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FIRE's Red Alert
FIRE adds a college or university to its Red Alert list when an
institution acts with severe and ongoing disregard for the fundamental
rights of its students or faculty members. While abuses occur on many
campuses, Red Alert campuses have policies and/or practices that pose a
particularly dangerous threat to basic freedoms; they are the 'worst of
the worst' when it comes to liberty on campus. Michigan State University Joins ‘Worst of the Worst’ on FIRE’s Red Alert List- Michigan State University (MSU) has been named to FIRE's Red Alert list after finding student government leader Kara Spencer guilty of "spamming" and misuse of university resources for criticizing the administration's plan to change the school calendar. Spencer had carefully selected and e-mailed 391 faculty members to encourage them to express their views on the proposed changes. Despite the fact that Spencer merely wished to alert a small percentage of the campus community—roughly 8 percent of MSU's faculty—to an important administrative decision, MSU found her to be in violation of the university's Network Acceptable Use Policy and of engaging in an "unauthorized" use of the MSU network.
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Colorado College Joins Worst Offenders of Liberty on FIRE’s Red Alert List- Colorado College has earned the dubious distinction of being placed on FIRE's Red Alert list because of its disregard for protected speech, obvious display of double standards, and lack of a fair judicial process. In order to be placed on Red Alert, an institution must be an unrepentant offender against basic rights that it either promises or that are guaranteed by the United States Constitution, and maintain policies and/or practices that demonstrate a serious and ongoing threat to students and faculty. Colorado College has refused to remove the guilty finding from the records of two students who posted a parody flyer on campus and reaffirm its published commitments to free speech.
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Red Alert: Brandeis University- In spite of widespread condemnation from faculty, the media, and the public, Brandeis University remains unrepentant about its mistreatment of Professor Donald Hindley, and today Brandeis joins FIRE's Red Alert list. Brandeis declared Professor Hindley, a nearly 50-year veteran of teaching, guilty of racial harassment and placed a monitor in his classes after he criticized the use of the word "wetbacks" in his Latin American Politics course. Hindley was neither granted a formal hearing by Brandeis nor provided with the substance of the accusations against him in writing. Brandeis's faculty reacted to Hindley's mistreatment with outrage, and Brandeis's actions were roundly condemned by FIRE, the media, and the general public. Brandeis then attempted to sweep the matter under the rug by informing Hindley that it "considers this matter closed," despite the complete lack of due process Hindley was afforded. To make matters worse, Brandeis implied that the reason the matter was closed was because it seemed Hindley—not Brandeis—had learned a lesson. Until Brandeis learns the lesson that it must live up to its stated commitments to free speech and due process, FIRE believes that its students' and faculty members' rights are not secure. For this reason, Brandeis joins our Red Alert list.
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Tufts University- Tufts University earned its Red Alert status by finding in May that The Primary Source (TPS), a conservative student newspaper, violated the school’s harassment policy by publishing two satirical articles during the past academic year. Last December, TPS published a satirical Christmas carol entitled “O Come All Ye Black Folk,” which sparked controversy on campus because it harshly lampooned race-based admissions. Despite a published apology from TPS on December 6, 2006, a Tufts student filed harassment charges against the publication in March. Similarly, other Tufts students filed harassment charges in response to TPS’ April 11, 2007 piece entitled “Islam—Arabic Translation: Submission,” a satirical advertisement ridiculing Tufts’ “Islamic Awareness Week.” The advertisement consisted of factual statements about Islam and Islamic history. The two complaints, consolidated for a hearing before the university’s Committee on Student Life, resulted in a decision holding that TPS had violated university policy.
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Johns Hopkins University- Johns Hopkins University earned its Red Alert designation by suspending eighteen-year-old junior Justin Park for posting an “offensive” Halloween party invitation on the popular social networking site Facebook.com. Because some found the invitation racially offensive, Park was charged with and found guilty of “harassment,” “intimidation,” and “failing to respect the rights of others.” Although later reduced in the face of public pressure, Park’s original punishment included suspension from the university until January 2008; completion of 300 hours of community service; an assignment to read 12 books and to write a reflection paper on each; and mandatory attendance at a workshop on diversity and race relations. Johns Hopkins President William Brody made matters worse shortly after Park’s suspension by introducing a new and chillingly broad “civility” code prohibiting “rude, disrespectful behavior” at the university, and by stating in an article in the December 11, 2006 issue of The JHU Gazette that speech that is “tasteless” or that breaches standards of “civility” will not be allowed.
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