College of William and Mary: Suppression of Affirmative Action Bake Sale
A student group critical of William and Mary's race-based affirmative action policies held an affirmative action bake sale parodying the school's policies. The student group contacted FIRE after the administration decided to censor the group's activity. After receiving much criticism in the media, the administration relented and allowed a second bake sale, but would not admit any wrongdoing.
- "Censorship at the College of William and Mary: The Evidence," February 2, 2005
- "Victory for Free Speech at William & Mary," February 2, 2004: Following FIRE's intervention, a student group at the College of William & Mary (W&M), whose "affirmative action bake sale" protest had been unlawfully censored by administrators in November 2003, proceeded successfully with an identical protest on January 27, 2004—this time without administrative interference. W&M's president, however, still refuses to admit wrongdoing in stopping the first protest, claiming that the group had not met "administrative requirements" in its earlier attempt to engage in constitutionally protected free speech.
- "Statement from President Timothy J. Sullivan Regarding Affirmative Action Protest, January 27, 2004," January 27, 2004: William and Mary is strongly committed to freedom of expression under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. For that reason, the College has approved the request of a student group calling itself the Sons of Liberty to conduct a protest against affirmative action in the University Center. A similar event, held last semester, did not meet the administrative requirements we routinely impose on such activities. The application for Tuesdays event did.
- "FIRE Letter to the College of William and Mary President Timothy J. Sullivan, January 23, 2004," January 23, 2004
- "Open Letter from FIRE to the College of William and Mary's Board of Visitors, December 18, 2003," December 18, 2003
- "E-mail Exchange between President Timothy J. Sullivan and Curtis Crawford, December 13, 2003," December 13, 2003
- "Bake Sale Permit Requests, Fall and Spring," October 30, 2003
Case Materials
- "The Philadelphia Inquirer, USA Today, and the Pasadena Star-News on FIRE,"
March 3, 2004 - "Controversy Straight From the Oven,"
by Declan Gould, The Dog Street Journal, January 28, 2004
