DARTMOUTH REFUSES TO STOP RESTRICTING SPEECH, LOSES ‘GREEN LIGHT’ SPEECH CODE RATING: I am sad to report that after failing to heed FIRE’s warnings that its “Bias Incident Reporting” protocol impermissibly threatens free speech on campus, Dartmouth College has lost the “green light” speech code policy rating it has held since 2005. For those of you who are unfamiliar with FIRE’s policy rating system (a “green light” is our highest rating), check out our website.

As FIRE’s Samantha Harris said today in The Torch:

Examples of bias incidents, according to Dartmouth’s Office of Pluralism and Leadership, include “telling jokes” and “stereotyping.” This policy is inconsistent with Dartmouth’s claim to be an institution that “prizes and defends the right of free speech.” If every joke or provocative remark about politics, religion, or culture is potentially subject to a formal investigation, Dartmouth students are not truly free to speak their minds.

You can read more about why Dartmouth has been downgraded over at FIRE’s website, and if you want to share your thoughts on this with Dartmouth directly, you can reach out to the school on TwitterFacebook, or via email.