Current Action Campaigns
Read below to learn about FIRE's current campaigns for the rights of students and faculty, and get involved by contacting the administrators responsible for violating their rights!
Victory at UC Santa Barbara: University Nixes Student Government's Unconstitutional Rejection of David Horowitz Speech
Officials at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) have stepped in after its student government unconstitutionally denied funding for a speech by conservative activist David Horowitz. The student government had engaged in unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination on two separate occasions and then tried to hide the evidence of its wrongdoing. The College Republicans, Horowitz's hosts, came to FIRE for help.
Tell UCSB's student government to start meeting its free speech obligations today!>>
Professor Takes Box Cutter to Students' Free Speech Wall at Sam Houston State University; Police Threaten Students with Charges over Profanity about President Obama
Two weeks ago, a professor at Sam Houston State University (SHSU) used a box cutter to cut an insult against President Obama out of a "free speech wall" promoted by four student organizations. When campus police arrived, an officer demanded that the students censor the wall or else face criminal charges for having offended the professor. The students have come to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) for help.
Contact President Gibson and tell SHSU to respect free speech today!>>
'Firefly' and Anti-Fascism Posters Get Professor Threatened with Criminal Charges on University of Wisconsin Campus
A professor has been censored twice, reported to the "threat assessment team," and threatened with criminal charges because of satirical postings on his office door. Campus police at the University of Wisconsin–Stout (UWS) censored theater professor James Miller's poster depicting a quotation from actor Nathan Fillion's character in the television series Firefly, and the police chief threatened Miller with criminal charges for disorderly conduct. After UWS censored his second poster, which stated, "Warning: Fascism," Miller came to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) for help.
Update–October 4, 2011: Chancellor Folds after Censorship of 'Firefly' and Anti-Fascism Posters
Under pressure from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) and actors Nathan Fillion and Adam Baldwin, the University of Wisconsin–Stout has reversed its censorship of theater professor James Miller's poster featuring a line from Fillion's character in Joss Whedon's television series Firefly.
"FIRE is pleased that UW-Stout has decided to abandon its previous position and reopen the door to free speech and common sense on its campus," FIRE President Greg Lukianoff said. "This victory would not have been possible without the outpouring of support from people across the country on news sites, blogs, and social media. I would especially like to thank Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin, Neil Gaiman, and my fellow Firefly fans."
Read FIRE's victory press release here>>
Widener Law School Punishes Professor for Classroom Speech
Widener University School of Law suspended and attempted to fire longtime criminal law professor Lawrence Connell by charging him with dubious violations of the school's harassment code, such as using the term "black folks" in class and using the names of law school Dean Linda L. Ammons and other law school colleagues as characters in class hypotheticals. After a faculty panel recommended that Widener drop its "dismissal for cause" proceedings against Connell, administrators reportedly induced two students to file further complaints under a new process, and charged Connell with "retaliation" for publicizing the injustices in his case. Although a second investigation cleared Connell of all charges of harassment and discrimination, it strangely found him guilty of retaliation. At Dean Ammons' urging, Widener has suspended Connell for one year without pay and ordered that he undergo a psychological or psychiatric evaluation before returning to Widener. Connell is now suing Ammons, Widener, and the two students.
Stanford Trains Student Jurors That 'Acting Persuasive and Logical' is Sign of Guilt; Story of Student Judicial Nightmare in 'New York Post'
Displaying a shocking disregard for fair procedures on campus, Stanford University is training student jurors in sexual misconduct cases to believe that "act[ing] persuasive and logical" is a sign of guilt. Stanford also instructs campus tribunals that taking a neutral stand between the parties is the equivalent of siding with the accused.
University of North Dakota Finds Student Guilty of Sexual Assault While Police Charge Accuser for Lying About It
In a stark demonstration of the failure of campus judicial procedures, the University of North Dakota (UND) has found a student guilty of sexual assault despite the fact that local police refused to charge him with a crime and instead charged his accuser for lying about the incident. Former student Caleb Warner has been banned by UND from stepping foot on any state public campus for three years. Meanwhile, his accuser has been wanted by the Grand Forks Sheriff's Department for more than a year on the charge of making a false report to law enforcement. Warner has turned to FIRE to help remedy this injustice.
