| University of New Hampshire
Evicts Student for Posting Flyer |
 October
28, 2004
The University of New Hampshire has evicted a student from housing for
posting fliers in his residential hall for joking that freshman women
could lose the “Freshman 15” by walking up the dormitory stairs.
The public university found him guilty of violating policies on affirmative
action, harassment, and disorderly conduct, and has sentenced him to mandatory
counseling and probation along with his eviction. [
READ MORE HERE ]
Read FIRE's letter to the University of
New Hampshire here.
See the flier in question here.
[24 KB JPG]
UPDATE 11/1/04
Read FIRE's second letter to UNH here.
[44 KB PDF]
|
|
| FIRE Issues Statement Regarding Censorship of "Partisan"
Speech on Campus |
 October
21, 2004
In response to the recent increase in administrative attempts to silence
or postpone so-called "partisan" political events until after
the election, FIRE has issued a statement calling on colleges and universities
to maintain the free marketplace of ideas and protect free speech during
a time when it matters the most. Political speech is not low value speech;
it is the kind of speech the First Amendment was originally intended to
protect. [ READ
MORE HERE ] |
|
| Occidental Continues Campaign Against Students |
 October
18, 2004
Last spring, Occidental College in Los Angeles unjustly punished a student
DJ for “sexual harassment” for on-air jokes, and then used
the controversy as an excuse to dissolve the student government. FIRE
wrote in protest of this violation of students’ rights; the college
replied with a series of distortions. When FIRE rebutted Occidental, the
college fell silent. A new article in the Occidental Weekly newspaper
reveals that the college is continuing its shameful campaign. FIRE invites
you to read the article and examine the evidence for yourself.
Read the Occidental Weekly article here.
Read FIRE's complete coverage of the Occidental case here.
|
|
| Repression and Double Standards
at UMass Amherst |
 October
14, 2004
Last spring, the University of Massachusetts Amherst defended the free
speech rights of a columnist who celebrated the death of Army Ranger Pat
Tillman. Now the university is persecuting nine students who were seen
in photographs containing a caricature of one of them as the "Grand
Wizard" of the Ku Klux Klan. The mere existence of the drawing, which
mocked spurious accusations of "racism" in a student government
election campaign, led UMass to charge the nine students with "harassment"
and threaten them with penalties ranging from criminal charges to expulsion.
[ READ
MORE HERE ]
Read FIRE's letter to UMass Amherst here.
See the "Grand Wizard" caricature here.
UPDATE 10/18/04 Read
FIRE President David French in The Boston Herald here.
|
|
Victory for Freedom at Catholic
University of America
Ban on NAACP
Chapter Lifted |
 October
13, 2004
The Catholic University of America has finally decided to officially recognize
a campus chapter of the NAACP. Administrators initially tried to justify
their decision to deny the group recognition through claims that it was
"unnecessary" because two other minority groups already existed
on campus. Facing pressure from FIRE and a threat of litigation from the
NAACP, the university's reversal signals that it is now prepared to honor
its own policies protecting and promoting student freedoms.
[ READ MORE HERE
]
Read the Chronicle of Higher Education
here.
|
|
Victory for Free Speech at Texas Tech
Federal
Judge Strikes Down Speech Code |
 October
5, 2004
In another victory for free speech on America's public campuses, a federal
judge struck down Texas Tech University's speech code, ordered large areas
of the university to be opened to free expression, and prohibited the
university from enforcing other severe limitations on speech. Texas Tech
was the third victory in FIRE's ongoing Speech Codes Litigation Project,
which aims to overturn public college and university speech codes across
the nation. [ READ
MORE HERE ]
Read the Texas Tech decision here
[1.2 MB PDF].
Read the Chronicle of Higher Education here.
