Dartmouth is the only Ivy League school to get this kind of high rating. Good for them.
From the FIRE press release:
Today, after aligning its written policies with First Amendment principles, Dartmouth officially reclaimed the overall “green light” speech code rating from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.Dartmouth is the only green light school in the Ivy League, one of four in New Hampshire, and one of 68 nationwide. FIRE awards green light ratings to institutions with no written policies that seriously imperil student free speech rights.“Say something controversial at most elite colleges and you’re liable to get shouted down, canceled, reported, and disciplined,” said FIRE Director of Policy Reform Laura Beltz. “But Dartmouth has shown it aims to foster a better environment for free speech through adopting these policies and encouraging dialogue across difference.”Dartmouth first earned a green light rating in 2005, but in 2013, the school set up a “bias incident reporting” protocol that FIRE deemed threatened student speech. Under this protocol, students could be reported by their peers — and investigated and disciplined by administrators — for offenses as minor as “joke telling” and “stereotyping.” At the time, FIRE told Dartmouth that the protocol was inconsistent with the school’s stated commitment to free expression, but administrators chose to keep it in place. As a result, in 2015, FIRE was forced to downgrade the school to a “yellow light” rating.Dartmouth President Sian Beilock took office in 2023. FIRE appreciated Beilock’s commitment to fostering “brave spaces” and improving the state of discourse on campus, and we offered to connect with her new administration.“As a community committed to learning and growth, Dartmouth thrives on the exchange of diverse viewpoints,” said President Beilock. “It is through the respectful sharing of different perspectives that we challenge our ideas, broaden our understanding, and advance our academic mission. Engaging with voices that differ from our own is not just important—it is essential to creating the kind of dynamic, inclusive environment where true learning takes place.”
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