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By contrast...
If the Young America's Foundation list of 2005's twelve "most bizarre and politically correct courses" is a prime example of how not to expose problems in academe, FIRE's "speech code of the month" program is an example of how to do it. As noted here earlier this week, YAF's list is an anti-intellectual attempt to tar certain colleges and certain courses with a very wide, indiscriminate, and, ultimately, reactionary brush; by contrast, FIRE's speech code of the month program is an exemplary instance of how to use publicity judiciously to expose institutional wrongs.
Proof: This year alone, both Dartmouth College and Albertson College have repealed their speech codes. Dartmouth revised its policies after receiving a "red light" rating at FIRE's speechcodes.org site (now Spotlight). Albertson College's policies were featured as FIRE's speech code of the month last summer--and the college has responded by eliminating its rules against "[a]ny comments or conduct relating to a person's race, gender, religion, disability, age or ethnic background that fail to respect the dignity and feelings of the individual." Colleges and universities do not as a rule willingly relinquish their misguided hold over student expression--which is what keeps FIRE in business. Albertson and Dartmouth are thus to be commended--and so is FIRE for using the power of publicity so constructively.
To close out 2005, FIRE has published a list of the year's top speech codes. They include Stevens Institute of Technology, which forbids "sexist jokes," "comments regarding a person's attire," "displaying or discussing materials pertaining to males or females in a demeaning manner," and "propositions"; North Carolina Central University, which forbids "public profanity"; the University of Nevada, Reno, which forbids "offensive language"; and Northern Arizona University, which has banned "negative comments."
One can only wonder where these schools found the finely honed legal minds that advised them to put such overbroad and unworkable wording into their policies. And one can hope that with the help of a little exposure, the leaders of these schools will undertake to adopt policies that are more consistent with both the principles of free inquiry and the law.
Posted by acta online at December 29, 2005 01:06 PM
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