Spotlight on Speech Codes 2014

FIRE surveyed 427 schools for this report and found that more than half maintain severely restrictive speech codes that clearly prohibit protected speech. While unacceptable, there is good news: For the sixth year in a row, the percentage of schools maintaining such policies has declined.

Correcting Common Mistakes in Campus Speech Policies

Students and faculty expect debate on campus, but too many colleges and universities maintain restrictive policies that violate free speech rights.

FIRE Quarterly

Every three months, FIRE publishes a short magazine that details our current cases, victories, and news.

FIRE's Guide to First-Year Orientation and Thought Reform on Campus

Before one can have the freedom to express ideas in open debate, however, one must have freedom of conscience: the right to arrive at one’s private beliefs, without being coerced into an artificial unity by those who wield power over us.

FIRE's Guide to Religious Liberty on Campus

FIRE’s Guide to Religious Liberty on Campus explains how the legal and moral arguments for religious liberty apply to public and private colleges.

FIRE's Guide to Student Fees, Funding, and Legal Equality on Campus

This FIRE guide explains the significance of student activity fees and their relationship with free expression and campus equality.

FIRE's Guide to Due Process and Campus Justice

Guide to legal and moral arguments in support of due process protections that explains their application on private and public campuses.

FIRE's Guide to Free Speech on Campus

FIRE has distributed more than 138,000 print and online copies of its Guide to Free Speech on Campus.

Kindly Inquisitors

Kindly Inquisitors has challenged readers for 20 years with its provocative exploration of the issues surrounding attempts to limit free speech.

FIRE Staff Speakers

Hosting a FIRE speaker is a great way to educate your community about the importance of free speech, due process, and religious liberty.

FIRE Guides to Student Rights on Campus

FIRE’s Guides to Student Rights on Campus emphasize the critical importance of rule of law and fair procedure over partisan and repressive rules.

What Are Speech Codes?

FIRE defines a “speech code” as any university regulation or policy that prohibits expression that would be protected by the First Amendment.

Opposing Speech Codes

Using FIRE's Spotlight Database

FIRE rates the speech policies of more than 475 of the nation’s top colleges and universities in its Spotlight Database.

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding the Federal “Blueprint” for Sexual Harassment Policies on Campus

On May 9, 2013, the Departments of Justice and Education issued a findings letter announcing a resolution agreement with the University of Montana, ending a joint federal investigation into the university’s policies and practices regarding sexual harassment and assault.