The University of Delaware has a zero-tolerance policy for anything remotely resembling "hate speech." As such, the school implemented a mandatory training for all 7,000-odd students in its dorms. The sessions were part of a thorough thought-reform curriculum, designed by the school's Office of Residence Life, psychologically to…

As residential institutions summon greater resources and seek new strategies to encourage civic engagement, character building, and citizenship development among students, they too often overlook a potentially powerful asset. Residence halls, physically designed to provide students with direct access to personal differences and multiple occasions…

The University of Delaware spent years refining its residence-life education program. One week of public criticism unraveled it. Late last month, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a free-speech group, accused the university of promoting specific views on race, sexuality, and morality in a series of discussions held in dormitories.…