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
May 16
Colorado College Joins Worst Offenders of Liberty on FIRE's Red Alert List
Colorado College has earned the dubious distinction of being placed on FIRE's Red Alert list because of its disregard for protected speech, obvious display of double standards, and lack of a fair judicial process. In order to be placed on Red Alert, an institution must be an unrepentant offender against basic rights that it promises or that are guaranteed by the United States Constitution, and maintain policies and/or practices that demonstrate a serious and ongoing threat to students and faculty. Colorado College has refused to remove the guilty finding from the records of two students who posted a satirical flyer on campus, and reaffirm its published commitments to free speech.
Shippensburg Issues Statement on Speech Code Lawsuit, Blames Student Government for Constitutional Violations
Shippensburg University has released a statement in response to the federal lawsuit the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) filed against the school. In its complaint, ADF alleged that the school reinstated its unconstitutional speech codes in violation of a 2004 legal settlement reached with members of FIRE's Legal Network, who won the settlement as part of FIRE's Speech Codes Litigation Project. In its statement, Shippensburg concedes that the unconstitutional speech codes were reinstated, but tries to evade responsibility by claiming its student government, which publishes the school's policies in a handbook, is the guilty party. The school has an obligation to uphold its students' constitutional rights, and it is sorely mistaken in believing that it can delegate that obligation to the student government.
Partial Victory for Freedom of Conscience: University of Delaware Insists on Optional Programming and Strict Oversight of Dorm Education Program
The University of Delaware Faculty Senate has passed along to the Board of Trustees a proposal for educational programming in the residence halls. The proposal, which attempts to change students' thoughts, values, beliefs, and actions to conform with the social and political agenda of the Office of Residence Life, replaces last year's mandatory program. The proposal now states explicitly that almost all programming will be optional, and Vice President Michael Gilbert promised the Faculty Senate that there would be strict oversight of the program by faculty and senior administrators. Resident assistants will not be providing any of the education, which will be run only by full-time professional staff and faculty. The Faculty Senate clearly sent a message to the Office of Residence Life that ResLife must stick to the letter of what the proposal actually says. The Senate seemed to agree that ResLife officials should never again abuse UD power to insert their personal political agendas into ResLife's educational programming. Given last year's brazenly unconstitutional indoctrination program, FIRE is keeping a close eye on the University of Delaware.
Federal Lawsuit Filed against Shippensburg University for Blatantly Violating Settlement Repealing Unconstitutional Speech Codes
A complaint filed in federal court on May 7 by attorneys from the Alliance Defense Fund alleges that Shippensburg University has dishonestly reinstituted unconstitutional policies in violation of the terms of a 2004 legal settlement reached with members of FIRE's Legal Network. The 2004 settlement came after the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania issued a preliminary injunction against the university, ordering Shippensburg's then-president, Anthony F. Ceddia, not to enforce unconstitutional provisions of Shippensburg's code.
May 15, "Shippensburg Issues Statement on Speech Code Lawsuit, Blames Student Government for Constitutional Violations," Kelly Sarabyn
May 15, "Colorado College Joins Worst Offenders of Liberty on FIRE's Red Alert List," Erin Royce
May 14, "Amicus Curiae Brief Filed in Ninth Circuit Academic Freedom Case," Kelly Sarabyn
May 14, "FIRE's Speech Code Widgets," Luke Sheahan
May 13, "Calling All College Students: Time is Running Out to Register for FIRE's Free Summer Conference," Luke Sheahan
Read The Torch at thefire.org »
Recent Media Coverage
The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 13, "U. of Delaware approves new diversity discussions for students," by Eric Hoover
The News Journal, May 12, "New UD residence life program passes Faculty Senate," by Rachel Kipp
The Augusta Chronicle, May 10, "The rising cost of intuition"
New York Post, May 9, "My 'racial harassment' nightmare," by Keith John Sampson
Herald-Mail, May 8, "Complaint claims Shippensburg U. 'speech codes' discriminated against religious group," by Don Aines
The Bulletin, May 8, "Shippensburg sued for reinstating speech codes," by Joe Murray
More media coverage at thefire.org »
Recent Multimedia Content
Video, Chainsaw Etiquette at Colorado College
FIREside Chats, Episode 113: Residence Life Program Proposal at the University of Delaware
FIREside Chats, Episode 112: An Update on Hayden Barnes' Case at Valdosta State University
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 University of Louisville's Code of Student Conduct prohibits "[e]ngaging in intentional conduct directed at a specific person(s) which seriously alarms or intimidates such person(s) and which serves no legitimate purpose," but this hopelessly vague and overbroad restriction on speech has no place at a public university. Louisville also defines "hostile environment harassment" as "unwelcomed comments or conduct that have the purpose of creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive working or learning environment that a reasonable person would find threatening or intimidating." However, this definition fails to meet the exacting standards for peer-on-peer harassment supplied by the Supreme Court, resulting in an impermissibly vague restriction on expression that serves to chill speech on campus.
RSS Feed | Multimedia | Speech Code of the Month
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