Boston College placed 189th out of 257 colleges in the 2025 College Free Speech Rankings released by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE).
On Campus, News
BC Receives the Lowest Possible Rating for Free Speech Policies in New Report
Boston College earned the lowest possible rating for campus free speech policies in a new report by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a free speech and expression advocacy group.
Opinions, Editorials
BC’s Student Demonstration Policy Needs To Be Updated To Better Serve Student’s Free Speech Rights
Boston College needs to ease its policies and restrictions on student demonstration to better support its students’ free speech rights.
Opinions, Column
Why You (Probably) Hate Vomiting Ducks
I found it a curious sign of our times that when I emailed the former president of the Boston College Republicans, a student group on campus, to invite an interview to speak on free speech and other issues, their president, Thomas Sarrouf, expressed hesitancy.
It was not an unexpected response. I suppose I may be the sort of person to whom they would be wary of speaking with.
News, On Campus
Panelists Discuss Free Speech at BC at BCAAUP Event
The BC chapter of the American Association of University Professors hosted a virtual forum, welcoming Melnick, Lindsey O’Rourke, Kent Greenfield, and Patricia Lowe to discuss academic freedom and campus speech on Tuesday evening.
Opinions, Op-Ed
Professor Melnick is Right, We Have a Free Speech Problem … So Now What?
R. Shep Melnick—the Thomas P. O’Neill, Jr. professor of American politics—recently submitted an op-ed to The Heights titled “Our Free Speech Problem.” In his op-ed, Melnick observes the “disturbing” reality that “too many students are afraid to discuss controversial topics, and a significant minority think they are justified in preventing those they disagree with from…
Opinions, Op-Ed
Our Free Speech Problem
As Olivia Strong reported in a Heights article last semester, Boston College fared extremely poorly in the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) ranking of free speech on campus—151th out of the 159 colleges included in the survey. Our ranking in this widely disseminated study is embarrassing. Far more disturbing, though, is what the…
News, Featured Story
BC Ranked No. 151 of 159 U.S. Colleges for Free Speech
In early October, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), in conjunction with College Pulse and RealClearEducation, released a report ranking the free speech climate at American colleges. Boston College, a university unaccustomed to finding itself at the bottom of rankings, was ranked 151 out of 154, with a total of 159 schools surveyed.
Letters To The Editor, Opinions
LTE: In Response to: “Two Students Accused of Property Damage For Chalking”
“This is because the snowflakes at BC aren’t college students. They’re administrators.”
Featured Story, News, On Campus
Experts in Law Praise Free Speech on College Campuses
“There’s so much that colleges and universities can do, so as to make sure that it’s an inclusive community for all students,” said Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California at Berkeley School of Law.
