School Spotlight
University of Vermont
Location:
Burlington, Vermont
Type:
Public
Speech Code Rating
University of Vermont has been given the speech code rating Yellow. Yellow light colleges and universities are those institutions with at least one ambiguous policy that too easily encourages administrative abuse and arbitrary application.
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Speech Code Memorandum for the University of Vermont
Policy V. 5.24.4: Posting and Solicitation
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Posting and Distribution Policies
Last updated: January 25, 2021All postings must comply with the following guidelines. … All informational materials must clearly identify the sponsor … Read MorePolicy V.2.3.7: Alcohol, Cannabis and Other Drug Use – Students
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Posting and Distribution Policies
Last updated: January 25, 2021The sponsoring organization is responsible for any publicity, advertising, marketing, or promotion that is disseminated in conjunction with the event and must ensure adherence to the following guidelines: … Advertisements should be consistent with University policy discouraging the demeaning sexual or discrimi... Read MoreBias, Discrimination, & Harassment Incident Reporting Form
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Policies on Bias and Hate Speech
Last updated: January 25, 2021Bias incidents are those where speech or expressive conduct is directed toward an individual or group that is based on or motivated by the individual or group’s real or perceived race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, gender, age, disability, or gender identity and/or expression. B... Read MorePolicy V.4.30.1: Discrimination,Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: January 26, 2021Harassment: A form of discrimination that encompasses an incident or incidents of verbal, written, visual, or physical communications and/or conduct based on or motivated by an individual’s membership in a legally protected category. Harassment may include the use of epithets, stereotypes, slurs, comments, insults, ... Read MorePolicy V. 5.24.4: Posting and Solicitation- Solicitation
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Protest and Demonstration Policies
Last updated: January 25, 2021Prior registration is not required for casual forms of non-commercial solicitation, such as leafleting, that do not involve the dedicated or exclusive use of University property, provided that access to, or the use of, buildings, grounds, or facilities may be subject to restrictions designed to protect safety, or to... Read MorePolicy V.2.8.9: Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities- Student Rights
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression
Last updated: January 25, 2021[T]he University of Vermont considers freedom of inquiry and discussion essential to a student’s educational development. Thus, the University recognizes the right of all students to engage in discussion, to exchange thought and opinion, and to speak, write, or publish freely on any subject, in accordance with... Read MorePolicy V.1.1.2: Campus Demonstrations
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression
Last updated: January 26, 2021The University of Vermont upholds and defends the right to free expression, including the freedom to express dissent, within the context of the law and personal responsibility. Freedom of expression is vital to the shared goal of the pursuit of knowledge. Read MorePolicy V.4.30.1: Discrimination,Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: January 26, 2021Sexual Harassment: Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other unwanted verbal, written, visual, or physical conduct of a sexual nature, when the following conditions are present: … Such conduct creates a hostile environment. A “hostile environment” exists when the conduct is sufficientl... Read More
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 | 120 |
| Ideological Diversity | 107 |
Overall / out of a top score of 100 |
|
| Overall Score | 57.51 |
| Openness | 9.64 |
| Tolerance (Liberals) | 10.59 |
| Tolerance (Conservatives) | 7.14 |
| Administrative Support | 5.47 |
| Comfort | 15.01 |
| Disruptive Conduct | 9.65 |
| Speech Code | YELLOW |
Speech Code of the Month: University of Vermont
September 21, 2016
FIRE announces its Speech Code of the Month for September 2016: the University of Vermont (UVM). Like many universities, UVM has a Bias Response Program in place so that students can report incidents of biased behavior—including speech—to the university administration. UVM uses a very broad definition of bias: Bias* is a personal inclination or temperament… Read more
Student Papers at U of Alabama, U of Vermont Demonstrate the Value of a Free Press
February 27, 2014
In case Torch readers wanted more examples of the value of a free student press on college and university campuses, recent columns in student newspapers at the University of Alabama (UA) and the University of Vermont (UVM) fit the bill.
Harvey Silverglate on Campus Isolation: ‘Tear Down this Wall’
September 13, 2007
FIRE co-founder and board chairman, Harvey Silverglate has written a truly insightful post on The Phoenix’s “Free for All” blog about the University of Vermont’s new mega-student center/administrative headquarters/hive complex in Burlington and what it says about the problems of modern campus culture: The tendency of colleges—in Burlington, Cambridge, and just about everywhere else—to turn… Read more
‘Free Speech…With Permission Only’
April 18, 2005
Check out this excellent article by Ron Jacobs of the University of Vermont (UVM) in CounterPunch’s weekend edition about free speech on campuses including UC Berkeley, Harvard University, Emerson College, and UVM. Here’s an excerpt: There is currently a regulation on the books here at UVM (where I work) that demands that any group—whether student… Read more