National Post

Highs and lows for freedom on campus

- John Carpay and MiChael Kennedy John Carpay and Michael Kennedy researched and wrote the 2013 Campus Freedom Index for the Justice Centre for Constituti­onal Freedoms (Jccf.ca).

Canada’s public universiti­es continue to wage war on ideas which challenge ideologica­l orthodoxy, according to the 2013 campus Freedom Index. Student unions at ryerson and the University of Toronto have actively censored Men’s Issues Awareness groups, perceived as a threat by some feminists. The University of Victoria Students’ Society has censured campus catholics for daring to challenge sexual promiscuit­y with pamphlets entitled “Pure Manhood,” “Pure Womanhood,” and “Pure Love.” Queen’s University tore down a “free speech wall” set up by Students for Liberty, claiming the wall’s content was “offensive” but refusing to provide an example. Queen’s also claimed the wall’s contents “violated university policies” but refused to specify which ones. carleton is one of several universiti­es to restrict or censor “Greek Letter Organizati­ons” (fraterniti­es and sororities). The student union at St. Mary’s University in Nova Scotia censored the poster of a student gaming society for showing an image of a Nintendo Zapper toy gun. At four universiti­es the expression “Israeli Apartheid”, or clubs which use it, have been banned.

Pro-life speech remains the favourite target for censorship. eleven student unions have stripped pro-life students of their club status in recent years, or have refused to grant club status in the first place, or have placed restrictio­ns on prolife students that are not imposed on any other campus club. Two universiti­es have followed the lead of their student unions in censoring unpopular speech. After the University of Victoria’s student union denounced youth Protecting youth, the university administra­tion obediently complied by denying pro-life students the right to express their views on campus. The administra­tion specifical­ly cited student union opposition to pro-life activities as its reason for refusing campus space for this club. In similar fashion, after Trent University’s student union refused club status to pro-life students in January of 2013, the university administra­tion also refused to recognize this new club for the remainder of the 2012-13 school year, unless the club first gave the university carte blanche to censor the club’s materials.

Trent’s censorship demands, like those of the University of calgary and other universiti­es, are dressed up as “safety and

Canada’s universiti­es and student unions earned a lot more F’s than A’s in our latest report. But there is some good news

security” concerns. Universiti­es claim that offensive expression might tempt the offended person(s) to inflict violence on those expressing unpopular views. The solution: ban controvers­ial expression in order to protect the politicall­y incorrect from violence at the hands of the mob. The rule of law, which requires us to refrain from hitting people whose opinions offend us, is forgotten. The University of Waterloo has twice condoned loud, disruptive protesters shutting down events for invited speakers: the National Post’s christie blatchford in 2010 and MP Stephen Woodworth in 2013. In both cases, campus security stood by and watched while the peaceful expression of opinion was effectivel­y silenced by those who disagreed. In stark contrast, campus security demonstrat­ed its ability to act decisively when arresting and handcuffin­g pro-life students attempting to set up a display on campus, at carleton in 2010.

The campus Freedom Index assigns grades of A,b,c,d, and F to universiti­es and student unions on their stated policies (what they say) and their practices (what they do). With 180 letter grades awarded to 45 campuses, canada’s universiti­es and student unions receive only six ‘A’ grades and 19 ‘b’ grades. conversely, ‘F’ grades were earned 32 times: 13 by universiti­es and 19 by student unions.

Neverthele­ss, some universiti­es are beacons of academic freedom and free speech. ryerson University resisted demands to cancel a lecture by the controvers­ial Malik Zulu Shabazz. The University of british columbia and Simon Fraser University have upheld free speech rights for campus pro-life groups. The University of regina defended its professors when city officials tried to ban a public lecture because of its subject matter. The University of Toronto has excellent policies that vigorously protect the free exchange of ideas. The carleton University Students’ Associatio­n and the University of Saskatchew­an Student Union have both voted to change their policies to respect the free expression of all opinions.

Incentives matter. by informing students, parents and taxpayers of the state of campus free speech, the campus Freedom Index gives university and student union leadership clear criteria by which to measure and improve their performanc­e. We hope it helps reduce the number of F’s on next year’s list.

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