Columbia University is ranked the WORST for free speech with debate stifled by 'sensitive leftists' and seven academics facing disciplinary action for their views, watchdog finds

A free speech watchdog has ranked New York’s elite school, Columbia University, as the worst in the nation for tolerating alternative viewpoints on campus, receiving an ‘abysmal’ score after taking disciplinary action against seven academics.

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) monitoring group also awarded low scores to the University of Pennsylvania, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Georgetown University, and Skidmore College.

The University of Chicago came first for campus free speech, scoring 77.9 out of 100 points. Kansas State University, Purdue University, Mississippi State University and Oklahoma State University rounded out the top five.

The scorecard comes amid a long simmering debate about free speech, cancel culture and deplatforming on U.S. campuses, and if so-called ‘snowflake’ students deserve protection from opinions they find hurtful.

Unveiling the ranking of 208 top schools, the watchdog’s CEO Greg Lukianoff said the ‘situation for freedom of speech and academic freedom has been in trouble’ for decades and had ‘gotten far worse in the last few years’.

‘Our new and improved rankings are intended to reward universities that protect and defend the freedom of speech, while empowering students and parents who care about free speech not to attend or support universities that don’t,’ said Lukianoff.

Schools were graded on their formal free speech policies, incidents of deplatforming, the number of academics sanctioned and on the opinions expressed by students in a survey, which collected responses from 45,000 nationwide.

Columbia was awarded only 9.9 out of 100 points. Its score was dragged down for being the ‘most egregious offender’ in sanctioning seven scholars, including two terminations, one of whom was a tenured faculty member.

FIRE has highlighted the case of psychiatry department chair Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman, who faced an investigation, suspension and demotion for tweeting about a black model, in which he wrote: ‘Whether a work of art or freak of nature she’s a beautiful sight to behold.’

It also mentions Dinah PoKempner, an adjunct professor who was fired last April after using the ‘N-word’ repeatedly during a Zoom lecture about hate speech, while recounting a conversation to students.

Researchers found there was only one conservative-minded student for every 6.8 liberals campus, and that free speech was poorly supported on campus. Only a third of students said they have rarely or never self-censored at the college.

One Columbia student, who described themselves as politically moderate, told researchers they felt they could not express conservative viewpoints ‘because of the sensitivity of leftists’ in class, says the 36-page report.

Another said they could not express their views that ‘might be too far right’. A self-described liberal complained of ‘no room for nuance in discussion’ and how alternative views were written off as ‘racist and dumb’.

The University of Chicago, by contrast, has been praised as a bastion of free expression since in 2014 publishing a credo for promoting ‘lively and fearless freedom of debate’ and protecting the speech rights of everyone.

Researchers noted how the college defended political scientist John Mearsheimer this year over his controversial analysis that the West — not Russia — was primarily responsible for the war in Ukraine.

Still, researchers warned that self-censorship was ‘pervasive’ across all U.S. colleges. Some 63 percent of those surveyed said they worried about losing face because they were misunderstood. Conservatives suffered more from this than liberals.

Just over one-in-five said they were under pressure to dodge touchy topics in class, while 22 percent said they often self-censored. Abortion, racial inequality, and Covid-19 mandates were the three most controversial subjects, researchers found.

Deplatforming potential speakers who stray from the liberal mainstream remains popular, researchers found. About half of students would bar anyone who called Black Lives Matter a hate group or that transgender people have a mental disorder.

‘That so many students are self-silencing and silencing each other is an indictment of campus culture,’ said researcher Sean Stevens.

‘How can students develop their distinct voices and ideas in college if they’re too afraid to engage with each other?’

While the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution bars the government from restricting the free speech rights of individuals, private institutions like schools and businesses are allowed to set their own rules.

Polling by Pew Research Center and others shows that younger Americans increasingly say that feeling safe and comfortable was more important than others being able to speak their minds freely.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11194231/Columbia-University-ranked-WORST-free-speech-debate-stifled-academics-censured.html

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My other blogs. Main ones below:

http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)

http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)

http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)

http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)

http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)

https://immigwatch.blogspot.com/ (IMMIGRATION WATCH)

https://awesternheart.blogspot.com/ (THE PSYCHOLOGIST)

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