Read the Lubbock, TX Avalanche-Journal here.
|
|
| Victory for Religious Freedom
at Ohio State |
 October
4, 2004
The Ohio State University is changing a "nondiscrmination" policy
that prohibited religious student organizations from making critical decisions
based on religious criteria. The decision came after FIRE wrote to Ohio
State on behalf of a broad interfaith coalition of Muslim and Christian
student organizations. FIRE’s effort coincided with that of the Christian
Legal Society, which had already filed a lawsuit asserting the same claims
against Ohio State. [ READ
MORE HERE ]
Read FIRE's letter to Ohio State here
[52 KB PDF]. |
|
Rhode Island College Union Files Free Speech Grievance
Momentum Builds Against Speech Codes |
 October
1, 2004
In a welcome development for free speech on America's campuses, the faculty
union at Rhode Island College has filed a grievance challenging the college's
unconstitutional speech codes. The RIC/AFT Local 1819 filed the grievance
after Professor Lisa Church was forced to submit to disciplinary hearings
for refusing to punish constitutionally protected student speech. [
READ MORE HERE
]
Read FIRE's letter to RIC in support of the
grievance here
[HTML]
or here
[42 KB PDF]. |
|
| Faculty “Rudeness” Investigated at George
Washington University |
 September
24, 2004
Frivolous administrative "investigations" continue to chill
faculty expression. In an article in The GW Hatchet, law professor
John Banzhaf highlights an abuse of basic rights and common sense at George
Washington University, a university with which FIRE has clashed on numerous
occasions.
Read Professor Banzhaf in The GW Hatchet
here.
Read about GWU's secret informer line (now limited)
here
and here.
Read about GWU's sexual harassment policy (now shelved) here
and here.
|
|
| FIRE Defends Free Speech from Coast to Coast |
 September
22, 2004
Today, FIRE Legal Director Greg Lukianoff educates Rhode Islanders and
Californians on threats to their free speech rights through articles in
the Providence Journal and in both the Los Angeles and San Francisco
Daily Journal. Lukianoff discusses administrators' shameful crusades
against free speech at Rhode Island College and at Occidental College
in Los Angeles.
Read FIRE's article in The Providence Journal
here.
Read FIRE's article in the Daily Journal here
[HTML]
or here [169
KB PDF].
|
|
| FIRE Addresses Free Speech for Fraternities |
 September
16, 2004
In this month’s issue of Fraternal Law, FIRE Legal Director
Greg Lukianoff and legal researcher Matt Vasconcellos offer important
advice to fraternities that find themselves (often unwillingly) involved
in the battle for free speech on campus. [
READ THE ARTICLE
]
Read the article in PDF format here
[586 KB].
|
|
Free Speech Victory at
Rhode Island College
Administrator Recommends No Further Action Against Professor |
 September
10, 2004
Rhode Island College (RIC) Associate Dean Scott Kane stated in a decision
yesterday that he believes no "further formal action" is required
in the trial of Dr. Lisa Church, a professor who refused to censor constitutionally
protected speech. While the decision is welcome news for Dr. Church, RIC
still refuses to acknowledge the serious constitutional implications of
its decision to investigate her actions and continues to enforce an unconstitutional
speech code. [ READ
MORE HERE ]
Read Rhode Island College's decision here
[145 KB PDF].
Read the ACLU of Rhode Island's new letter about
RIC's decision here.
UPDATE 9/12/04
Read The Boston Globe here.
UPDATE 9/13/04
Read The Providence Journal here.
UPDATE 9/22/04 Read FIRE Legal Director
Greg Lukianoff in The Providence Journal here.
UPDATE 9/30/04
Read a staff editorial supporting freedom at RIC in The Providence
Journal here.
|
|
| FIRE Issues Open Letter to Rhode Island College |
|
| RIC President
John Nazarian
|
September 3, 2004
Rhode Island College (RIC) has given Professor Lisa Church until today
to attend an administrative hearing regarding a "discrimination"
complaint filed against her for refusing to censor Constitutionally protected
speech. FIRE has issued an open letter to RIC President John Nazarian
asking him to end RIC's inappropriate and oppressive investigation immediately.
