Worst Colleges for Free Speech 2016

          The Huffington Post creates an annual list for the top ten colleges acting as the worst violators

of free speech in the country. This is the fifth list they have made and it has been a year full of

countless freedom of speech violations. The repercussions resulting from these situations have varied

from people filing lawsuits to others wanted free speech codes put in place or to change the rules

about free speech zones. This year on the list were colleges from around the country including Mount

St. Mary's University, Northwestern University, LSU, University of California San Diego, Saint

Mary's University of Minnesota, University of Oklahoma, Marquette University, Colorado College,

University of Tulsa, and Wesleyan University.

          The reason that LSU was put on this list was because of a teacher of twenty years named

Teresa Buchanan who invented a teach curriculum and won a lot of money for the University. Just

before her retirement, the University fired her because they said that her use of profanity was sexual


harassment. She had never been accused of

sexual harassment and had used this as a

method for their future teaching careers.

"LSU's policy defines sexual harassment as

'unwelcome verbal, visual, or physical

behavior of a sexual nature, 'mirroring the

language of the sexual harassment definition

propagated by the U.S. Departments of

Education and Justice in 2013 as 'a blueprint


for colleges and universities throughout the country.'" Because of this she has sued the University in

January, but the court case has not had a decision yet.


          At Colorado College, a post on the app Yik Yak

was made that said "#blackwomenmatter", to which

another student named Thaddeus Pryor responded

saying "They matter, they're just not hot". After the

college found out and he admitted to writing the

response, he was suspended for twenty-one months.

His suspension included the statement that he could

not get credit for classes at any college or university

during this time period. After the school was reminded

that this action of his was protected by his freedom of

expression, so the college decided that six months was a better length of suspension, yet they were

still violating this freedom and therefore are violating his First Amendment rights.