A national free speech organization has given the University of Mississippi a “green light” rating for reforming its policies.
The university has eliminated speech codes from its official policies, earning the highest “green light” rating for free speech from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, or FIRE.
While two-thirds of the nation’s colleges maintain policies that restrict freedom of speech, Ole Miss is now an exception, having fully reformed four policies that restricted speech protected by the First Amendment. The university is the 16th school nationwide to earn a “green light” from FIRE, the fifth to do so in the last two years and the first in Mississippi. Ole Miss administrators worked in close contact with FIRE attorneys to address the university’s speech codes.
UM administrators began working on speech code reform with FIRE in February 2011. Scott Wallace, UM assistant dean of students, and Samantha Harris, FIRE’s director of speech code research, led the effort.
“In practice, we have always been mindful of promoting free speech on campus, but our policies could have been interpreted as prohibitive,” Wallace said. “This is great for Ole Miss, and it was a joint effort of many university staff members who thought it was important to succeed in this effort.”
The university reformed policies about information technology, updated residence life and harassment policies, and revised the free inquiry, expression and assembly policy. The latter states that “nothing in this section shall be interpreted as limiting the right of student expression elsewhere on the campus so long as the expressive activities or related student conduct does not violate any other applicable university policies.”
“FIRE has truly enjoyed working with the Ole Miss administration to bring about these reforms,” Harris said. “We hope other administrations will follow its lead and that 2012 will bring many more green light schools.”
In earning its green light rating, Ole Miss joins James Madison University, the University of Virginia, Arizona State University and the College of William & Mary as the most recent institutions to have completely eliminated all written policies restricting protected student expression on campus.
“The entire Ole Miss community – students, faculty, administrators and alumni – has reason to be proud,” said Greg Lukianoff, president of FIRE. “Ole Miss’ commitment to First Amendment rights has made the university a shining example of how to respect and protect free expression on campus.”
FIRE is a nonprofit educational foundation that unites civil rights and civil liberties leaders, scholars, journalists and public intellectuals from across the political and ideological spectrum on behalf of individual rights, freedom of expression, academic freedom, due process and rights of conscience at American colleges and universities. More information is available at http://www.thefire.org.