Read FIRE's open letter to President Nazarian here.
UPDATE 9/8/04 Read
the ACLU of Rhode Island's letter to President Nazarian here.
Read FIRE's first letter to RIC here
[152 KB PDF].
Read RIC's response to FIRE here
[114 KB PDF].
Read FIRE's second letter to RIC here
[HTML]
or here [60
KB PDF].
Read The Providence Journal here.
Read Ed Achorn's editorial
in The Providence Journal here.
|
|
| Alpha Iota Omega Files Suit Against UNC-Chapel Hill |
 August
25, 2004
The Alpha Iota Omega (AIO) Christian Fraternity filed a lawsuit today
in federal court against UNC-Chapel Hill. UNC "derecognized"
AIO after the group objected to signing a nondiscrimination clause that
would have required it to be open to members who did not share the core
religious beliefs of the organization. UNC has so far refused to recognize
AIO's fundamental First Amendment freedoms, making it necessary for AIO
to seek relief in court. [ READ
MORE HERE ]
Read AIO's complaint against UNC here
[217 KB PDF] .
UPDATE 8/26/04 Read The Chronicle of Higher
Education here.
UPDATE 8/26/04 Read The Daily Tar Heel here.
UPDATE 8/25/04 Read The Herald Sun here.
UPDATE 8/25/04 Read Raleigh News & Observer
here.
UPDATE 8/25/04 Read The Charlotte Observer
here.
|
|
UPDATE: FIRE in The
Wall Street Journal; David French in The Raleigh News & Observer
 August
27, 2004
FIRE's fight for freedom at
UNC-Chapel Hill continues to gather strength. Jon Sanders of North Carolina's
Pope Center for Higher Education Policy weighs in on Alpha Iota Omega's
case in a Wall Street Journal column, while Raleigh, N.C.'s
News & Observer publishes FIRE President David French's editorial
explaining the historical importance of freedom of association and how UNC's
actions ignore that Constitutional imperative.
Read
Jon Sanders in The Wall Street Journal here.
Read David French in The Raleigh News &
Observer here. |
|
| Rhode Island College to Try
Professor for Refusing to Punish Protected Speech |
 August
24, 2004
Rhode Island College is trying a professor for refusing to suppress constitutionally
protected speech. At the college's cooperative preschool, two mothers
allegedly made offensive racial comments during a private conversation
with another mother. When Professor Lisa Church, the preschool's coordinator,
refused to punish this constitutionally protected expression of opinion,
she was accused of "discrimination." [
READ MORE HERE ]
Read FIRE's first letter to RIC
here
[152 KB PDF].
Read RIC's response to FIRE here
[114 KB PDF].
Read FIRE's second letter to RIC here
[HTML]
or here [60
KB PDF].
UPDATE 8/27/04
Read The Providence Journal here.
UPDATE 8/31/04
Read Ed Achorn in The Providence Journal here.
|
|
| FIRE Answers UNC; Congressman Calls for Inquiry into
UNC's Actions |
 August
17, 2004
As part of its continuing effort to restore First Amendment freedoms to
UNC-Chapel Hill's chapter of the Alpha Iota Omega Christian Fraternity,
FIRE has issued a comprehensive rebuttal of UNC’s public justifications
of its unconstitutional actions. In addition, UNC has drawn the attention
of U.S. Representative Walter Jones, who is calling on the Department
of Education to “examine” UNC’s conduct in this case.
[ READ
MORE HERE ]
Read UNC's response to FIRE here.
[115 KB PDF]
Read FIRE's comprehensive rebuttal to UNC's response here
[HTML] or
here [61
KB PDF].
Read Congressman Jones's statement here.
[15 KB PDF]
Read FIRE's original press release here.
Read
the Raleigh, N.C. News & Observer's news article here
and Dennis Rogers editorial here.
