University of Delaware: Students Required to Undergo Ideological Reeducation
Following an intense campaign led by FIRE, and national media attention, the University of Delaware dropped an ideological reeducation program that was referred to in the university's own materials as a "treatment" for students' incorrect attitudes and beliefs. The program's stated goal was for the approximately 7,000 students in Delaware's residence halls to adopt highly specific university-approved views on politics, race, sexuality, sociology, moral philosophy, and environmentalism. The residence life education program made mandatory, among other things, one-on-one meetings between students and their Resident Assistants (RAs) where students were asked intrusive questions, such as "When did you discover your sexual identity?" FIRE informed the school that forcing university views on students through a comprehensive manipulation of the residence hall environment was blatantly unconstitutional, as a clear assault on the individual freedom of conscience guaranteed under the First Amendment. With the assistance of the Delaware Association of Scholars, FIRE was able to get President Harker to eliminate the program. Since that initial victory, however, there have been continued attempts to essentially reinstate the ResLife program at the University of Delaware in various incarnates.
Case Materials
"FIRE Video a Smash Hit on YouTube," Robert Shibley, April 22, 2009: FIRE has been enjoying huge popularity on YouTube this month thanks to our latest short film about the University of Delaware's (now defunct, thanks to FIRE) thought control program: Think What We Think...Or Else: Thought Control on the American Campus. The video just exceeded the 25,000 views mark and has made FIRE the 12th most popular nonprofit organization on YouTube for this month. This is particularly remarkable because FIRE has posted only eight videos on YouTube, compared with the minimum of 36 posted by the organizations that are ahead of FIRE for the month. If you haven't taken the time to watch this excellent video, please do. Not only will you learn more about FIRE's efforts to defend liberty, but you will also be helping us reach more people than ever before by increasing our visibility on the Internet's most popular video site!
" Think What We Think...Or Else: Thought Control on the American Campus," April 2, 2009: In the fall of 2007, the University of Delaware's Office of Residence Life employed mandatory dormitory activities to coerce students to change their thoughts, habits, and values to conform to a highly specified ideological agenda. Following FIRE's campaign, which called the attention of the national media to the Orwellian program and outraged people from all over the political spectrum, UD President Patrick Harker terminated the program. This documentary—produced by FIRE and Free to Choose Media—explains the program's invasive thought-reform activities, the horrified reactions of students and faculty, and FIRE's response.
"Please Report to Your Resident Assistant to Discuss Your Sexual Identity—It’s Mandatory!," Adam Kissel, October 30, 2008: This issue of The Lantern features a comprehensive article by Adam Kissel on the thought reform program implemented in 2007 by the University of Delaware's Office of Residence Life, which used mandatory activities to coerce students to change their thoughts, values, attitudes, beliefs, and habits to conform to a highly specified social, environmental, and political agenda. The article explains the program's invasive thought-reform activities, the horrified reactions of students and the press, and FIRE's response one year ago this week.
"Victory for Free Speech at University of Delaware," FIRE Press Release, September 16, 2008: After unconstitutionally denying students the right to pass out a student newspaper without prior approval, the University of Delaware has changed course and restored the rights of free expression and freedom of the press on its campus. The policy change came in response to a letter from FIRE demanding changes to the university's restrictions on student speech. However, the university has yet to explain why administrators made misleading statements to students about the nature of their rights.
"FIRE Comes to University of Delaware on Monday," November 16, 2007: FIRE President Greg Lukianoff will be speaking at the University of Delaware on Monday, November 19, at 4:30 pm at 120 Smith Hall. He will address the badly misunderstood moral and First Amendment right to freedom of private conscience, the moral and legal issues posed by campus thought-control programs in general, and college students’ academic freedom to investigate contentious issues without the imposition of official campus orthodoxy. He will be available during and after the event for further discussion.
"Victory at University of Delaware," FIRE Press Release, November 2, 2007: After an intense campaign led by FIRE, the University of Delaware has dropped an ideological reeducation program that was referred to in the university’s own materials as a “treatment” for students’ incorrect attitudes and beliefs. The program’s stated goal was for the approximately 7,000 students in Delaware’s residence halls to adopt highly specific university-approved views on politics, race, sexuality, sociology, moral philosophy, and environmentalism. Following FIRE’s campaign, which called the attention of the national media and the blogosphere to the Orwellian program, university President Patrick Harker terminated the program, effective immediately.
"Victory at University of Delaware," November 1, 2007: Late Thursday, University of Delaware President Patrick Harker released on the school’s website a Message to the University of Delaware Community terminating the university’s ideological reeducation program, which FIRE condemned as an exercise in thought reform. He stated, “I have directed that the program be stopped immediately. No further activities under the current framework will be conducted.” Harker also called for a “full and broad-based review” of the program’s practices and purposes. While concerns remain about the University of Delaware’s commitment to free expression, FIRE commends President Harker for his decision to immediately terminate the Orwellian residence life education program. FIRE will have more on this development tomorrow.
"FIRE Response to Michael Gilbert, Vice President for Student Life, University of Delaware," November 1, 2007: FIRE is shocked and disappointed that the University of Delaware has chosen to defend its invasive and unconstitutional residence life education program. Rather than immediately renounce and dismantle what the university itself calls a “treatment” program for students living in its residence halls, the school has chosen instead to obfuscate, deny, and distort the program’s intention, its operation, and its effect. Vice President for Student Life Michael Gilbert raises several erroneous and misleading points in response to FIRE’s October 29 letter that demand an immediate answer. FIRE’s full response to Gilbert can be read here.
