(TheIndependentStar.com) – A report from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) revealed that four Ivy League schools ranked last among 251 U.S. colleges and universities for free speech.
Harvard came in last in FIRE’s College Free Speech Rankings for the second year in a row.
This means Harvard earned an “abysmal” score of 0.00, which Columbia University also shares.
New York University, ranked 249th, also received an “abysmal” rating but managed a slightly higher score of 3.33. The University of Pennsylvania was not far behind, finishing 248th with a “very poor” rating and a score of 12.53.
Sean Stevens, FIRE’s chief research analyst explained, “With scores ranging from zero to 100, NYU plummeted nearly 30 points this year, and Columbia fared even worse, becoming the second school after Harvard to ever receive a zero.”
He added, “And Columbia, like Harvard, actually received a negative score that we ’rounded up’ to zero. The only reason Columbia was spared from receiving the title of this year’s Worst College for Free Speech is that Harvard’s actual score was even worse, a full 21 points lower.”
FIRE based its findings on data collected from 58,807 full-time undergraduates between January 25 and June 17.
Moreover, the rankings were determined by a composite score of 14 factors, half of which reflected student perceptions of the speech environment on campus.
In contrast, the other half evaluated the actions of administrators, faculty, and students regarding free speech.
In addition, the rankings gained extra attention this year due to the fallout from the Hamas terrorist attack in southern Israel on October 7 and Israel’s subsequent response in Gaza.
These events sparked anti-Israel protests on campuses across the country, raising questions about how universities handled incidents of antisemitism.
“So why did NYU and Columbia fare so poorly?” Stevens wrote.
“In short, their responses to campus speech controversies after the Oct. 7 terror attacks in Israel, and to subsequent campus protests, demonstrated a total lack of regard for expressive rights.”
FIRE also issued warning labels to six private schools, including Pepperdine, Saint Louis University, Liberty, Baylor, Hillsdale College, and Brigham Young. These institutions’ policies, according to FIRE, prioritize values other than free speech.
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