How Did UNC Fare in FIRE's Latest Free Speech Rankings?

 

Carolina has made marked improvements, but self-censorship remains rampant.

 

By Harrington Shaw

January 3, 2025

 

“Every man who says frankly and fully what he thinks is so far doing a public service. We should be grateful to him for attacking most unsparingly our most cherished opinions.”

― John Stuart Mill, On Liberty

 

In the past several years of UNC AFSA’s operation, we have celebrated numerous free speech wins at Carolina. Our alma mater has adopted the Chicago Principles and committed to institutional neutrality, and the Board of Governors has taken action to stop compelled speech and preserve academic freedom. However, as free speech advocates like us often mention, free speech policies are not enough. To truly fulfill its mission of pursuing truth and preparing engaged citizens, the University must also foster a robust free speech culture.

 

Evaluating UNC’s progress toward fostering a free speech culture is far more challenging than simply examining its policies. However, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) conducts annual surveys of students at hundreds of universities to assess campus sentiment nationwide. By analyzing FIRE’s data on UNC students, we gain valuable insights into the speech environment at Carolina—insights that can empower alumni to advocate more effectively for free speech on campus.

 

On a campus with a vibrant free speech culture, students would feel confident expressing their opinions—in class, within student organizations and government, and among friends in their dorms. We would see openness to diverse perspectives and enthusiasm for exploring novel or controversial ideas. In such an environment, students could challenge their own worldviews by engaging with the ideas of their peers, professors, history’s great thinkers, and today’s public intellectuals.

 

At Carolina, however, students seem hesitant to engage fully in such a marketplace of ideas. Despite earning a “green light” rating from FIRE for its strong free speech policies, UNC ranked only 62nd out of 251 colleges in FIRE’s overall campus free speech rankings. This lower ranking reflects a campus culture that is often hostile to free speech and a pervasive fear of expressing ideas among students.

 

UNC performed poorly in FIRE’s “comfort expressing ideas” category, ranking 154th out of 251 schools. This metric is based on how comfortable students feel expressing their thoughts in writing, in class, and among peers and professors. At UNC, 58 percent of surveyed students reported feeling “somewhat” or “very” uncomfortable discussing controversial topics in class, compared to 53 percent nationally. This discomfort extends beyond the classroom, with 53 percent of UNC students stating they feel “somewhat” or “very” uncomfortable sharing their views on controversial political topics in common campus spaces like quads, dining halls, and lounges.

 

Worse still, UNC ranked 201st in the “self-censorship” category. Seventy-four percent of UNC students reported to FIRE that they self-censor in the classroom at least once or twice per month, compared to 58 percent nationally. Alarmingly, 31 percent of UNC students said they self-censor in class at least “a couple of times a week.” Since topics likely to prompt self-censorship are less common in natural science or professional school courses, it’s reasonable to infer that self-censorship is even more prevalent than the data indicates in Carolina’s humanities and social sciences courses—precisely the spaces where students should feel free to explore difficult ideas and varying perspectives.

 

FIRE’s survey data also reveals a troubling tendency among many UNC students to suppress ideas with which they disagree. For instance, 33 percent of students believe it is “sometimes” or “always” acceptable to shout down a speaker to prevent them from speaking on campus. Even more concerning is that 33 percent think using violence to stop a campus speech is at least “rarely” acceptable, with 11 percent saying such behavior is “sometimes” or “always” acceptable. This latter figure suggests that as many as 2,200 of UNC’s approximately 20,000 undergraduates view violence as a legitimate response to speech. Given these attitudes, it’s unsurprising that so many students are afraid to speak their minds on campus.

 

Self-censorship, discomfort with expressing ideas, and the widespread belief that violence is an acceptable response to speech undermine the University’s mission to pursue truth and prepare thoughtful citizens. To create meaningful change in our campus’ culture, we must foster an environment where students feel comfortable expressing their ideas and make it clear that censorship and violence have no place at Carolina.

 

UNC AFSA is committed to fostering a free marketplace of ideas by hosting forums for expressive activities and inviting speakers with a wide range of viewpoints to campus. Our goal is to broaden students’ intellectual horizons and demonstrate the value of open dialogue. We will support students and faculty by encouraging them to speak freely, whether in the classroom or on the quad, and by defending those who are censored or wrongfully attacked. Through modeling productive and respectful discourse, we aim to show students that open-mindedness and collegiality can transform taboo topics into meaningful and enlightening conversations.

 

Carolina’s pro-free speech policies can be the springboard for a transformation of the campus culture and academic experience at UNC, but only if alumni advocates like us seize the opportunity to turn the tide against censorship. The continued success of the University depends on it.

 

Harrington Shaw is the managing director of the UNC Alumni Free Speech Alliance and an economics and philosophy graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill.

 

Twitter/X: @harringtondshaw