Free Speech on Campus: The 10 Worst Offenders of 2014 …

College is the place where students should be encouraged to, as Yale promises, "think the unthinkable, discuss the unmentionable, and challenge the unchallengeable." Unfortunately, schools all across the country not only fall short on promises of free expression and academic freedom but openly suppress constitutionally protected speech on campus by using tools such as speech codes to shut down forms of expression that might be uncomfortable, disagreeable, or even offensive to some members of the campus community.

To give a clearer picture of campus censorship, we at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) today announce our fourth annual list of the top 10 threats to free speech on campus.

While I explained in December why I think 2014 might be remembered as the "Year of the Heckler," the most significant event for FIRE last year was the launch of our ambitious and large-scale Stand Up for Speech Litigation Project. In order to try to end the problem of campus speech codes once and for all, students and faculty members worked with the law firm of Davis Wright Tremaine to file lawsuits against six colleges, including Ohio University, Iowa State University, Chicago State University, the University of Hawaii at Hilo, Citrus College in California, and, most recently, Western Michigan University.

We're happy to report that some colleges, like the University of Hawaii at Hilo, were receptive to working with FIRE and our lawyers to swiftly and amicably fix their unconstitutional codes. But as you will see, some colleges, including Chicago State University, acted quite differently.

Note that not every "honoree" is a college or university, the list is presented in no particular order, and several honorees like Brandeis University and the Department of Education are repeat offenders.

Let us know if your school or alma mater should've been on the list, or if you have been censored on campus. FIRE is happy to work with schools to improve their speech codes. You can find more information on our website at http://www.thefire.org.

University of Iowa

Observers were quick to criticize art professor Serhat Tanyolacar's installation of a statue he intended to be anti-racist: a collage of newspaper headlines and images covering instances of racial violence printed on a robe and hood reminiscent of that of the Ku Klux Klan. The University of Iowa (UI), however, responded not with a defense of Tanyolacar's First Amendment rights but by censoring and publicly denouncing the artist for offending students. One public statement proclaimed that there was "no room for divisive, insensitive, and intolerant displays," and UI President Sally Mason publicly apologized to students who felt "terrorized" by the artwork and for failing to provide a "respectful, all-inclusive, educational environment." Despite heavy criticism from FIRE and the National Coalition Against Censorship, UI has shown remarkable indifference to Tanyolacar's First Amendment rights, which most definitely protect the work it brazenly censored. If UI were serious about its legal and moral obligations to protect freedom of speech, it would apologize to Tanyolacar for failing in its duty to reject demands for censorship. And then it would apologize to its students for the exceedingly poor education on freedom of speech it has given them.

U.S. Department of Education

The Departments of Education and Justice mandated an unconstitutional speech code in May 2013 for all colleges receiving federal funding. The federal requirement came as a result of the agencies' year-long joint investigation into the University of Montana's practices and policies regarding sexual misconduct. The resolution of that investigation defined sexual harassment in a shockingly broad way, prohibiting "any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature," including "verbal conduct" (i.e., speech). No wonder Chris Rock said he wouldn't play college campuses anymore! Worse, the resolution was labeled a "blueprint for colleges and universities throughout the country," suggesting that if schools didn't adopt the new definition, they risked losing their federal funding.

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Free Speech on Campus: The 10 Worst Offenders of 2014 ...