Campus Speech Codes Often Violate Constitutional Rights, Watchdog Group Says

by E Wayne Ross on December 7, 2006

The Chronicle: Campus Speech Codes Often Violate Constitutional Rights, Watchdog Group Says

Most college and university speech codes would not survive a legal challenge, according to a report released on Wednesday by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a watchdog group for free speech on campuses.

The group examined publicly available policies at more than 300 institutions — those highly ranked in U.S. News & World Report, as well as other big public universities — and concluded that 93 percent of them prohibit speech that is protected by the First Amendment.