FIRE's video: Northern Vermont University censors students

Like FIRE on Facebook: https://facebook.com/TheFIREorg Follow FIRE on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheFIREorg Subscribe for email updates: https://www.thefire.org/news-and-media/subscribe-to-fires-updates/ Here at FIRE, we’re hoping colleges are putting policy reform on their New Year’s resolution lists, because most of them have policies on the books that restrict constitutionally protected speech. Northern Vermont University, for example, bans students from using racial and sexual slurs, making it FIRE’s Speech Code of the Month for January. The use of slurs isn’t protected when it’s a part of unlawful conduct like a threat, or something like vandalism. But Northern Vermont’s policy bans slurs across the board, which includes protected speech. For example, slurs are often used by the very people they target in an effort to reclaim the term, like a gay person using the word queer. But under a policy like Northern Vermont’s, even that sort of use could be sanctioned. Please join us in urging Northern Vermont University to revise its policy so that it better protects students’ free speech rights.