FSU ranks among top colleges for free expression

Florida State University recently received acknowledgement for its prestigious placement within the world of free speech by ranking No. 1 in the state of Florida.

In September, FSU was awarded a place in the top five schools in the nation with the best on-campus free speech for 2021. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) ranked over 150 of the top colleges in North America according to their acceptance of freedom of expression. After surveying over 37,000 students, the largest survey of free expression on college campuses to ever be conducted, FIRE came to a collective synopsis of how each of these schools fares within the world of free speech on campus; FSU is ranked No. 5.

FIRE is a non-ideological and nonpartisan nonprofit organization. In addition, FIRE is a civil liberties group with the sole focus of making sure the individual rights within speech for students and faculty are upheld. The standard universities are scored on is created by FIRE. The team members who make up the organization consist of professors, policy experts and public intellectuals who all span across the political spectrum.

The FIRE report consists of scoring the abilities of top universities in the discussion of topics that may seem difficult to discuss in nature. Complicated subjects that FIRE focuses on are race, gender dynamics and geo-political conflicts, among many other challenging topics that students at universities may feel passionate about protesting or discussing. These rankings provide insight for students who are planning on enrolling in a specific university.

The origin for the FIRE freedom of expression ranking list is solely in existence due to the fact that other ranking systems that universities across the country use, do not take into account the importance of free speech on campus. According to FIRE's methodology, free speech and expression are ranked through multiple categories.

"FSU is one of the leading candidates for freedom of expression and is breaking the mold when it comes to debating controversial topics. The beneficial aspect of these rankings is that they push schools to try better next time and aim for a more open, accepting and educational dialogue among both students and teachers," said FIRE Executive Director Robert Shibley.

The scoring of these universities was completed based on seven components devised by FIRE. The seven components were openness to a discussion of controversial topics, tolerance for liberal speakers, tolerance for conservative speakers, administrative support for free speech, comfort expressing ideas publicly and whether students support disruptive conduct during campus speeches and FIRE’s speech code rating.

“The research is clear, and our experience working with these schools confirms it: much of the campus climate for expression is determined by the administration,” said Sean Stevens, FIRE’s senior research fellow for polling and analytics.

While FIRE gives schools a chance to redeem themselves by being open with their scoring guide, FSU took advantage of the scores and changed the way operations of freedom of expression took place on campus. 

“Last year, FSU revised its policies on free expression to earn FIRE’s top free speech — or “green light” — rating,” said Amy Farnum-Patronis, assistant director of News and Research Communications at FSU.

Freedom of expression in college opens up students to discuss their thoughts more freely in a healthy and nurturing environment that encourages others to speak their minds.