MICHIGAN TECH RANKED SAFEST FREE SPEECH CAMPUS IN NATION
An aerial view of Michigan Technological Universitys campus, where according to a National study, students are the safest to express themselves and speak freely.
MICHIGAN TECH HAS BEATEN OUT CLOSE TO 250 COLLEGES NATION WIDE IN A SURVEY ON CAMPUS FREE SPEECH – According to 55,000 students across the country and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, alongside College Pulse – Michigan Tech topped the pile, while Harvard was ranked by far the worst, these statistics coming from the fourth annual College Free Speech Rankings – you can explore the full list here; https://rankings.thefire.org/rank
F.I.R.E. Director for Polling and Analytics Sean Stevens said, “Each year, the climate on college campuses grows more inhospitable to free speech, – some of the most prestigious universities in our country have the most repressive administrations. Students should know that a college degree at certain schools may come at the expense of their free speech rights.”.
The top and bottom 3 schools respectively were – Michigan Tech, Auburn University, and the University of New Hampshire, and on the opposite side, the Universities of South Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Harvard. Key findings from the report included significant “deplatforming” attempts of student or otherwise led campus organizations by administrations (among schools in the bottom five this was at an alarming 81% success rate), or students being opposed to certain speakers, such as liberal or conservative politics, or topics of debate – for example an estimated 49% of students from the study reportedly had or have difficulty discussing abortion on campus.
F.I.R.E. President and CEO Greg Lukianoff expressed satisfaction but noted there was still a long road to travel, “We are very pleased to see that a number of university presidents are taking the issue of freedom of speech and academic freedom seriously by signing on to free speech initiatives, however they have a long way to go toward restoring public trust… – It’s especially disturbing that some of the worst performing institutions are among Americas most influential schools, including Harvard, Georgetown, Northwestern, and Dartmouth.”.
At Michigan Tech specifically the studies and research reported
- 52% of students say shouting down a speaker to prevent them from speaking on campus is never acceptable.
- 52% of students say they have rarely or never self-censored on campus.
- 49% of students say they are not worried about damaging their reputation because someone misunderstands something they have said or done.
- For every one conservative student, there are roughly 1.1 liberal students.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression stands committed and ready to help colleges and students protect, defend, and promote academic freedom, freedom of speech, and free inquiry.