UNC-Chapel Hill Surrenders to 'Heckler's Veto,' Revokes Emeritus Professor's Network Access
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) has surrendered to the "heckler's veto" by revoking Professor Emeritus Elliot Cramer's network access following outside complaints about a link on his website to an organization that advocates for animal welfare. Despite telling the complaining individual that the dispute was "not a University matter" and that the university did not monitor the content of websites maintained by professors, UNC nevertheless demanded that Cramer remove the link from his website and later canceled his network access entirely. Cramer came to FIRE for help.
Write to Chancellor Thorp and urge him to restore Professor Cramer's rights today!>>
College Forbids Student to Walk at Graduation Due to 'Negative' Facebook Post
Saint Augustine's College (SAC) has refused to allow a student to participate in its graduation ceremonies due to a comment he posted on Facebook about how the college was handling its recovery from tornado damage. Despite SAC's extensive promises of freedom of expression for students, the college disciplined student Roman Caple because of what it called a "negative social media exchange." Caple, who is represented by attorney Brandon S. Atwater, has also come to FIRE for help.
Update: July 8, 2011
Roman Caple filed suit against SAC and SAC President Dianne Boardley Suber after he was forbidden from participating in spring 2011 graduation ceremonies.
Tell Saint Augustine's College that it must honor its promises of free speech>>
Ohio College Prohibits Student from Peacefully Distributing Literature on Abortion, Birth Control
Sinclair Community College has banned a student from distributing literature about abortion, birth control, and breast cancer to her classmates after class. The college also bans all distribution of literature on vast areas of campus. Student Ethel Borel-Donohue, who never disrupted class with her literature, came to FIRE for help.
Tell President Johnson that SCC must stop violating the First Amendment>>
Discriminatory Treatment of Student Organizations at DePaul University
DePaul University discriminates against student organizations by forbidding students from organizing around certain viewpoints. Although DePaul promises to support "robust debate and exposure to differing points of view," DePaul manipulates its student organization policy to privilege its own favored points of view. After DePaul betrayed its own promises by choosing not to give equal treatment to Students for Cannabis Policy Reform, the group came to FIRE for help.
Help protect student rights at DePaul here>>
New Duke Policy Renders Students Unwitting Rapists; Removes Protections for Those Accused of Sexual Misconduct
Duke University has instituted a new "sexual misconduct" policy that can render a student guilty of non-consensual sex simply because he or she is considered "powerful" on campus. The policy claims that "perceived power differentials may create an unintentional atmosphere of coercion." Duke's new policy transforms students of both sexes into unwitting rapists simply because of the "atmosphere" or because one or more students are "intoxicated," no matter the degree. The policy also establishes unfair rules for judging sexual misconduct accusations. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) is challenging the policy.
Join FIRE's fight for student rights at Duke here>>
University of Chicago Repeatedly Censors Student Facebook Posts
For the second time in two years, the University of Chicago has censored a student's post on a private Facebook page. Undergraduate Joseph "Tex" Dozier posted a joke that he had had a nightmare about assassinating University of Chicago professor John Mearsheimer "for a secret Israeli organization." Mearsheimer is co-author of the controversial book The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy. This post prompted an investigator from the university's police department to question Dozier about his political views, suggest that he would investigate Dozier's comments on his university radio show, and demand that Dozier remove the post or else have the post reported to Mearsheimer, one of his professors. Dozier came to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) for help.
Help protect student rights here »
East Georgia College Flouts Fundamental Rights
The abuse of campus sexual harassment policies to punish dissenting professors has hit a new low at East Georgia College (EGC). Professor Thomas Thibeault made the mistake of pointing out-at a sexual harassment training seminar-that the school's sexual harassment policy contained no protection for the falsely accused. Two days later, in a Kafkaesque irony, Thibeault was fired by EGC President John Bryant Black for sexual harassment without notice, without knowing his accuser or the charges against him, and without a hearing. Thibeault turned to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) for help.
Demand that Professor Thibeault be immediately reinstated »
Conservative Student Group Silenced at Bucknell
Bucknell has repeatedly shut down controversial events by the Bucknell University Conservatives Club and has responded to FIRE's public criticism by hiding behind flimsy excuses. Tell Bucknell to stop inventing excuses and allow its students to enjoy the free speech right to which they have been explicitly promised.
Demand that Bucknell respect the rights of all its students »