"University of Delaware Requires Students to Undergo Ideological Reeducation," FIRE Press Release, October 30, 2007: The University of Delaware subjects students in its residence halls to a shocking program of ideological reeducation that is referred to in the university’s own materials as a “treatment” for students’ incorrect attitudes and beliefs. The Orwellian program requires the approximately 7,000 students in Delaware’s residence halls to adopt highly specific university-approved views on issues ranging from politics to race, sexuality, sociology, moral philosophy, and environmentalism. FIRE is calling for the total dismantling of the program, which is a flagrant violation of students’ rights to freedom of conscience and freedom from compelled speech.
"FIRE’s Adam Kissel to be Honored by Education Writers Association This Weekend," Peter Bonilla, May 1, 2009: This weekend Adam Kissel, Director of FIRE’s Individual Rights Defense Program, will be honored in Washington, D.C. at the Education Writers Association’s National Seminar. As we proudly announced earlier this spring, Adam won a First Prize award in the Magazines category of the EWA’s 2008 National Awards for Education Reporting for his article "Thought Reform at the University of Delaware." Adam’s article, an in-depth look at the appalling Residence Life program forced on the 7,000 students in the university’s residence hall system, was first published in FIRE’s academic journal, The Lantern. The Education Writers Association is the national professional association of education reporters and writers, and their annual awards honor the best education reporting in print, online, and broadcast media. Reporting from this year’s winners appeared in such major daily newspapers as The New York Times, USA Today, and The Miami Herald, along with higher education publications including TheChronicle of Higher Education and Inside Higher Ed. Adam and the other award winners will be honored this Saturday, May 2. Congratulations once again to Adam!
"Video: ‘Think What We Think... Or Else: Thought Control on the American Campus’," Erin Osovets, April 2, 2009: In the fall of 2007, the University of Delaware's Office of Residence Life employed mandatory dormitory activities to coerce students to change their thoughts, habits, and values to conform to a highly specific ideological agenda. Following FIRE's campaign, which called the attention of the national media to the Orwellian program and outraged people from all over the political spectrum, UD President Patrick Harker terminated the program. Today, FIRE releases a documentary—produced by FIRE and Free to Choose Media—that explains the program's invasive thought-reform activities, the horrified reactions of students and faculty, and FIRE's response.
"FIRE Launches New Journal, ‘The Lantern,’ on Anniversary of University of Delaware Thought Reform Case," Adam Kissel, October 31, 2008: FIRE is proud to announce the forthcoming debut of The Lantern: The Journal of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, FIRE's newest publication. The initial issue of The Lantern will feature a comprehensive article by Adam Kissel on the thought reform program implemented in 2007 by the University of Delaware's Office of Residence Life, which used mandatory activities to coerce students to change their thoughts, values, attitudes, beliefs, and habits to conform to a highly specified social, environmental, and political agenda. The article explains the program's invasive thought-reform activities, the horrified reactions of students and the press, and FIRE's response one year ago this week. The online edition is available now.
"Partial Victory for Freedom of Conscience," Adam Kissel, May 13, 2008: The University of Delaware Faculty Senate has passed along to the Board of Trustees a proposal for educational programming in the residence halls. The proposal now states explicitly that almost all programming will be optional, and Vice President Michael Gilbert promised the Faculty Senate that there would be strict oversight of the program by faculty and senior administrators. Resident assistants will not be providing any of the education, which will be run only by full-time professional staff and faculty. With very little debate about the details of the plan, the upshot of the vote was that the Faculty Senate was sending a message to ResLife insisting that ResLife stick to the letter of what the proposal actually says. The Senate seemed to agree that ResLife officials should not abuse UD power to insert their personal political agendas into ResLife's educational programming.
"University of Delaware Retreats on Oppressive Speech Code," Adam Kissel, April 14, 2008: The University of Delaware has revised a speech code that used to classify "any instance that is perceived by those involved as being racist, sexist, anti-Semitic, homophobic, or otherwise oppressive" as an emergency equal to fire, suicide attempts, and alcohol overdose. Now, the code refers only to "significant bias related acts that have the potential to create a significant disturbance to the community" at the same emergency level. But the university also maintains that "those who engage in acts of hatred and bias-motivated threats and behavior will be confronted, prosecuted and expelled from our community." FIRE is pleased that University of Delaware has improved its code, but the university still has a long way to go to bring it in line with the Constitution.
"U. of Del. says dorm program isn't ‘thought control’," Associated Press, The First Amendment Center, November 2, 2007: DOVER, Del. — University of Delaware officials yesterday defended a residence-hall program that a civil rights group has criticized as trying to force dormitory residents to adopt university-approved ideologies on moral and social issues.
"Some made uneasy by UD diversity training," Beth Miller, The News Journal, November 1, 2007: Brooke Aldrich considers herself open-minded and accepting of all kinds of people.
"PC University: U of Delaware under FIRE for forced ‘reconditioning’," Karen Chenoweth, Monsters and Critics, November 1, 2007: In a case of Big Brother gone amuck on a college campus, student group FIRE has fought back at the
University of
Delaware for draconian PC “reeducation.”
"University of Delaware Accused of Indoctrinating Students," Associated Press, Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, October 31, 2007: The
University
of
Delaware
has come under fire by a civil rights group that claims the school is trying to force dormitory residents to adopt university-approved ideologies on moral and social issues
