Press Release
May 29, 2012
FIRE is pleased to announce the newest addition to its Board of Advisors—Lawrence H. Summers. Professor Summers is President Emeritus of Harvard University. He is currently the Charles W. Eliot Professor at Harvard University and the Weil Director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business & Government at the Harvard Kennedy School. He has also served as Secretary of the Treasury of the United States and, more recently, as Director of the National Economic Council. FIRE's staff and its Board of Directors will benefit greatly from Professor Summers' advice and his perspective on the issues of individual rights and academic freedom on our nation's college campuses. Read Full Article
The Torch
May 23, 2012
This week, UNC-Greensboro reversed its denial of official recognition to the student group Make Up Your Own Mind after the Alliance Defense Fund filed a lawsuit against the school for refusing to accept the club's religious status and belief-based membership requirements. UNCG’s decision comes in light of the ongoing debate over belief-based groups at Vanderbilt University, where yesterday twelve student organizations wrote an open letter to the Vanderbilt administration asking that it "adopt a policy that not only clearly advances our shared commitment to non-discrimination but also adequately preserves the religious liberty and the creedal integrity of faith-based student groups." FIRE urges Vanderbilt to take this message to heart and to look to schools like UNCG as models for reform. Read Full Article
The Torch
May 17, 2012
Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed its version of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2012 (VAWA), which includes millions of dollars in federal funding to create a "National Center for Campus Public Safety." The proposed Center raises serious concerns for students, faculty, colleges and universities, taxpayers, and campus rights advocates. As the Senate and House versions of VAWA appear poised to be reconciled in conference committee, FIRE is urging Congress to reexamine support for the Center. Read Full Article
Press Release
May 16, 2012
A professor has filed a free speech lawsuit against Purdue University Calumet after the university punished him in the wake of his remarks about Muslims on Facebook. The PUC Muslim Student Association and several students and faculty members had filed harassment complaints against professor Maurice Eisenstein after he criticized moderate Muslims who he believed had not condemned "radical Muslim" terrorism in Nigeria. Two faculty members had also filed retaliation complaints against Eisenstein, who came to FIRE for help. Read Full Article
The Torch
May 10, 2012
Exciting new changes are coming to our annual high school essay contest! This year our scholarship prizes will be bigger, the essays will address brand-new FIRE videos, and both juniors and seniors will be eligible to participate. Students will now have the chance to win a $10,000 scholarship award, along with smaller prizes of $5,000, $1,000, and $500. Most importantly, contestants will learn invaluable lessons that will prepare them to exercise their expressive rights as college students in America. Learn more at thefire.org/contest. Read Full Article
Press Release
May 7, 2012
In an open letter sent today, FIRE and 19 other signatories urge the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to address the threats to student rights posed by OCR's "Dear Colleague" letter regarding sexual harassment and sexual assault on campus. Read Full Article
The Torch
May 4, 2012
Facing a rising tide of criticism and intervention from FIRE, Tufts University President Tony Monaco reinstated the suspended members of the men’s crew team late on Thursday. After the members wore T-shirts reading “check out our cox” (referring to a team’s coxswain), the university had suspended them, pressed as many as four team captains to resign, and asked the members to deliver apologies for the “offense” caused by the T-shirts. Read Full Article
The Torch
May 2, 2012
FIRE announces its Speech Code of the Month for May 2012: Framingham State University. Framingham State's "Freedom of Expression" policy prohibits religious student organizations from sponsoring any displays that "promote" one religion over another or are not "secular in purpose." This is impermissible viewpoint-based discrimination against religious student groups. Just as the College Republicans may sponsor a display promoting conservative beliefs over liberal ones, the university's Christian student groups must be permitted to sponsor a display promoting Christianity over atheism. While the policy seems to be grounded in an honest misunderstanding of Establishment Clause law, its effect on the expression of religious student organizations is severe, and it must be revised immediately.
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