Indiana University’s Bloomington campus fared poorly in the College Free Speech Rankings created by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE).
IU ranked No. 243 out of 251 schools with a “poor” rating. IU was ranked second-to-last for public schools, only ranking higher than the University of Texas at Austin.
FIRE and College Pulse announced the rankings Thursday after surveying more than 58,000 undergraduate students from 257 colleges and universities. The survey covers responses to controversial speech, censorship, disagreements and political issues on campus.
About half of the students said they self-censored once or twice a month on IU’s campus. FIRE’s survey showed conservative students were more likely to self-censor.
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Students also assessed how university administration responded. Only 26 percent of respondents said IU’s administration “clearly” or “very clearly” protected free speech on campus. About half of the respondents said IU’s administrators were only “somewhat likely” to defend a speaker’s right to express their views.
FIRE conducted the survey Jan. 25 to June 17, when colleges nationwide were dealing with protests over the Israel-Hamas War. FIRE CEO Greg Lukianoff said the tension between maintaining free speech and navigating polarizing issues is more pronounced than ever.
In Bloomington, 57 protesters were arrested for encampment protests in Dunn Meadow last spring. IU leaders said they called the Indiana State Police to protect campus safety. The university also updated its “expressive activity” policy this fall. It bans camping and limits when and where protests can take place.
An IU spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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University leaders said free speech must be balanced with keeping campus safe.
“The Middle East crisis plunged campuses into absolute chaos last academic year and administrators largely failed in their response, clamping down on free speech protections instead of fostering spaces for open dialogue,” Lukianoff said. “The nightmare scenarios of last spring cannot be repeated this fall. Colleges need to reassert their mantle of being marketplaces of ideas, not bubbles of groupthink and censorship.”
Other colleges in Indiana fared better.
Purdue University ranked No. 30 with a “slightly above average” rating. DePauw University ranked 36th. The University of Notre Dame was at No. 167 with a “slightly below average” rating.
Aubrey is our higher education reporter and a Report For America corps member. Contact her at aubmwrig@iu.edu or follow her on X @aubreymwright .
