See where Ohio colleges and universities rank in campus free speech report

By Megan Henry
Ohio Capital Journal     
https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression recently released their fourth annual College Free Speech Rankings. The 11 Ohio colleges and universities on the list ranked between No. 31 and No. 222.

The survey ranked 248 higher education institutions after receiving responses from about 55,000 students from 254 colleges and universities. Students enrolled in four-year degrees were surveyed through the College Pulse mobile app and web portal from Jan. 13-June 30, 2023. FIRE is a nonprofit civil liberties group. 

“Each year, the climate on college campuses grows more inhospitable to free speech,” FIRE Director of Polling and Analytics Sean Stevens said in a statement. “Some of the most prestigious universities in our country have the most repressive administrations. Students should know that a college degree at certain schools may come at the expense of their free speech rights.”

Here’s where Ohio colleges and universities ranked on FIRE’s list:

31. University of Toledo — speech climate is slightly above average

52. Ohio State University — speech climate is average

56. Ohio University — speech climate is average

75. Oberlin College — speech climate is average 

102. Miami University — speech climate is average

113. Kent State University — speech climate is average 

128. Case Western Reserve University — speech climate is average 

170. Denison University — speech climate is slightly below average

203. Bowling Green State University — speech climate is below average

216. University of Dayton — speech climate is below average

222. University of Cincinnati — speech climate is below average 

At Oberlin College, a private liberal arts college in Lorain County, 53% of the students think it is never acceptable to use violence to silence a campus speaker, according to the FIRE report. 

Michigan Technological University received the highest ranking and Harvard University got the worst. 

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