Campus
Freedom of Speech and Due Process Rights
Newest Issues
Newest Issues
Campus News
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Campus News 〰️
Most UW System students afraid to express views on campus, survey finds - February 2023
“The survey was emailed to students at all 13 UW system schools last fall. Nearly 10,500 of the system's 161,000 students responded.
The survey asked students if they there have been times when they've wanted to express their thoughts on a controversial topic in class but decided to remain silent. Almost 57% of respondents said yes.
A little more than 60% said they were afraid other students would disagree with them and 31% said they were afraid someone would file a complaint about them. About 40% said they were afraid their grades would suffer if they spoke up. Three-fourths of those students identified themselves as "very conservative."
Nearly 37% of respondents said they've felt pressured by an instructor to agree with a specific viewpoint, with 64% of those students identifying as very conservative.”
“Federal judge blocks University of Houston student policy for violating free speech” - May 23, 2022
“In an order Thursday, Judge Lynn Hughes of the U.S. Southern District of Texas barred the university from enforcing its policy, ruling in favor of free speech legal advocacy organization Speech First, which had challenged the university's policy, saying it violated the free speech protections under the First Amendment. The group had sought a preliminary injunction, which Hughes granted, indicating the organization is likely to succeed in its litigation.”
Tool of the Week: Cowering UW System -April 11, 2022
"Conservative lawmakers, concerned parents and fed-up taxpayers have long been concerned that liberal partisan political interests have dominated administration and education on Wisconsin’s campuses. And they have been particularly concerned about the destruction of free speech and academic freedom.”
With interim chancellor quitting in protest and questions about funding, UW System free speech survey postponed - April 7th, 2022
“A University of Wisconsin System survey of students on the highly-politicized topic of free speech on campus has been delayed following weeks of fallout and the resignation of a chancellor.”
Christian college cancels speaker who told students to avoid sexual immorality - FEBRUARY 28, 2022
“Marvin Daniels, executive director of Kansas City-based The Hope Center, spoke on Biblical themes regarding the human body from 2 Corinthians 5 in his first talk during the private Christian college’s Deep Faith Week, an annual program focused on spirituality.”
Campus Expression Survey - March 2022
“ Education benefits from an open learning environment, where students, faculty, and staff, can ask questions, express their ideas, and debate important issues. Contrary to this open environment, however, students and professors have been “walking on eggshells,” censoring their opinions and thereby depriving others and themselves the opportunity to learn from counterarguments and constructive debate.”
Elite universities are abandoning traditional liberal arts education, but… - MARCH 24, 2021
“Universities have become so politicized that many students dare not speak their minds to their teachers or fellow students for fear of social stigma, punitive grading, or the emotional trauma of a hostile tweet-storm.”
“Contradictory policy polices campus speech while stating students have right to be free from speech codes”
UW OSHKOSH- May 2021
“In naming UW Oshkosh as the group’s Speech Code of the Month recipient for May, Laura Beltz, senior program officer at FIRE, noted “It’s not rare for colleges to contradict themselves on free speech, making sweeping declarations of free speech rights to their students while simultaneously maintaining policies that infringe on those rights. It is rare for a school to make this contradiction in a single sentence, but the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh does just that.’”
Faculty Stories
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Faculty Stories 〰️
A canceled professor speaks out from exile -MAY 5, 2022
“Winegard, a former assistant professor of psychology at Marietta College in Ohio, says his job was terminated in 2020 for unsubstantiated allegations of racism based on his academic research about variations between ethnic groups.”
Canceled professor sues university for defamation, emotional distress -MARCH 1, 2022
“A law professor who was suspended from teaching, forced to undergo sensitivity training, and accused of racial bias has filed a lawsuit to defend and restore his reputation after his employers publicly accused him of calling students of color “cockroaches.”
Why I Am Suing UCLA - Sept 2021
“Recently, I was suspended from my job for refusing to treat my black students as lesser than their non-black peers.”
Settlement Victory: Christian PE Teacher Who Rejected Trans Policy Gets the Best of Loudoun County - Nov 2021
“Public employees cannot be forced to contradict their core beliefs just to keep a job. Freedom — of speech and religious exercise — includes the freedom not to speak messages against our core beliefs. That’s why our lawsuit asks the court to protect the constitutional rights of our clients by immediately halting enforcement of this harmful school district policy,” Langhofer said.”
“Political science professor John McAdams passes away”
Marquette University- Fall 2018
“McAdams was suspended with pay and banned from Marquette University’s campus in 2014 after a controversial blog post in which he criticized a teaching assistant by name for a disagreement she had with a student about gay marriage. McAdams then sued Marquette University in 2016 after the events.
In 2017, a Milwaukee Circuit Court ruled in favor of Marquette. McAdams petitioned the Wisconsin Supreme Court to accept his case, which he eventually won in 2018. McAdams returned to the university in 2019 following a sabbatical in the fall of 2018.”
Student Stories
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Student Stories 〰️
Evidence That Conservative Students Really Do Self-Censor -FEBRUARY 16, 2020
“The bad news:
While majorities favor more viewpoint diversity and free-speech norms, an intolerant faction of roughly a quarter of students believe it is okay to silence or suppress some widely held views that they deem wrong.
Students across political perspectives engage in classroom self-censorship.
Students harbor divisive stereotypes about classmates with different beliefs, and a substantial minority are not open to engaging socially with classmates who don’t share their views.
Disparaging comments about political conservatives are common.”
“Student barred from handing out 'Jesus loves you' valentines wins case against Wisconsin college”
Northeast Wisconsin Technical College- Sept 2019
A federal judge ruled in favor of a Christian student who was told by a Green Bay, Wis., public college that she couldn't hand out religious-themed Valentine's Day cards.
Polly Anna Olsen, who was invited by President Trump to be the face of a free speech on campus executive order earlier this year, told "Fox & Friends" Friday that the victory is being celebrated at Northwest Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC).
Olsen, a paralegal student who said she was carrying on her late mother's Valentine's tradition, was stopped by campus security on Feb. 14 last year after handing out paper cutouts with messages like "Jesus Loves You!" and others with Bible verses on them. She was accused of violating a school policy.