Harvard University has the worst score in its history in the college free speech rankings. This was revealed by a study conducted by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) – a group that defends free speech. Last year, 52% of students at the university said they have had to censor themselves on campus. The survey ranks 248 universities.
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According to the ranking, Harvard is the only school with an "abysmal" rating: it scored 0 out of 100. "Harvard’s overall score of 0.00 is generous — its actual score is -10.69, more than six standard deviations below the average and more than two standard deviations below the second-to-last school in the rankings and its Ivy League counterpart, the University of Pennsylvania.," the report explained.
"Harvard students are still more tolerant of controversial liberal speakers than of conservative ones"
In that sense, the report detailed that conservative Harvard students tend to be more criticized than students who identify as liberal. However, it said that compared to most other universities surveyed, that's not particularly strong.
"To be clear, Harvard students are still more tolerant of controversial liberal speakers than of conservative ones, but compared to most of the other colleges surveyed, this favoritism is not particularly strong. Perhaps Harvard can capitalize on its students’ relatively similar levels of tolerance for liberal and conservative speakers by encouraging willing students to engage with viewpoints with which they disagree," FIRE said.
Similarly, when talking about abortion, 49% of students find it difficult to have an open and honest conversation on campus. The most difficult issues to discuss are abortion, gun control, racial inequality and transgender rights.
Similarly, the study revealed that more than half of the students polled from these universities expressed concern about damaging their reputation because of someone misunderstanding what they have done or said. In addition, the ranking explained that the university does not respond well to behaviors that threaten free expression. "More than one in five students reported that their college administration's stance on free speech on campus is not clear," FIRE said.
Finally, the survey ranked Michigan Tech first for free speech. The University of Virginia also made the top 10.
"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," said F.I.R.E. Director for Polling and Analytics Sean Stevens.
See the full ranking here.