Read The Washington Times here.
|
|
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Denies
Recognition to Another Christian Group |
 August
12, 2004
For the second time in two years, the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill has derecognized a Christian student organization. According
to UNC, a Christian organization seeking to have Christian members is
“discriminatory” and cannot have access to campus facilities,
services, or programs. UNC's actions are a violation of student rights
to free speech, free exercise of religion, and free association.
[ READ
MORE HERE ]
Read FIRE's letter to UNC here
[HTML] or
here
[300 KB PDF].
Read about UNC's previous denial of religious
liberty here.
Read The Charlotte Observer here.
Read the Raleigh, N.C. News & Observer here.
Read the Durham, N.C. Herald-Sun here.
Read Newsmax here.
Read Mike S. Adams at Townhall.com here
and here.
Read World Net Daily here.
Read The Daily Dispatch here.
|
|
| FIRE Calls On Catholic University of America to Recognize
Student Chapter of the NAACP |
 August
10, 2004
Catholic University of America (CUA), a private institution that promises
its students a wide range of free speech rights, has denied official approval
to a group of students wishing to open a campus chapter of the NAACP. FIRE
is asking CUA to honor its promises and restore its students' free speech
and free association rights. While a private, religious university is free
to set its own policies, those policies should be honored and applied in
a consistent fashion. [ READ
MORE HERE ]
Read FIRE's letter to
CUA here. |
|
| FIRE’s Battle for Free Expression in California
Receives National Media Attention |
 August
4, 2004
California has long been a battleground in the fight for free speech on
campus. Today, the media highlight two important FIRE-related cases in that
state. FIRE co-founder Harvey A. Silverglate writes in The Wall Street
Journal about the Lyle case, which threatens to make sexual
harassment law trump the First Amendment, while columnist Mike S. Adams
writes in Townhall.com about L.A.'s Occidental College and its shameful
crusade against its students' freedom of speech.
Read
Harvey A. Silverglate in The Wall Street Journal here.
Read about FIRE's involvement in the Lyle case as an amicus here.
Read Mike S. Adams on Townhall.com here.
Read about FIRE's involvement in the Occidental
case here or immediately
below. |
|
Occidental College Ruthlessly
Suppresses Free Speech
Censors Student
Radio Host, Dissolves Student Government |
 July
15, 2004
Occidental College in Los Angeles has fired the student host of a popular
radio program and found him guilty of sexual harassment due to satirical
jokes made on the air. Occidental used this controversy as a pretext to
dissolve the student government and began a campaign of false accusations
and distortions to justify its actions. FIRE has formed a national coalition
of organizations and is launching a public campaign to oppose Occidental's
outrageous actions. [ READ
MORE HERE ]
Read FIRE's first letter to Occidental here.
[398 KB PDF]
Read Occidental's response here.
[154 KB PDF]
Read FIRE's comprehensive rebuttal of Occidental's claims here.
Read the ACLU's letter in support of the student here.
[463 KB PDF]
Read The Agape Press here.
UPDATE 8/4/04
Read Mike S. Adams on Townhall.com here.
UPDATE 9/23/04 Read
FIRE Legal Director Greg Lukianoff in the Daily Journal of Los
Angeles and San Francisco here
[169 KB PDF].
|
|
| Philosophy Professor, Punished for Disclosing Religious
Beliefs, Sues College |
 June
30, 2004
A philosophy professor who was punished for disclosing his religious viewpoint
to students has filed suit against Lakeland Community College in Ohio.
Professor James Tuttle was disciplined by the administration and later
stripped of his classes for making statements on his syllabi and in class
lectures that referenced his religious faith and how it shaped his personal
philosophy.
[ READ
MORE HERE ]
Read the legal complaint against Lakeland Community College here.
[1.7 MB PDF]
Read FIRE's original press release here.
Read The
Chronicle of Higher Education here.
Read
The Washington Times here.
