The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) has analyzed responses from thousands of students nationwide to gauge the level of free speech experienced on college campuses throughout the country.
Over 68,000 students across more than 250 colleges and universities participated in the online survey, which was conducted in early June of this year.
Based on the responses received, the vast majority of higher education institutions in America were found to have a failing free speech climate on their campus. Just eleven of these schools were given a “grade” of C or higher.
Results also showed that students are increasingly willing to support various measures and forms of protest designed to prevent someone from speaking on campus, including by shouting them down or blocking entry to an event.
Thirty-four percent of students surveyed nationwide indicated that they believe there are circumstances in which violence would be acceptable to prevent someone from speaking on their campus. This is up 2 points from last year and 10 points from just four years ago.
Included in this survey were four of Maine’s institutes of higher education, including the University of Maine, Bowdoin College, Colby College, and Bates College.
While all four institutions received an “F” grade for their free speech climate, only Bates was given a “red light” rating on FIRE’s stoplight scale, a label awarded based on the school’s established speech policies.
Out of 257 colleges included in the survey, the University of Maine ranked 94th, Colby College 125th, Bowdoin College 184th, and Bates College 226th.
That said, none of Maine’s schools were found to have any “speech controversies” in the past year.
At the University of Maine, 45 percent of students reported having self-censored at least once or twice a month.
There was also a higher-than-average share of students indicating that it is acceptable, at least in rare cases, to use violence to prevent someone from speaking on campus, coming in at 43 percent.
Maine’s private colleges, however, were more on par with other schools nationwide. Just 15 percent of Bates College students agreed with sentiment, alongside 30 percent of students at Bowdoin College and 36 percent of students at Colby College.
Self-censoring rates were relatively the same across all Maine colleges with the exception of Bates, where it dropped to 31 percent.
All four of the Maine colleges included in this survey reported having liberal students outweigh conservative ones, although the ratio is significantly less dramatic at the University of Maine compared to the state’s three private colleges.
While there were estimated to be 1.59 liberal students for each conservative one at the University of Maine, this ratio skyrockets to 3.59 to 1 at Colby, 3.94 to 1 at Bates, and a whopping 6.21 to 1 a Bowdoin.
The University of Maine was also the only institute of higher education in the state to endorse the “Chicago Principles,” a statement asserting a commitment to free speech adopted by the University of Chicago about ten years ago.
