Florida university speech ranks above national average, damaged by incidents

Filed 1h ago · Via Florida Phoenix · The Buffoon Desk

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Fig Leaf Rag - distressed

Kevin MacLeod · incompetech.com · CC BY 4.0

Photo: The White House from Washington, DC · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons

FIRE's 2027 College Free Speech Rankings give Florida's seven surveyed universities an average D, edging out the national D- average, itself an improvement from last year's outright F. Florida State ranked highest at 21st nationally, while the University of Florida cratered from 45th to 119th after deactivating its College Republicans chapter over a Nazi-salute photo and stripping a retired law professor's emeritus status over posts about Charlie Kirk.

Florida International University's ranking suffered after it tried to punish students protesting the school's cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, and after arresting a student over WhatsApp messages sent in a large group chat. FIRE's tally didn't factor in a separate Florida Atlantic University professor placed on leave over Charlie Kirk-related posts, who has since sued.

Nationally, 69% of students still call shouting down a disliked speaker acceptable, and FIRE's own chief researcher notes college administrators responded to Kirk's killing by tightening censorship rather than loosening it.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.

✒ FROM THE EDITORIAL DESK

A D is still a report card you hide from the folks who signed your permission slip, and calling it an improvement over an F is the kind of grading only a university would attempt on itself. Stripping a retired professor of emeritus status over a social media post is not exactly open inquiry in action. The schools handing out lectures on rigorous debate might try practicing it before they grade everyone else's.

Source: Read the original at Florida Phoenix → Scored: Fig Leaf Rag - distressed · Kevin MacLeod · CC BY 4.0

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