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Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for August 29, 2017
The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
August 29, 2017: Freedom of speech has been one of America’s core values since long before the nation won its independence, and it was enshrined in the very First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Today, however, a number of colleges and universities are challenging the right to freedom of speech. According to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), 148 colleges and universities “maintain severely restrictive, ‘red light’ speech codes that clearly and substantially prohibit constitutionally protected speech.” That figure represents 33% of the 446 institutions whose speech codes were reviewed by FIRE.[1]
Another 263 colleges and universities (59%) earned a Yellow Light rating. FIRE defines a “yellow light institution” as one that “maintains policies that could be interpreted to suppress protected speech or policies that, while clearly restricting freedom of speech, restrict only narrow categories of speech."[1]
Only 35 (8%) of the universities studied have policies that “do not seriously threaten campus expression.” FIRE gives these schools its highest rating: Green Light status.
While the data shows a significant level of speech restriction, recent trends have shown a move in the direction of free speech. As recently as two years ago, 49% of schools had Red Light speech codes (down to 33% today). Also, eight schools have changed policies to earn Green Light status over the past year. That came on top of five other schools moving to free speech policies during the 2015 to 2016 school year.
FIRE notes an important distinction between private and public colleges. Public schools are constitutionally required to allow free speech. Private universities, however, “possess their own right to free association, which allows them to prioritize other values above the right to free speech if they wish to do so.” If a private school chooses to restrict freedom of speech, FIRE encourages them to do so openly and disclose that fact to prospective students.
While FIRE is critical of speech codes, proponents argue that these policies help foster more tolerant and respectful learning environments for students.[1]
For more information, see FIRE’s Spotlight report and check out the group's ratings for individual schools.
Here are the results by state:
| State | Green Light | Yellow Light | Red Light |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 10 | 4 | |
| Alaska | 2 | 1 | |
| Arizona | 1 | 2 | |
| Arkansas | 4 | ||
| California | 34 | 7 | |
| Colorado | 1 | 8 | 2 |
| Connecticut | 5 | 2 | |
| D.C. | 4 | ||
| Delaware | 1 | 1 | |
| Florida | 2 | 8 | 3 |
| Georgia | 8 | 2 | |
| Hawaii | 1 | 1 | |
| Idado | 1 | 3 | |
| Illinois | 1 | 4 | 9 |
| Indiana | 3 | 11 | 2 |
| Iowa | 3 | 1 | |
| Kansas | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Kentucky | 2 | 5 | 3 |
| Louisiana | 3 | 7 | |
| Maine | 4 | 3 | |
| Maryland | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Massachusetts | 11 | 13 | |
| Michigan | 10 | 5 | |
| Minnesota | 6 | 4 | |
| Mississippi | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Missouri | 6 | 1 | |
| Montana | 3 | 1 | |
| Nebraska | 1 | ||
| Nevada | 2 | ||
| New Hampshire | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| New Jersey | 4 | 6 | |
| New Mexico | 2 | 1 | |
| New York | 2 | 12 | 11 |
| North Carolina | 8 | 9 | 2 |
| North Dakota | 2 | ||
| Ohio | 1 | 11 | 3 |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 2 | |
| Oregon | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Pennsylvania | 4 | 14 | 12 |
| Rhode Island | 2 | 1 | |
| South Carolina | 4 | ||
| South Dakota | 2 | 2 | |
| Tennessee | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| Texas | 12 | 6 | |
| Utah | 1 | 2 | |
| Vermont | 1 | 2 | |
| Virginia | 3 | 11 | 2 |
| Washington | 3 | 2 | |
| West Virginia | 2 | ||
| Wisconsin | 5 | 2 | |
| Wyoming | 1 | ||
| Total | 35 | 263 | 148 |
| Percentage of schools rated | 7.85% | 58.97% | 33.18% |
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.
- August 28, 2017 – 140,000 passengers per day will drive on new Tappan Zee Bridge
- August 25, 2017 – $17.7 billion spent on video games in U.S.
- August 24, 2017 – 19 percentage point gap between Pivot Counties and Democratic counties on gun issue
- August 23, 2017 – 116 references to God in state constitutions
- August 22, 2017 – 271 state legislators can’t run in 2018 due to term limits
- To see other recent numbers, check out the archive.
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Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
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