Non-profit free speech group puts University of Oregon on list of universities that practice censorship

EUGENE, Ore --  The University of Oregon is known as one of those places that tries to include as much diversity in its student body, faculty, and beliefs as possible.

Students like Kaitlyn Henner see this as something positive. It's why she was caught off guard when a non-profit free speech organization gave her University a poor ranking. 

She said, "My initial reaction is that I'm shocked because in comparison to where I went to high school, U of O has granted me the permission to have different beliefs that are not, I would say, of the norm."

Ironically it's this diversity and inclusiveness that has the university on the list of censorship. The "Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression" also known as FIRE, sees the university's diversity, equity, and inclusiveness standards (DEI) as a sort of limit on academic freedom.

It claims professors need to adhere to these standards in order to get hired or advance in their career.

FIRE put the University of Oregon on the same list as the University of Pennsylvania, Texas A&M, and Tennessee Tech. According to FIRE, the other schools on the list are also guilty of censoring their students and professors. They gave examples such as Tennessee Tech shutting down a student drag show or Hamline University in Minnesota firing a Historical Art Teacher for showing a picture of the Prophet Muhammad in Class.  

Another student, Michaela Horvath, says she hasn't felt restricted in any way in the classroom.

Horvath said, "Personally I've never had an incident where I didn't feel as though my first amendment right of speech was compromised in any State."

Some students like Horvath and Henner believe having the University of Oregon on this list is a bit of an overreach. 

Horvath added, "I haven't seen any coercion of sorts. I feel as though professors want people to have both sides of an argument no matter what. They try to include people that might not see the same way as they do and they try to get that out of their students as well if someone doesn't feel the same."