FIRE, founded in 1999, is an organization that seeks to defend First Amendment rights of college-age citizens, including freedom of speech, freedom of religion, legal equality and due process.
According to FIRE, The University of Alabama’s Housing and Residential Communities Community Living Standards Code 3.04 substantially restricts free speech and was given a specific red light designation.
The code states, “Residents, students, HRC staff, visitors, and any other person are to be free from all forms of (1) intimidation, bullying, and harassment, including, but not limited to, physical, online/electronic, sexual, telephone, verbal, non‐verbal, and written communications; (2) threats of violence, including, but not limited to, physical, online/ele tronic, sexual, telephone, verbal, non‐verbal, and written communications; and (3) discriminatory or inflammatory language, including, but not limited to, online/electronic, telephone, verbal, non‐verbal, or written communications with the intent to harm or incite. Further, posting materials on outside of room door, in hallway, or public/common spaces with the intent to harm or incite others is prohibited.”
The University of Alabama is one of nine colleges in the state of Alabama to receive an overall red light rating for speech codes. FIRE describes a speech code as “any university regulation or policy that prohibits expression that would be protected by the First Amendment in society at large. Any policy – such as a harassment policy, a protest and demonstration policy, or an IT acceptable use policy – can be a speech code if it prohibits protected speech or expression.” The University of Alabama has six codes with yellow light designations and only one green light code.
Auburn was given an overall yellow speech rating, meaning its student policies have been found to be free of any code that would significantly restrict a student’s right to free speech.
