Florida State’s Green Light for Free Speech

According to a new survey, the Sunshine State is home to one of the nation’s best schools for free speech.

Florida State University ranked fifth among the 159 participating colleges and universities in the 2021 College Free Speech Rankings, a project sponsored by RealClearEducation, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), and the research firm College Pulse. The rankings were based on a survey of more than 37,000 undergraduates and FIRE’s analysis of each school’s written policies on speech.

Survey results indicate a sizable majority of students at Florida State feel free to express themselves. Nearly 70% of FSU students surveyed were comfortable expressing their point of view on a controversial subject in a public area on campus. Only 16% said they “often” feel they cannot express themselves on campus for fear of reprisal from peers, faculty, or administrators.

Florida State released a statement celebrating the school’s performance in the rankings.

“This ranking is a testament to Florida State University’s enduring commitment to foster a respectful and civil environment where students can freely discuss and exchange different beliefs and opinions,” said Amy Hecht, vice president for Student Affairs at FSU. “We’re pleased that our efforts to protect every individual’s right to free speech and expression have been recognized by FIRE.”

Florida State’s strong performance in the rankings was bolstered by its 2020 decision to eliminate a speech-restricting provision in its student handbook. FIRE gave Florida State a “Green Light” designation, meaning the school’s code of conduct contains no provisions that FIRE considers inhibitive of students’ speech rights.

“Universities that earn the [Green Light] rating have proven themselves to be national leaders when it comes to free speech on campus,” Mary Zoeller, FIRE policy reform senior program officer, said at the time. “Florida State’s active efforts to earn this designation mean it takes its commitments to free expression seriously. Unlike most institutions in Florida and around the country, Florida State’s policies do not restrict constitutionally protected speech.”

The administration’s commitment to free expression was recognized by participating students in the Free Speech Survey. Eighty-two percent of FSU students surveyed felt the administration was likely to defend the speaker’s right to express his point of view in a speech-related controversy.

While the survey results contain many reasons for optimism, self-censorship is still a problem on campus. A significant minority of FSU students surveyed told pollsters that they self-censor. One FSU undergraduate, for example, said that he and other students with dissenting views risk being shunned for voicing their opinions in public.

“I feel that any attempt to discuss, bring up or analyze a viewpoint that clashes with the mainstream ‘politically correct’ point of view espoused by many students on social media and encouraged by professors on campus would be reprimanded or looked down upon. It would result in the person expressing said viewpoints being ostracized,” the student said.

Fifty-six percent of Florida State students surveyed self-identified as liberal, while only 19% identified as conservative. Even so, one FSU alumnus who wished to remain anonymous told RealClearEducation that it’s still possible to speak across the ideological divide on campus.

“There was some political conflict at FSU,” the alumnus said. “But there was also strong rapport among students across the political spectrum that helped to make most of our disagreements civil.”