FIRE's video: Busiest summer ever for First Amendment advocates What happened

Like FIRE on Facebook: http://facebook.com/TheFIREorg Follow FIRE on Twitter: http://twitter.com/TheFIREorg Subscribe for email updates: https://www.thefire.org/news-and-media/subscribe-to-fires-updates/ Summer is usually the quietest time of the year at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. With most classes out of session, there are fewer opportunities for rights violations. But not this summer. In June, FIRE’s Individual Rights Defense Program reviewed 287 instances of alleged rights violations. Normally that number is under 50. While not every situation we review fits within FIRE’s mission, the number of cases that come in is a good indication of our workload. In early August, FIRE sent its 100th to a college concerning a rights violation this year. Our previous annual letter record was 83. So, why the dramatic change this summer, and why are the calls for help still coming in at a higher rate? First, a significant portion of incidents have seemed to stem from the heightened political and social tension accelerated by the death of George Floyd in late May. June and July saw a watershed of viral social media posts alleging racist or antagonistic expression by students, incoming freshmen, and faculty, with others calling for their colleges to take action. And many colleges did just that — rescinding offers of acceptance, punishing professors, or expelling students. Second, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in questions about due process and expressive rights. As students and faculty return to many campuses, they’re encountering administrators directing Resident Assistants — or warning medical school faculty — not to speak to the media, and disciplining faculty for social media posts criticizing their college’s pandemic response. Third, these conflicts have been exacerbated as classes move online, with more interactions between student and faculty — being recorded. That includes classroom discussions of difficult material and offhand comments. When these exchanges are shared online — often without mitigating context — or shared with ideological organizations, they may go viral and lead to calls for action by students, social media critics with no relationship to the college, or even legislators. When a college or university’s actions violate student and faculty rights, FIRE is there to help. In times of social and political upheaval, FIRE’s work protecting civil liberties — for everyone — is more important than ever.