This month, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, which monitors the state of free speech on college campuses, gave Brown a “D” letter grade in the 2027 College Free Speech Rankings. This ranking places the University at 98th out of 261 schools in the foundation’s rankings. Believe it or not, this dismal rating is actually an improvement from last year, when the University received an F and was ranked 187th out of 257 schools.
But it is not only FIRE that has indicated that the University has a free speech issue. Brown’s very own Campus Climate Survey from January reported that only 67.3% of undergraduate students “agree or strongly agree that they can freely express their political or social views on campus.” If Brown were taking free speech S/NC, we would receive a No Credit. While this year’s FIRE report indicates that Brown is certainly improving when it comes to free speech, we should not be satisfied with a “D.”
The FIRE report uses student surveys, analysis of university policies and speech controversies to determine its rankings. The foundation was founded over 20 years ago, and remains committed to “sincere nonpartisanship” in its mission to protect free speech on college campuses — something students across the political spectrum can agree with. The results of the report’s student surveys best explain why Brown received a “D.” FIRE’s analysis found that a third of Brown students report having self-censored on campus “at least once or twice a month.” Seventy-seven percent of respondents report difficulty having an open and honest conversation on the “Israeli/Palestinian conflict,” and 41% have difficulty talking about affirmative action. Even more alarming, 32% of Brown respondents in the FIRE report said that violence is an acceptable method for preventing an individual from speaking on campus, at least in rare cases.
While some discredit FIRE as having a right-leaning bias, several schools with conservative-leaning campuses, including the University of Arkansas, Utah Valley University and North Dakota State University, received an “F” in the latest report. FIRE also has a record of defending free speech regardless of who’s speaking. Last year, FIRE sued the federal government for its attempts to deport and silence pro-Palestinian students at Stanford University and filed an amicus brief supporting Harvard’s suit against the Trump administration to restore the university’s research funding.
It is easy to view this free speech problem as a symptom of Brown’s lack of ideological diversity. According to The Herald’s recent First-Year Poll, roughly 73% of the class of 2030 identifies as liberal and 13% identify as moderate. Only 7% of first-years identify as conservative. While it is often assumed that it is only liberal voices drowning out their conservative peers, when looking at FIRE’s reporting on self-censorship at Brown, it is clear that our free speech issue is not merely contained to conservative students. If 33% of Brunonians are self-censoring — a total greater than the 20% of the school’s non-liberal, politically oriented minority — it must be students on both sides of the aisle who are concerned about how they will be perceived if they speak their minds.
Students are not alone in their responsibility to address our free speech issue. Regardless of a professor’s political leanings, they should continue to make an effort to foster rigorous academic environments in their classrooms where respectful disagreement and diversity of thought are encouraged. Classrooms ought to be places where students feel comfortable asking questions and expressing their beliefs without fear of academic or social repercussions.
As it stands, Brunonians do have some opportunities to engage in meaningful discourse on campus, and they should seek them out. Both student-run clubs like the Brown Political Union and the Brown Political Review and initiatives sponsored by the University administration, such as the Community Dialogue Project, foster political discourse and engagement across differing political ideologies.
But respectful disagreement shouldn’t be limited to spaces that intentionally provoke it. If students want to stop their peers from self-censoring, they should take the time to understand their perspectives, open up conversations and listen. Next time you’re in class and someone says something that you disagree with, resist the urge to cringe or raise your eyebrows at them. Actually consider their point of view and question your own beliefs. When a speaker you don’t like comes to campus, show up and hear them out. Your opinion may not change, but by making a conscious effort to seek out opposing views, you will make Brown a campus where students feel more comfortable expressing themselves.
Regardless of political beliefs or personal background, we all hold at least one thing in common: We came here to learn. We have the foundation to cultivate diversity of thought, and we all reap the benefits of open discourse on campus. Now we need the intentionality to foster this environment. The preservation of free speech presents an uphill battle, and no university is perfect. But if students, professors and administrators all make an effort to acknowledge our current shortcomings and listen honestly to opposing views, we can preserve perhaps the most essential piece of Brown’s mission: “communicating and preserving knowledge and understanding in a spirit of free inquiry.”
Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board, and its views are separate from those of The Herald’s newsroom and the 136th Editorial Board, which leads the paper. A majority of the editorial page board voted in favor of this piece. Please send responses to this column to letters@browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
