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ERIC Number: ED623959
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Jun
Pages: 19
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Free Speech at West Virginia Colleges and Universities: Peril and Promise
Kissel, Adam; Laura Beltz,; Robinson, Jenna A.
James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal
The U.S. and West Virginia constitutions acknowledge the right to free speech, which must be protected at public colleges, but Senate Bill 657, which became law in 2021, requires that public colleges protect "any lawful verbal and nonverbal speech." Furthermore, many private colleges also promise free speech to their students. However a campus-climate survey published by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) in 2021 found that 5-in-6 college students have self-censored because of how they perceived other students, a professor, or the college administration would respond. Two-thirds of college students agreed that it was acceptable to shout down a campus speaker or to try to prevent them from speaking. FIRE reviewed the restrictions on free speech at 17 public or private colleges and universities in West Virginia and found 92 policies that restrict freedom of speech. This report reviews FIRE's ratings, gives examples of restrictive policies, and recommends ways to improve students' free speech rights. [The report was written in partnership with the Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy.]
James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal. 353 East Six Forks Road Suite 200, Raleigh, NC 27609. Tel: 919-828-1400; Fax: 919-828-7455; Web site: https://www.jamesgmartin.center/
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal; Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE)
Identifiers - Location: West Virginia
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: First Amendment
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A