Read The
Christian Science Monitor here.
|
|
| FIRE Joins Amicus Letter to
California Supreme Court |
 June
17, 2004
FIRE has joined a national coalition urging the California Supreme
Court to reverse a lower court decision that has profoundly chilling implications
for free speech. The amicus letter asks the court to overturn an appellate
decision which could be used on college and university campuses to redefine
a great deal of constitutionally protected expression as unprotected "harassment."
[ READ
MORE HERE ]
Read the amicus letter here.
[33 KB PDF]
Read The Washington Times here.
Read The San
Francisco Chronicle here.
|
|
FIRE Targets Another Unconstitutional Speech Code
SUNY Brockport Next in FIRE's Assault on Illegal
Censorship in Higher Education |
 June
9, 2004
On June 3, attorneys from FIRE's Legal Network filed the fourth lawsuit
in FIRE's ongoing campaign to rid public campuses across the nation of
repressive and unconstitutional speech codes. Students Patricia Simpson
and Robert Wojick are suing the State University of New York College at
Brockport in federal court to overturn policies that violate their rights
under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. [
READ MORE HERE ]
Learn more about SUNY Brockport's speech codes
here.
Read the legal complaint against SUNY Brockport
here [116
KB PDF].
Read the Associated
Press story in Newsday here.
Read the Rochester,
N.Y. Democrat & Chronicle here.
Read the Agape
Press here.
Read the Brockport
Post here.
Read the New
York Post here.
|
|
| FIRE Names David A. French as President |
 June
1, 2004
FIRE's Board of Directors announces, with the deepest satisfaction, the
appointment of David A. French as FIRE's president. David will be behind
his desk at FIRE's office in Philadelphia by June 28, 2004. Alan Charles
Kors, FIRE's chairman, said, "This is an ideal pairing of an individual
and an organization, at a time of unprecedented opportunity." [
READ MORE
HERE ] |
|
|
University of Alabama Continues Campaign Against Free
Speech
Targeting of Alabama Scholars Association
is Latest Attack on Liberty |
 May
13, 2004
Last year, the University of Alabama (UA) gained notoriety when it banned
students from displaying the American flag (and all other flags) in their
dorm windows. Now it has ordered the Alabama Scholars Association, a faculty
group critical of the university's grading policies, to pay a rate eight
times higher than that paid by other faculty organizations for use of
the university’s mail system. FIRE and the National Association
of Scholars are protesting UA's actions, which are only the latest in
a long, sad string of assaults on free speech and expression on that campus.
[ READ
MORE HERE ]
Read The Crimson
White
here.
|
|
Major Victory for Free Speech at Cal Poly
University Settles Lawsuit, Abandons Effort to Defend Censorship |
 May
6, 2004
In a major victory for free speech on campus, California Polytechnic State
University (Cal Poly) has abandoned its attempt to punish a student for
posting a flier on a public bulletin board. The flier merely announced
a campus speech, but some students at the campus Multicultural Center
found the flier "offensive." Cal Poly has agreed to expunge
student Steve Hinkle's disciplinary record relating to the incident, to
cease interfering with his right to post fliers, and to pay significant
attorney's fees. The settlement of the lawsuit ends a victorious year-long
campaign organized by FIRE and the Center for Individual Rights to restore
fundamental rights and liberties to this public university. [
READ MORE HERE ]
Read The Los Angeles Times here.
Read about the history of injustice
at Cal Poly here.
|
|
Southwest Missouri State University Continues to Defy
the First Amendment
Censorship Adds to
a Disturbing National Trend |
 April
23, 2004
Last month, FIRE publicly opposed SMSU’s investigation of the student
editor and faculty advisor of its student newspaper, The
Standard, after it printed an editorial cartoon that some Native
American students found “offensive.” In response, SMSU claims
that its procedures respect free speech and federal law. In fact, SMSU
has refused to end the chilling of protected free expression in its campus
paper and has also refused to rule out further punishment of those who
merely stood up for First Amendment rights. [
READ MORE HERE ]
|
|
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