The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) has released its annual college free speech rankings, and Harvard University has come in dead last.
The Ivy League school received a score of 0.00 out of 100, making it the worst institution for free speech in the country.
FIRE's rankings are based on a number of factors, including the strength of a school's free speech policies, the number of professors and students who have been punished for their speech, and the level of student support for speaking.
Harvard scored poorly on all of these metrics.
For example, nine Harvard professors and researchers have faced calls to be punished or fired for their speech in recent years.
Seven of these professors were actually disciplined, including one who was placed on administrative leave for writing a book about the history of slavery.
In addition, FIRE's survey of Harvard students found that 56% of them worry about being "cancelled" for something they say. This fear of being punished for expressing unpopular opinions is a major threat to free speech on campus.
FIRE's rankings come at a time when free speech is under attack on college campuses across the United States.
The erosion of free speech on college campuses is a serious problem. It is important for universities to be places where all ideas can be freely debated, even if those ideas are unpopular. When students and professors are afraid to speak their minds, it stifles intellectual inquiry and debate.
Harvard University has a long history of academic freedom. However, the school's recent record on free speech is troubling.
Past examples
In recent years, there have been a number of high-profile incidents of students and professors being punished for their speech.
For example, a University of California, Berkeley professor was placed on leave for refusing to use gender-neutral pronouns, and a Yale University student was suspended for writing an op-ed that was critical of affirmative action.
Other schools
In addition to Harvard, the other schools that ranked in the bottom five for free speech were the University of Pennsylvania, the University of South Carolina, Georgetown University, and Fordham University.
The top five schools for free speech were Michigan Technological University, Auburn University, the University of New Hampshire, Oregon State University, and Florida State University.
