Bacon's Rebellion

Democracy Thrives in Sunlight

Speech on Virginia Campuses Less Unfree than Elsewhere

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James A. Bacon
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Free speech sign in front of George Mason statue at GMU.

by James A. Bacon

Three of Virginia’s universities scored in the top 25 in the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) 2021 annual free speech rankings of more than 150 higher-ed institutions across America, but Virginia Tech, once in the top 10, fell precipitously to the bottom third.

The College of William & Mary ranked 10th for free speech, George Mason University 12th, and the University of Virginia 22nd. Virginia Tech ranked 107th.

The rankings are relative. W&M, GMU and UVa score well compared to other institutions. Nevertheless, a significant percentage of students at all three institutions express discomfort with discussing controversial ideas and question the commitment of their university administrations to support free speech. With free speech and free expression under attack everywhere, it can be argued that Virginia institutions are the least bad of a bad lot.

Also, it is important to note that FIRE surveyed students, not faculty or staff. The findings do not reflect the disturbing trend at many higher-ed institutions — including UVa and W&M — of requiring job applicants and employees to submit written statements describing their commitment to the principles of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion as part of their evaluations.

With the exception of Virginia Tech, Virginians can take some small comfort that students at Virginia’s public universities face less oppressive environments than elsewhere. The survey also provides a reminder of how far they have to descend should Virginia colleges choose to emulate the examples of bottom-ranking Marquette, Baylor, or DePauw universities.

To get a sense of how bad the free-speech situation is overall, read UVa 4th-year student Emma Camp’s op-ed piece in the New York Times describing the widespread ideological conformity and self-censorship at Virginia’s flagship university. If UVa ranks 22nd in the nation for free speech, one can only imagine how repressive other institutions are.

Internal pressures are pushing Virginia’s universities relentlessly to the left. In terms of ideology and partisan affiliation, faculty and staff are far more “progressive” than the general population — and becoming more intensely so, with all that portends for intolerance and cancel culture. The only thing that can stop this drift is countervailing pressure from alumni, parents, government officials, and faculty members brave enough to speak out against campus excesses.

Below I have compiled snapshots of Virginia’s four universities, along with links to their FIRE profiles.

College of William & Mary, ranked No. 10 for free speech. View full profile.
George Mason University, ranked No. 12 for free speech. View full profile.
The University of Virginia, ranked 22nd for free speech. View full profile.
Virginia Tech, ranked 107th for free speech. View full profile.

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8 responses to “Speech on Virginia Campuses Less Unfree than Elsewhere”

  1. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
    Dick Hall-Sizemore

    It is disturbing that so few think it is never acceptable to shout down a speaker or that up to a quarter think that it is sometimes acceptable to use violence to stop a speech on campus.

    I am not surprised that most are “uncomfortable” disagreeing publicly with a professor on a controversial topic. I don’t remember that there were many debates in class with a professor long ago when I was in college. I certainly would have felt “uncomfortable” disagreeing with one, not so much because it was frowned upon, but because I would have felt that the professor was much more knowledgeable than I was about the topic at hand.

    As one of the professors pointed out to the UVA student who wrote the NYT Op-ed, one major factor contributing to students being reluctant to speak out on controversial topics is the prevalence of social media. Gone are the days when public discussion could be conducted in a civil discourse, involving the presentation of arguments at some length. Today, anyone expressing an opinion is subject to name-calling, sometimes vile, by people hiding behind screen names.

    Speaking of that young lady’s op-ed, here is the response of Larry Sabato of the UVa faculty: “I don’t even recognize the place being described in that essay.”

  2. VaNavVet Avatar
    VaNavVet

    Is it really so hard for JAB to accept good news (stats) at face value? Apparently, it is when they run counter to his ongoing narrative that things are only getting worse.

  3. John Harvie Avatar
    John Harvie

    They all suck and there’s not a warm bucket of spit difference between any of them.

  4. walter smith Avatar
    walter smith

    I like FIRE. I think they are purists on speech, like the old ACLU used to be.
    But I am a little doubtful on the rankings. It seems like US News and Reports college rankings somewhat.
    As DHS noted, the fact that any believe it is acceptable to shout down or to use violence should be anathema to all Americans when I was a kid in the 60s and 70s.
    My specific question is why was Tech not ranked above UVA? Or Mason? Or even W&M?
    Does Tech not have a free speech statement? I think we have demonstrated that unequivocal does not mean unequivocal at UVA. So I would be curious about the methodology and weighting.
    And VaNavVet – shouting down and violence is acceptable…in any amount?
    Not good news. Maybe UVA sucks less than many others, and that is even worse! Why go 1/4 million in debt to graduate from such places?

  5. Stephen Haner Avatar
    Stephen Haner

    Wow, at many these more than 60% of students think it IS acceptable to shut down a speaker on campus? More than 20% think violence to do so is acceptable?

    We had this conversation (last night a bit) Jim and I still wonder how much of the atmosphere is the students and how much the faculty. Many of the stories I see involve students jumping faculty for something they found offensive or “uncomfortable,” as in the law school professor who used a sample legal petition over a racial discrimination claim that indicated the offensive language itself, which of course a legal document would do.

    The comments about students afraid to express themselves with their names attached? Good training to be a leftist troll here on Bacon’s Rebellion! (Yes, some of the conservatives hide behind pseudonyms, too.)

    1. Nancy Naive Avatar
      Nancy Naive

      Well, this only tells me that there is less pot on campus than in the 1970’s.

      So, just trolls in general, eh Steve. A likely name.

  6. tmtfairfax Avatar
    tmtfairfax

    Back when I was in law school, quite some time ago, we discussed and debated damn near everything, often in the hallway or over lunch. Now and then, people got a bit intense, but no one was shouted down, much less, feared physical harm. Too many woke white people nowadays.

  7. kls Avatar
    kls

    At VT former service members are graded down when they bring their ‘real world’ experience into the classroom and on tests. They have learned to self -censor in order not to be graded down…. even in classes where the statements by the profs are demonstrably wrong. Also, many students of the Jewish faith are afraid to outwardly show their faith and don’t report acts of Jewish Hatred for fear of social cancelling and retribution.

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