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Freedom of Speech

Is there a so-called speech code at Dartmouth? Where does President Wright stand on the issue of freedom of speech?

Absolutely not. As President Wright pointed out in his 2004 Convocation address, freedom of speech is embraced at Dartmouth along with a respect for principle of community. In his own words:

"At Dartmouth no code or regulation restrains the right to the free expression of ideas. If it did we would lose something critical to our intellectual purpose and to our core values...Standing for something while resisting the comfort of orthodoxy is complicated, but it is a necessary part of our work. As we welcome you into this academic community, I enjoin you to embrace both the free expression of ideas and the principle of community. It won't always be easy to balance them, but the struggle to do so is a fundamental part of a Dartmouth education."

Plus, an outside assessment of freedom of speech on our campus was recently conducted by The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). After surveying 330 colleges and universities in 2006, FIRE gave Dartmouth and 7 other colleges its top-rated "green light" ranking for allowing free speech on campus.

Read the full FIRE report.

Read the entire "Remarks by President James Wright at Convocation 2004" speech.

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Last updated: 03/14/07