “war on Christmas,” by which people generally mean the replacement of the religious symbols and language of Christmas with secular language and symbols of the holidays. This is often extended into an argument that there is a growing cultural hostility to the… Read more
UNC Restores Tradition of Holiday Travesties
December 15, 2005
The holiday season is upon us again. Christmas trees, menorahs, and lights festoon homes and streets. Shoppers drive around mall parking lots in a desperate search through a sea of cars for a parking space. Holiday specials take to the airwaves. Americans numbering in the millions travel to visit far-away family members. And some students… Read more
Foggy Thinking about ‘Discrimination’ at UNC
May 31, 2005
In his column today, Mike Adams discusses a truly revealing exchange he had with the UNC-Wilmington student newspaper. As readers may know, UNC Chapel Hill has been at the center of a controversy because it wanted a Christian group to add language that to its constitution that said it would not “discriminate” against people who… Read more
Princeton Victory Covered by AP
May 12, 2005
Check out the short and sweet article by Associated Press writer Chris Newmarker about the Princeton religious liberty victory we announced yesterday. I was quoted: “We found Princeton’s quick and fair response very encouraging. We’ve found other colleges who haven’t been particularly fair to religious groups, sometimes in an unconstitutional way,” which captures what I… Read more
What Is Up with North Carolina?
March 8, 2005
The recent injunction against UNC is only the latest development in a state that seems downright uncomfortable with basic freedoms. As I have often said on Viewpoints, a radio show in North Carolina on which I have frequently been a guest, North Carolina is a place where students and faculty are punished in violation of… Read more
Here Comes the Judge: UNC Enjoined
March 7, 2005
Those familiar with FIRE’s work over the years will remember our nearly continuous battles with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill over its policies on student organizations, particularly religious groups. UNC’s assault on the freedom of association of religious groups has stretched from December 2002 all the way to the present time. Today’s… Read more
Victory for Freedom of Association at UNC-Chapel Hill
March 7, 2005
CHAPEL HILL, N.C., March 7, 2005—Late last week, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s (UNC’s) attempt to prevent a Christian fraternity from choosing its members based on religious belief. U.S. District Judge Frank W. Bullock of the Middle District of North Carolina found that UNC’s… Read more
Rhode Island College vs. Freedom—Again
February 23, 2005
FIRE unfortunately often deals with colleges and universities that repeatedly violate the fundamental rights of students or faculty members. The shining example of this is the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which keeps trampling on its students’ rights in almost the same way, confirming my suspicion as a Duke alumnus that UNC is… Read more
Good News for Religious Liberty
February 17, 2005
In a post Monday, I noted that oral arguments in Alpha Iota Omega v. Moeser were scheduled for yesterday. First reports out of Chapel Hill are extremely encouraging. The judge summarily denied the university’s motion to dismiss AIO’s complaint—thereby allowing the lawsuit to proceed—and he made some encouraging comments regarding the merits of AIO’s claims…. Read more
A Big Week for Religious Liberty
February 14, 2005
This Wednesday, a federal court in North Carolina will hear oral arguments in Alpha Iota Omega Christian Fraternity v. Moeser. For those who have just started following our work, the lawsuit, filed by the Alliance Defense Fund, challenges the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s decision to “derecognize” a Christian fraternity because the fraternity… Read more
Alpha Iota Omega Files Suit Against UNC-Chapel Hill
August 25, 2004
CHAPEL HILL, N.C., August 25, 2004—A federal lawsuit was filed today against the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) by Alpha Iota Omega (AIO), a Christian fraternity that was denied recognition by UNC because it would not agree to open its membership to students of different faiths. The Foundation for Individual Rights in… Read more
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Denies Recognition to Another Christian Group
August 12, 2004
CHAPEL HILL, N.C., August 12, 2004—For the second time in less than two years, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) has denied recognition to a Christian group, claiming that the group’s desire to limit its membership to Christians constitutes “discrimination.” “A Christian group has a right to be Christian, a Muslim group… Read more
Victory for Religious Liberty at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
January 1, 2003
CHAPEL HILL, NC—The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (UNC) has reversed its threatened withdrawal of recognition and benefits from a student group, the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF). IVCF had been ordered not to use its religious beliefs as criteria for the selection of its own leaders. On December 30, 2002, the Foundation for Individual Rights… Read more
Letter from UNC Division of Student Afffairs Threatening ‘Derecogniton’ of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, December 10, 2002
December 10, 2002
Carolina Union A Department in the Division of Student Affairs December 10, 2002 Stephie Crowell IVCF – Off/Grantville 100 Dickens Court Apt. 6 Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514 Dear Ms. Crowell: On September 19, 2002, your group submitted an application for official UNC-Chapel Hill recognition for the 2002-2003 school year. As part of that application,… Read more
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