Freedom of Conscience
Liberty cannot exist in a society in which people are forced to conform their thoughts and expression to an official viewpoint. Differences of opinion are the natural byproducts of a vibrant, free society. At many of our nation's colleges and universities, however, students are expected to share a single viewpoint on controversial matters like the meaning of diversity, the particulars of racism, and the impermissibility of "hate speech." Mandatory "diversity training," in which students are instructed in an officially approved ideology, is commonplace. Some institutions have enacted policies that require students to speak and even share identical attitudes on these matters or face disciplinary charges. The FIRE cases listed below showcase our efforts to roll back this unprecedented intrusion into students' freedom of conscience and ensure that students are given the right to make up their own minds on the issues of the day—without administrative coercion.
- Download and order FIRE's Guide to First-Year Orientation and Thought Reform on Campus.
- Read "Thought Reform 101" by Alan Charles Kors.
- Bucks County Community College: Ideological Loyalty Oath for Professors
- Columbia University: Ideological Litmus Tests at Teachers College
- CSWE: Political Litmus Tests at Schools of Social Work
- Hamilton College: Thought Reform of 'Pro-Rape' Male Freshmen
- Hamline University: Student Suspended after Advocating Concealed Carry on Campus
- Hampton University: Gay and Lesbian Student Group Denied Recognition Without Explanation
- Harvard University: Proposed Speech Codes
- Le Moyne College: Dismissal of Student for Dissenting Views
- Michigan State University: Program of Thought Reform
- NCATE: Encouragement of Political Litmus Tests in Higher Education
- University of Delaware: Students Required to Undergo Ideological Reeducation
- University of Minnesota - Twin Cities: Political Litmus Test for Future Teachers
- University of South Carolina: Mandated Orthodoxy in the Classroom
- University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire: Unconstitutional Student Fee Funding Amendment
- Vanderbilt University: Refusal to Approve Constitutions of Student Groups that Require Leaders to Share Beliefs
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech): Ban on Certain Viewpoints and Requirement of Prior Approval for Speech
- Washington State University: Use of Dispositions Theory to Enforce Ideological Orthodoxy
- Washington University: Mandatory University Viewpoint
