Some First Amendment advocates say that free speech in the United States, and on university campuses, has hit an inflection point.
"Up until this year, generally the major sources of the threats were largely coming from inside the house: students and faculty targeting each other or administrators just cracking down on things," said Sean Stevens, senior research adviser for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, or FIRE. "Now, we're seeing state and federal government actors targeting speech on campus, so that's very concerning."
Free speech is guaranteed by the First Amendment, but what does that mean on a university campus?
When students step onto campus, they don’t give up their First Amendment rights, said Gregory Plagens, a political science instructor at Eastern Michigan University. However, limitations may arise when it comes to matters of public safety, he added.
“The thing with free speech on college campuses, and where the tension comes in, is the government does recognize that there are times and places where free speech can cause disturbances that can rise to the point of being dangerous to people’s safety,” Plagens said. “So, campus administrators, while trying to promote free speech, and invite dialogue, also have a responsibility to everybody here to keep people safe.”
Certain expressions of protest, such as occupying a building, are considered civil disobedience and are not protected by the First Amendment, Stevens said. Persistent harassment, clear incitements of violence and child pornography are not protected under the First Amendment either.
Rating free speech at EMU
Recently, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, known as FIRE, published a ranking of how free speech is on college campuses in the United States. The ranking and grading are based on a number of factors, including surveys of undergraduates, university policies and databases that track the outcomes of speech controversies on campuses, Stevens said.
Eastern Michigan University was one of 167 colleges out of the 257 rated in the United States that reportedly failed, receiving an “F” grade.
EMU's rating is based, in part, on its yellow light spotlight rating, which FIRE uses to measure how free speech is on a campus based on policies at a university. Yellow ratings usually indicate that the wording of policies could cause it to be unfairly applied, Stevens said.
Universities can improve free speech on campus and their rating by adopting the Chicago Statement, which was issued by the University of Chicago in 2015, Stevens said. The Chicago Statement is a full-throated endorsement of academic freedom and freedom of speech and universities that adopt it tend to demonstrate a better environment for free speech and expression, Stevens said. EMU has not joined the 113 universities, including the University of Michigan and Michigan State, that have adopted the Chicago Statement or similar commitment.
"Eastern Michigan University remains steadfast in its commitment to fostering a campus environment where free expression, open dialogue, and the respectful exchange of ideas are not only protected but also celebrated," said Brittany Mobley, senior media relations specialist for EMU, in a written statement to The Eastern Echo. "As a public institution, EMU upholds the constitutional rights of our students, faculty, and staff, including the freedom of speech, assembly, and inquiry."
The principles of free speech, assembly and inquiry are a foundation of academic life and essential to the development engaged citizens, Mobley said in the statement.
"We recognize that the free exchange of ideas can sometimes be challenging, particularly when differing viewpoints are involved," Mobley said in the statement. "EMU encourages all members of our community to engage in civil discourse, listen actively, and respond thoughtfully. Our goal is to cultivate a climate where diverse perspectives are heard and respected, and where all individuals feel safe expressing their beliefs."
There are some limits to speech and expression on campus. For example, universities and colleges can set reasonable time, place and manner restrictions on speech, Stevens said.
EMU has some guidelines for events and gatherings on campus, such as planning ahead and avoiding blocking access to buildings, among others.
Examples of significant disruption can include obstructing the flow of pedestrian or vehicle traffic or activity that interferes with orderly conduct on campus.
“No bullhorns after 10 p.m. is a reasonable restriction,” Stevens said as an example. “You cannot disrupt the functioning of the university.”
Student perception survey results
FIRE polled 68,510 undergraduate students across the country to gauge student perception of free speech on campus, including 285 students from EMU. The survey asked students about their perceptions of administrative support, their comfort expressing ideas, how often they self-censored, political tolerance and openness surrounding controversial topics and more.
Poll results of student perceptions placed EMU in the top 50 for “Comfort Expressing Ideas” and “Self-Censorship,” which indicates students at EMU may “feel free to speak their minds compared to other schools,” the survey results stated.
At the same time, 36% of EMU respondents say they have self-censored on campus at least once or twice a month, survey results stated. FIRE reported no speech controversies at EMU in its 2026 ranking.
