Harvard and Columbia have just been named the worst U.S. colleges for free speech, according to a new analysis from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) and College Pulse. The report, released Thursday, Sept. 5, ranked 251 schools, and for the second year in a row, Harvard ranks at the very bottom.
The institutions, along with others, faced backlash this year over how they handled pro-Palestinian student protests.
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Free speech on campuses has been declining for years, according to FIRE’s president in an interview with Axios. He said the Israel-Palestine issue has really drawn attention to the problem on a massive scale.
Harvard, Columbia and New York University all ranked at the bottom of the report, with their speech climates described as “abysmal.” Other schools like the University of Pennsylvania, Barnard College, Syracuse and USC were also considered “very poor” for free speech.
FIRE suggests students and families consider a school’s speech ranking when choosing where to apply. Schools that are ranked high include the University of Virginia, Michigan Tech and Florida state, and are public institutions.
Over 58,000 students were surveyed. A record 55% of students respondents say it’s difficult to discuss major issues on campus, such as the Israeli-Palestinian debate. A further 32% of students now say using violence to stop a campus speech is at least “rarely” acceptable.
