Now Playing at Reason.tv: F.I.R.E.'s Greg Lukianoff on Threats to Campus Speech

July 31, 2009

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (F.I.R.E.) was launched a decade ago to defend free speech against a wave of campus speech codes, bizarre orientation requirements, and punishments against students and teachers alike from exercising their First Amendment rights. Though political correctness has moved off the front page since then, the structural intolerance remains very much in place, says F.I.R.E. President Greg Lukianoff.

Lukianoff, a graduate from American University and Stanford Law School, has been with F.I.R.E. since 2001, helping the organization win several legal and public relations battles against censorial universities. Even so, he says, a full 77 percent of public colleges and universities maintain "laughably unconstitutional codes." In this Reason.tv interview, conducted by Reason Editor in Chief Matt Welch at the FreedomFest conference in Las Vegas, Lukianoff talks about F.I.R.E.'s successes and sketches out the speech battles yet to be won.

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Comments

hmm|7.31.09 @ 4:40PM|#

For the love of god sit up straight. I'm not sure you are all aware of this. We can see you in video. It's not like when you post articles and all we see is the picture you attach.

The chair isn't helping. Set fail as well.

Big Cat Kahuna|7.31.09 @ 6:39PM|#

The set is minimal but sit up straight?

Don't see any slouching myself, especially since most of the video seems to be just headshots, but ymmv.

I like F.I.R.E. Their stories resonate with my experiences quite well.

B|7.31.09 @ 6:48PM|#

I can testify to the need for organizations like FIRE in this country. I went to a public university, and at orientation, we were all made to swear an oath to "diversity". Not surprisingly, my school was given the dubiuous distinction of having the "The Speech Code of the Month" about 10 or so months ago.

hmm|7.31.09 @ 7:50PM|#

The freeze frame contains much slouchage. Mr. Welch is leaning back into the chair, thus causing slouchage.
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The chair is not helping.
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Chairs are part of the set. Therefore, set fail.

The pictures. I draw them for the slow kids.


properly framing a medium and medium close shot: This is where you do not cut the tops of peoples heads off. (there are exceptions to standing interviews where there is a large difference in height between the people)

Nice discussion though!

Space Fiend|8.1.09 @ 12:03AM|#

I have to laugh, I go to a private Catholic university, and we allow the Gay-Straight Alliance, pro-birth control talks, anti-Catholic evangelizing, and on and on and on.

The reason? This school is beholden to the demands of its students, they pay to go here, they could go elsewhere, cheaper. The students want a range of diverse opinions and the university is forced to allow them.

At a public, subsidized school, this will be a problem forever. The administration is not beholden to the students or their demands in any real way, because their massive subsidies (especially related to in-state tuition) leave many kids without the means to leave, trapped at the mercy of an administration hostile to anything but Marxist indoctrination.

Sad.

Ratdog|8.2.09 @ 3:31AM|#

Sounds very familiar, Space Fiend, David Horowitz has documented countless cases of Marxist professors abuses, and has been leading a campaign for student rights for years.
http://www.horowitzfreedomcenter.org/