The survey asked students how difficult it is to have an open and honest conversation about certain issues on campus. Survey results showed that some of the most difficult issues for EMU students to discuss include abortion, the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the 2024 presidential election. 57% of respondents said that abortion is difficult to discuss on campus, 49% said that the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is difficult to discuss and 47% said the 2024 presidential election is difficult to discuss.
How do students feel?
Some examples of First Amendment freedoms in action on campus include student groups, the rainbow flag display on campus lawn, student journalism at The Echo, petitions and assembly and political tabling, Plagens said.
At EMU, students in some of the organizations involved in political or social advocacy on campus report a healthy relationship with free speech at the university.
“We don’t see any restrictions or any implications posed on us,” said Laith Hassan, outreach chair for EMU’s Students for Justice in Palestine student organization. “We’re given a fair shot just like any other [organization] is.”
“We have a good relationship with free speech on campus,” he added.
SJP holds educational events and forums, an example of free speech and expression in practice. Last year, the group hosted a speaker panel event on campus that focused on raising education and awareness about Palestine, said Leena Joz, co-president of SJP.
“I think, if anything, we do have support from EMU,” Joz said. “We feel more encouraged, than anything, to use our voice, so we feel pretty supported.”
Everett Peabody, president of the pro-life advocacy group Protect Life EMU, also said he has had mostly positive experiences with exercising free speech on campus.
“The state of free speech on EMU’s campus is mostly in a good place,” Peabody said. He added that the only pushback from university administration was in the form of minor nitpicky enforcement of rules, such as being told not to call out to passers-by while tabling in the Student Center. He said there have been no continuous issues and that his group's relationship with the administration has been fairly good.
Universities are a space where people of different backgrounds should be able to come together and have difficult conversations openly, Hassan said.
“Many of the people who go to Eastern believe in that, from what I can see, which is what gives us that safe space to share what we think and talk to other people who might have different opinions or who might not share the same beliefs or views,” Hassan added.
When it comes to engaging in dialogue with someone you disagree with, the key is to approach the conversation with mutual respect, Peabody said.
“If you see the person you’re dialoguing with as another person, who has their own life experience and their own thoughts, then you can work with them using speech to seek the truth. If you don’t see them that way, if you see them rather as an opponent to be fought against, then the conflict that will result will not be productive or healthy,” Peabody said.
On some occasions, Protect Life EMU’s demonstrations have received counter-protests and pushback from other students and student groups, Peabody said. In a couple instances, the situation escalated to the point of involving campus police because of threats against property that Peabody said he witnessed.
In most cases, though, the pushback from students who disagree with his group was simply counter-expression and speech also protected by the First Amendment, Peabody said.
What have faculty noticed?
Plagens, who has taught political science at EMU for 15 years, said he thinks there is some self-censorship from students, especially given the political climate.
“I think these are challenging political times for expressing your views,” Plagens said. “We have seen a lot of people draw the ire of one side of a political issue or the other, and rather than treating everything as a healthy part of a democracy, where we need to be able to consider all sides, people seem to take this so personally now, and there seems to be a lot of anger.”
“I do think there is self-censorship, that students will be reluctant to say their piece, because they wonder, you know, how they will be perceived, or sometimes, the response they might get from somebody else,” he added.
Sometimes, as individuals, Hassan and Joz have reported self-censoring in classroom or social settings.
“As an individual, I do feel that sometimes, I guess personally, I kind of censor what I might be saying or not get into a controversial subject,” Joz said, citing safety concerns and job prospects as factors. “But on a bigger, SPJ-level, I don’t feel like we have to censor information we’re giving out.”
Peabody also said he has self-censored on occasion in classrooms and in social situations to avoid conflicts with other students.
However, when students hesitate to talk about certain topics in class, it may not be because they’re uncomfortable talking about it or feel the need to self-censor, Plagens said. In some cases, they may choose not to add to a conversation for other reasons, such as not feeling fully informed about a topic, he added.
“I’ve had very vibrant discussions in classes,” Plagens said. “I’ve had students disagree. I always set ground rules at the start of the semester. I’ve never had anybody storm out of my class. I’ve never had a student be disrespectful to another. I’ve had a couple push about as far as you can get.”
Joshua Koss, another political science instructor at EMU, also reported open dialogue in his classes.
“In the classroom environment, I think generally my students have been pretty open to express their mind when given the opportunity to do so,” Koss said.
Readers can learn more about specific policies at EMU by reading its free speech & speaker policy, the student code of conduct and policies on gatherings.
