Free Speech Org FIRE Blasts Syracuse U. with 'Lifetime Censorship Award'

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) has issued Syracuse University a “Lifetime Censorship Award” — a dubious award reserved for colleges that appear so frequently on the organization’s annual “worst list,” that “they deserve special recognition.” FIRE’s criticism of the university is based on its “unashamed assault on expressive freedoms that has continued despite a pandemic, a new chancellor, lawsuits, and countless FIRE letters, blog posts, and press releases.”

“This year, Syracuse University — which made our list in 2011, 2012, 2019, and 2020 — earned the award for its unashamed assault on expressive freedoms that has continued despite a pandemic, a new chancellor, lawsuits, and countless FIRE letters, blog posts, and press releases,” said FIRE in a statement to Breitbart News.

The organization added that Syracuse University joins Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and DePaul University as the three recipients of FIRE’s lowest “honor” to date.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute received the Lifetime Censorship Award in 2020, and DePaul University receiving the award in 2018.

In 2018, DePaul University blacklisted Charlie Kirk and Candace Owens from speaking on the university’s campus, denying conservative students the same experiences afforded to their leftist counterparts.

A list of FIRE’s “10 Worst Colleges for Free Speech” can be found on the organization’s website.

“Every single college on this list had a choice whether to suppress the viewpoints of their own students and faculty members — and every one chose to make the decisions that landed them on this list,” said FIRE President and CEO Greg Lukianoff.

“We expected 2020 to be quieter than normal as institutions focused on mitigating effects of the pandemic,” continued Lukianoff. “But what we saw astounded us. As COVID cases exploded, so did FIRE’s cases of campus rights violations.”

“Last year was the busiest in FIRE’s history, showing that while nearly every facet of our lives changed during the pandemic, at least one aspect remained shockingly constant: Administrators will continue to censor students and faculty members for no damn reason,” the CEO added.

FIRE had also released a statement on Tuesday, stating that censorship at U.S. colleges and universities has actually increased during the coronavirus pandemic, as students transferred from the classroom to Zoom.

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