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Free Speech in Higher Education

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RU on FIRE?

In November, 2012,  Radford University received a  “yellow light” rating on free speech  from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.

What this means is that a formal outside review has found RU policies deficient.  At the begining of the Spring 2013 semester, no move to change RU policies was apparent on the part of the Radford University administration.

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Prof. KovarikPosted in Radford University

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Fraternity / Sorority sign ban in Radford

City ordinances specifically ban the display of 'Greek' signs on houses in Radford's university district.
The Problem is that any government unit’s regulation of the specific content of speech is subject to strict scrutiny review by the courts. Under this review, government must prove that a regulation is:
1) necessary to achieve a “compelling state interest“ 
2) “narrowly tailored” to achieve this compelling interest; a
3) uses the “least restrictive means” to achieve the purpose.   
 Ordinances 120.1-64 and 120.1- 239 fail this test. 

Academic Freedom

Teddy Roosevelt picture from Duke University.
Teddy Roosevelt speaks at Duke University, 1903: “You stand for Academic Freedom, for the right of private judgment, for a duty more incumbent upon the scholar than upon any other man, to tell the truth as he sees it, to claim for himself and to give to others the largest liberty in seeking after the truth.” - US President Teddy Roosevelt, 1903

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  • Academic Freedom Index: The Autonomy of Universities in the USA Falls Far Behind Peer Group - VolkswagenStiftung
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More current events

From shuttered print editions to firings, student journalists clash with universities March 21, 2026 https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Education/2026/0321/student-journalism-first-amendment

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