The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), in collaboration with College Pulse, released its annual college free speech rankings Sept. 6 in which Notre Dame placed 176 out of 248 schools, with an evaluated with a score of 39.92. Notre Dame’s free speech climate was characterized as “below average.”
According to FIRE’s website the rankings were determined through surveys of 55,102 students at all the schools studied as well as an evaluation of “campus indicators” — such as the amount of speakers the school deplatformed, the amount of freedom the school gives to its faculty and the school’s support of student groups.
The survey group that FIRE collaborated with — College Pulse — also contributed to the Wall Street Journal’s recent rankings of the best colleges in America which ranked Notre Dame 32nd in the nation.
In specific metrics measured by the studies, Notre Dame fared slightly better, ranking 42nd in “administrative support,” 41st in “comfort expressing ideas” and 28th in “disruptive conduct.”
However, when it came to “openness” — what the study defined as “the student’s perceived ability to have conversations about difficult topics on campus” — Notre Dame came in 171st place.
FIRE’s ranking displayed a difference in toleration for conservative and liberal speakers on campus, with Notre Dame ranking 27th in its tolerance for conservative speakers and ranking 76th in its tolerance for liberal speakers.
The survey conducted by FIRE and College Pulse found that Notre Dame’s student body was majority conservative, with a conservative to liberal ratio of 1.22:1. According to the website, only 126 Notre Dame students were surveyed. The rankings did not specify whether the respondents were undergraduate or graduate students.
Notre Dame’s 2022 “Inclusive Campus Student Survey” (the last year for which data is available) surveyed 3,894 students and found that 1,554 (39.9%) students were either very liberal or liberal while 805 (20.7%) students were either conservative or very conservative.
The 2022 survey found that 96% of very conservative students and 97% of conservative students felt comfortable sharing their political views, while 84% of very liberal students and 93% of liberal students felt comfortable sharing their political views.
At the same time, the survey also determined that 42% of very conservative students had experienced “adverse treatment” at some point on campus because of their political beliefs, while only 27% of very liberal students had experienced such treatment. More moderate conservatives and liberals had less of a difference in responses with 25% of conservatives and 17% of liberals saying that they had experienced adverse treatment because of their politics.
In an interview with The Observer, Notre Dame College Democrats president Alexandra Conley said she generally thinks that Notre Dame is not “extremely” repressive with free speech, however noted some areas in which the University could improve.
Conley specifically pointed to the restrictions on discussing the topic of abortion that Notre Dame puts on clubs as an example of when her club’s freedom of speech had been restricted by the University
“Any club that takes an active pro choice stance on abortion issues, is not allowed at Notre Dame,” she said.
Conley explained that College Democrats is prohibited from advertising its pro-choice beliefs and cannot hold club meetings on the subject unless it is through the lens of education, due to the University’s pro-choice stance. Conley said the club risks the loss of funding and in the worst possible case, disbandment for ignoring this rule.
“I don't like the assumption that you can just tell people not to talk about abortion on campus, and that's going to solve the issue,” Conley said. “Why can’t I even have this conversation in club format? It can be really frustrating.”
College Republicans Treasurer Jose Rodriguez, said in an interview with The Observer that he thinks "in general Notre Dame is better at free speech than most other universities.”
One of the only times Rodriguez could recall the University restricting the College Republicans’ free speech was when the club tried to bring conservative speaker Michael Knowles to campus to speak last year.
Rodriguez explained that the club tried to bring Knowles to campus in both the fall and spring, but that the University determined it would be “too dangerous” to have Knowles due to security concerns and denied the request. Rodriguez said the club had spoken to Notre Dame Police which had approved a request for security.
Knowles had previously spoken at the University in February, 2019 where he criticized the University's decision to cover the murals of Christopher Columbus in the Main Building.
In an interview conducted via email with The Observer, Ainsley Hillman, president of BridgeND pointed to student retribution as a potential motivator for students to be cautious about sharing their opinions.
“With the prevalence of 'cancel culture,' it can feel as though one misstep, even in front of your closest friends, could hold dire consequences,” Hillman said.
The rankings come as the Notre Dame administration is putting a greater emphasis on freedom of speech, as a part of this year’s Notre Dame Forum, the theme of which is “The Future of Democracy.” The forum is a part of the Campus Call for Free Expression — an initiative consisting of 13 schools committed to promoting free speech and discussion organized by the Institute for Citizens and Scholars. According to the Institute’s website, other schools involved in the Campus Call include Cornell University, Duke University and Wesleyan University.
Rajiv Vinnakota, the president of the Institute for Citizens & Scholars, said in an interview conducted via email with the Observer that the Campus Call for Free Expression was conceived as a way “to prepare students to be empowered citizens and actively participate in American democracy.”
Vinnakota explained that Notre Dame President Fr. John Jenkins was one of a small number of university presidents who was “already committed and activated on this issue” before the Institute reached out to him. He said that the Institute wanted to keep the number of schools involved in the Campus Call for Free Expression small at first before expanding.
According to Vinnakota, the university presidents involved in the initiative began meeting together in March 2022. Other steps that schools have taken as a part of the initiative include exhibitions and performances, convocation remarks and student trainings, Vinnakota said.
Rodriguez recommended that in order to improve free speech on campus the University could amend the Moreau First Year Experience curriculum by putting a greater emphasis on the interchange of ideas and respecting others’ beliefs. He also suggested that students could organize more events to facilitate discussion.
Conley said that while students should stand against speech that is hateful and cruel towards other people, they should try to respect and listen to other people’s opinions more.
“Listening to opinions you don't like is unfortunately just a part of life and you just have to sit there, let somebody finish what they're saying and then wait your turn, and hopefully they do the same for you,” she said.
Hillman emphasized that the culture of discussion at Notre Dame needs to change in order for free speech to improve.
“The most important thing that the Notre Dame faculty and administration can do in encouraging free speech is creating an environment where people feel not only comfortable, but also emboldened to share their opinions,” Hillman said.
“We should all make an active effort to ask questions, challenge our own beliefs, and support others in sharing their thoughts.”
While arguing “Notre Dame has not necessarily been a part of the solution” to the issue of free speech on college campuses, Hillman expressed her hope that this year’s Notre Dame forum “will help pave the way for greater encouragement of free speech on campus, and throughout our country.”
Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan will speak on campus on Friday in the Forum’s first event.
