Free Speech on Campus

Alliance Defending Freedom: Michigan State U. Prof Violated Students’ 1A Rights by Forcing Membership in Her Leftist Org

A Michigan State University (MSU) professor allegedly forced her 600 students to pay a $99 membership fee to join a leftist organization she allegedly controlled called The Rebellion Community, which supported Planned Parenthood amongst other causes, as a condition of participation in her class, according to a lawsuit filed by Alliance Defending Freedom.

Michigan State prof Amy Wisner

Survey: College Faculty More Likely to Self-Censor Today than During McCarthy Era

One in four college faculty members says they are very or extremely likely to self-censor in academic publications, and over one in three do so during interviews or lectures, according to a survey sponsored by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). This means that self-censorship among college faculty is far more prevalent than it was during the McCarthy era.

education

Trinity College Removes Gadsden, Thin Blue Line Flag from Students’ Dorm Window

An employee of Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, can be seen tearing down a Gadsden flag and a “thin blue, red, green line” flag from a student’s dormitory window in a recent video posted to social media. While the school claims it is against the rules to hang flags outside of dorm windows, the students involved contend that the university had no problem with pride flags hanging outside — until conservative students followed suit.

Trinity College flag removal

‘All Men Are Created Equal:’ Prof Sues U. of Oregon for Blocking Him over Declaration of Independence Quote

A professor has filed a First Amendment lawsuit against the University of Oregon after he was blocked on Twitter by university staffers for tweeting “all men are created equal” from the Declaration of Independence. The Institute for Free Speech said, “The First Amendment does not allow the government or its actors to ban individuals from public forums just because they disagree with the views those individuals express,” in a press release on the lawsuit.

Flint and declaration of independence lying on American flag

U. of Buffalo’s Graduate Student Association Accuses Allen West of Promoting ‘Anti-Black Hate Speech’

The University of Buffalo’s Black Student Union (BSU) held a town hall meeting to discuss the trauma they  endured by Lt. Col. Allen West (Ret.) visiting campus to speak at an event, titled, “America is Not Racist.” Amongst the outraged responses to West’s appearance, one stands out — the university’s graduate student association says it “condemns the anti-black hate speech promoted by Allen West’s presence on campus.”

Former U.S. Congressman Allen West at the 2019 Teen Student Action Summit hosted by Turnin

U. of Chicago Student Newspaper Removes and Apologizes for Op-Ed Condemning Antisemitism

A University of Chicago student newspaper removed an op-ed condemning antisemitism by the school’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter. The op-ed’s removal was followed up with an apology letter by the editors of the newspaper’s “Viewpoints” opinion section. Despite censoring an op-ed against antisemitism on campus, the paper’s opinion editors maintain that is a “space that intends to facilitate free speech on campus.”

Pro Palestinian demonstrators march through central London on July 25, 2014 in London, Eng

Survey: Nearly 6 in 10 Americans Feel Cancel Culture Threatens Democracy

Nearly six in ten Americans feel that democracy is threatened in the United States due to people being afraid to voice their opinions, and that 68 percent of Americans agree that people are overly sensitive and looking for ways to be offended, according to a new survey from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE).

Demand Democracy free speech protest