PAtownhall.com
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
PAtownhall.com
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
by Newsletter
University of Delaware Set to Restore Indoctrination Program
With minimal announcement, minimal student input, and hardly six days available for debate, the Faculty Senate at the University of Delaware has finally posted a new Residence Life proposal—and as expected, it is all about indoctrination into a highly politicized agenda. Adam Kissel, Director of FIRE's Individual Rights Defense Program, analyzes the overall program goals, the seven "learning outcomes," the many ways that ResLife proposes to shape students' thoughts, values, attitudes, and beliefs, and the endless curriculum of "sustainability"—not just environmental sustainability, but a highly politicized set of social and political views. FIRE, along with the Delaware Association of Scholars, is calling on the Faculty Senate to reject it at its May 5th meeting.
FIRE Launches 'Freedom in Academia' High School Essay Scholarship Contest
FIRE is pleased to announce its first annual "Freedom in Academia" essay scholarship contest for high school students. To advance FIRE's mission "to educate the public and communities of concerned Americans about the threats to rights on our campuses," FIRE is inviting high school students from across the country who will be attending college in the fall of 2009 to enter this contest. Students are asked to write 700 – 1200 words explaining how the universities in the videos betrayed their purpose as a "marketplace of ideas" and violated the First Amendment freedoms of their students. FIRE is offering $5,000 to the student who writes the winning essay, and second place will receive $2,500. The deadline for all entries is November 20, 2008, with the winner announced on December 19, 2008.
Victory at IUPUI: Student-Employee Found Guilty of Racial Harassment for Reading a Book Now Cleared of All Charges
Administrators at Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) have revoked their finding that a student-employee was guilty of racial harassment merely for publicly reading the book Notre Dame vs. the Klan: How the Fighting Irish Defeated the Ku Klux Klan. Following pressure from FIRE, IUPUI has declared that Keith John Sampson's record is clear and said it will reexamine its affirmative action procedures relating to internal complaints.
CFN Student Conference Reminder
Students are reminded that FIRE will host its first Summer Conference in Philadelphia, "Free Speech vs. Speech Codes: Reclaiming Your Rights on Campus." Famed journalist John Leo and author and blogger KC Johnson will be giving the keynote addresses at the conference and will be joined by other free speech luminaries from across the country for three days of seminars on free speech in the university. Students are taking advantage of FIRE's offer to cover all expenses, including $300 travel scholarships, and applying for the conference. Slots are still open, and college students are encouraged to apply. The conference will take place on June 26–28 at the Doubletree Hotel in Center City, Philadelphia.
May 2, "Speech Code of the Month: University of Louisville," William Creeley
May 2, "Delaware ResLife Hides Another Document," Adam Kissel
May 2, "Julian Sanchez Hits the Nail on the Head: Why Shouting Down an Anti-Gay Speaker at Smith College Isn't Something to Be Proud Of," Greg Lukianoff
May 2, "University of Delaware ResLife Misappropriates UD Environmental Sustainability Initiative for Social Activism," Adam Kissel
May 1, "Delaware Association of Scholars Urges Rejection of UD ResLife Proposal," Adam Kissel
Read The Torch at thefire.org »
Recent Media Coverage
Townhall.com, May 2, "What we're buying at college," by Mona Charen
Reason Online, May 1, "It's safe to read again at Indiana University," by Jacob Sullum
Las Vegas Review-Journal, May 1, "EDITORIAL: Punished for the crime of satire"
The Independence Institute, April 25, "Chainsaw Etiquette at Colorado College"
Face the State, April 23, "Face The State's Interview with Adam Kissel of FIRE"
Los Angeles Times, April 18, "Fireproofing the Ivory Tower," by Michael Shermer and Greg Lukianoff
More media content at thefire.org »
Recent Multimedia Content
Video, Chainsaw Etiquette at Colorado College
FIREside Chats, Episode 111: Adam Kissel's Speech at Colorado College
FIREside Chats, Episode 110: An Update on Colorado College
More multimedia at thefire.org »
2008
The mission of FIRE is to defend and sustain individual rights at America's colleges and universities.
Speech Code of the Month
FIRE announces its Speech Code of the Month for May 2008: the University of Louisville. The harassment section of the code claims:
A person is guilty of harassment when, with intent to harass, annoy or alarm another person, he or she:
(c) In a public place, makes an offensively coarse utterance, gesture, or display, or addresses abusive language to any person present.
This code fails to meet the best legal definition for peer-on-peer sexual harassment in the educational context, which was set forth by the United States Supreme Court in Davis v. Monroe County Board of Education, 526 U.S. 629, 650 (1999), and requires conduct or expression to be "so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively bars the victim's access to an educational opportunity or benefit."
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