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 News Release
Partial Victory for Free Speech at Florida Gulf Coast University: Unconstitutional 'Speech Code of the Month' Revised, but Other Troublesome Policies Remain
In a victory for free speech on campus, Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) has completely revised its "Personal Abuse" policy, which FIRE named its April 2007 Speech Code of the Month. Prior to amendment, FGCU's policy prohibited "lewd, indecent, racist, prejudice [sic], obscene, or expressions deemed inappropriate." The updated version of the "Personal Abuse" policy now prohibits only "[v]iolence, threat of violence or disregard of potential harm to others or against oneself or actions which endanger any member or guest of the University community, including physical, verbal, or sexual assault and relationship/domestic violence." While "verbal assault" is still vague, there is no question that this policy is a vast improvement over its predecessor. Unfortunately, however, student speech is still not truly free at FGCU, because other restrictive policies remain on the books. Today, FIRE calls on FGCU to eliminate all of its speech codes and grant students the rights to which they are legally and morally entitled.
Censorship at Harvard University: Administration Threatened to Cancel 'Barely Legal' Party Due to Event's Name
Harvard University threatened to cancel a party planned by two Harvard student groups simply because of the party's name: "Barely Legal." FIRE has asked Harvard to reaffirm its commitment to its students' right to freedom of expression.
FIRE Co-Founder Awarded Bradley Prize
On Wednesday night at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., FIRE Co-Founder and Chairman Emeritus Alan Charles Kors received the prestigious Bradley Prize for his inspiring defense of free speech and his scholarship. When the award was announced, Michael W. Grebe, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Bradley Foundation, said, "In these times, free-thinking students have had no greater champion than Dr. Kors." It bears repeating that FIRE would not be here today without Alan's commitment to the basic principles of liberty. Congratulations to Alan on this well-deserved honor.
FIRE Launches College Student Video Contest, Announces New 'Voices of Vision' Episode
FIRE is pleased to announce its first annual "Freedom on Campus" Student Video Contest. The contest will give college and university students from around the country the opportunity to win a $5,000 scholarship and other prizes for producing short videos about school policies or practices that stifle their freedoms on campus. FIRE is also unveiling the second installment of the PBS series Voices of Vision featuring FIRE, now available on the multimedia page.
June 9, "FIREside Chats Episode on Case at Tarrant County College," Erin Royce
June 9, "Partial Victory for Free Speech at Florida Gulf Coast University: Unconstitutional 'Speech Code of the Month' Revised, but Other Troublesome Policies Remain," Samantha Harris
June 6, "At Johns Hopkins, The Slow Slide towards Self-Censorship Continues," William Creeley
June 6, "The Spin Continues at Cal State–Fullerton," Robert Shibley
June 6, "Introducing FIRE Summer Intern Brian Mink," Luke Sheahan
Read The Torch at thefire.org »
Recent Media Coverage
Augusta Chronicle, June 9, "The unpatriotic act," by Editorial Staff
WorldNetDaily, May 28, "'All whites racist' indoctrination revived!," by Bob Unruh
The Wall Street Journal, May 27, "On the sadness of higher education," by Alan Charles Kors
More media coverage at thefire.org »
Recent Multimedia Content
Video, Voices of Vision Part II
FIREside Chats, Episode 115: FIRE's Case at Tarrant County College
FIREside Chats, Episode 114: A Thanks to All Our Donors
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
Tufts University already has the dubious distinction of a spot on FIRE's Red Alert List, which is reserved for colleges and universities that display the utmost disregard for their students' individual rights. Tufts earned its Red Alert status after finding last spring that The Primary Source (TPS), a conservative student newspaper, violated the school's harassment policy by publishing two satirical articles mocking affirmative action and Islamic fundamentalism. It is that vague and overbroad harassment policy that has now earned Tufts the ignominy of being named Speech Code of the Month for June 2008.
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