UConn ranks low among colleges for allowing open dialogue

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, also known as FIRE, published its 2026 College Free Speech Rankings on Sept. 9. The University of Connecticut was on the list, earning an F for its speech climate grade. More specifically, UConn had earned a 53 out of 100, according to The Fire.  

The Fire reported that UConn ranks 215 out of 257. FIRE’s Spotlight database gave UConn’s policies “a yellow light” based on the extent to which they restrict free speech. UConn is in the bottom 25 for both “Comfort” and “Self-Censorship,” while “Openness” was placed in the bottom 50. Many students said they felt more comfortable keeping quiet rather than speaking their minds according to the database. 

According to UConn’s University Spokesperson Stephanie Reitz, “UConn encourages and upholds free speech on all of its campuses as a bedrock principle of our University and society.  

“We would not typically comment on a poll for which we are not privy to the data and methodology, beyond noting that it appears to reflect less than 1% (329 responses) of our approximately 34,400-student population,” Reitz said in an email. 

Justin Silverman is an attorney who works for the New England First Amendment Coalition, where he leads regional advocacy for free speech, open government and press freedoms. He teaches media law as an adjunct professor at UConn and other institutions and contributes to commentaries about the First Amendment.   

“[There is] a need for everyone on campus to be comfortable in expressing their opinions —particularly their political opinions— so they can get a better understanding of not only opposing viewpoints but have the opportunity to learn where maybe their own feelings could use some reassessment, where their own arguments could use some strengthening,” Silverman said. 

Amanda Crawford is a journalism professor at UConn and a political reporter. Her work focuses on media law, misinformation and free speech. She serves on the boards of several First Amendment advocacy groups. 

“UConn, like any other branch or arm of the government, is restricted from enforcing any kind of punishment or regulation based on the content of speech,” Crawford said. “That applies to any government: federal, state, local, or, say, a Board of Education. Public universities are the arms of the government. So, the government can’t pick winners and losers based on speech content.”  

She continued to state that “FIRE’s free speech scores rank religious, conservative schools lowest. Liberty can punish criticism of its beliefs; UConn cannot, as a public institution.” 

The website embedded students’ voices as well, with a member of class of 2027 mentioning, “I could tell my professor had different opinions than me so I wrote my paper to be more similar to [their] opinions so I could get a better grade.”   

Another member of the class of 2026 said, “the administration constantly emphasizes how we basically aren’t allowed to offend anyone.” 

Silverman continued to state that a professor could require students to consider certain perspectives as a part of an assignment, but student self-censorship was different.  

“Where things get problematic is when students are offering a certain perspective, not because they’re required to as a matter of an assignment or trying to learn a different perspective or viewpoint and articulate that, but instead are articulating their own viewpoints… but doing so in a way to cater favor with a professor because they think that professor might be more liberal-leaning or conservative-leaning or politically inclined to agree with that message,” Silverman said. 

FIRE also highlighted that 43% of students state they have censored themselves on campus minimum once or twice a month, and 70% of students stated that shouting down a speaker to prevent them from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases. Lastly, 34% of students say using violence to stop someone from speaking on campus is acceptable in some cases. 

In 2019, FIRE reported on a “UConn group to keep pursuing free speech initiative despite student government shutout, threatening messages.” A student named Mike Hernández was campaigning to be the University of Connecticut’s Undergraduate Student Government (SG) president the year prior; free speech was part of the platform he got elected on. Hernández and fellow student senators Isadore Johnson, John “Jay” Mosely and John Ross worked that year to bring a version of the Chicago Statement that they dubbed “The UConn Statement” before USG for consideration. However, “efforts to even introduce the resolution for discussion became so contentious they had to stop.”“Hernández and his supporters officially pulled their legislation from consideration after they said the USG violated its own procedures to keep the issue from even being raised for a vote,” FIRE reported. “That’s despite the group having gathered more than 150 petition signatures from students and faculty supporting it.” 

The article also mentions that Ross, a former USG senator, said, “I think higher education is the greatest opportunity for exploring what’s out there, seeing other people have different lives than you, who come from backgrounds, different creeds, raised with different morals.”  

“We do ourselves a disservice by not being open to that,” Ross said. “Even hearing opinions that you don’t like, or hearing things that can even be offensive, actually help you grow. Because you allow yourself to distinguish right from wrong.”