The Brown & White

The Liberty Tree might look like it's covered in snow to most, but it's actually on FIRE!

The "red light" rating Lehigh received for its free speech from FIRE might seem scary, but when you look at it closely, it's not as disastrous as its moniker might imply.

FIRE doesn't distinguish between public and private universities in its reports. Private universities like Lehigh aren't required to uphold free speech, so the rating shouldn't come as much of a surprise.

It's unfortunate the organization can't make that important distinction. It would be constructive to see how Lehigh measures up compared to other private universities.

Still, we appreciate what FIRE is trying to accomplish with its free speech reports.

In the past, The Brown and White has called attention to issues related to free speech, so we understand their concerns.

It's just hard to take too much stock in a report that subjects schools to the harshest rating possible if it only has one policy that "clearly and substantially restricts free speech."

Yes, a policy that restricts free speech is bad. It should be looked at and reconsidered, but there should be a sliding scale.

Private universities and public universities should have different categories. That way, we can look at things critically compared to other private schools.