Campus Experience Survey: An Assessment of Students at Four-year Public Universities in Virginia

Virginia state law requires public universities to protect the First Amendment rights of all students, faculty, and invited guests. They must do this by creating policies, developing materials, and educating students about their speech rights. Virginia’s leading public universities have adopted policies of varying quality to comply with state requirements, but, as the following survey from the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) and College Pulse shows, more work is needed to provide a true culture of free expression for all campus members.

Our survey of 2,345 students and recent alumni from George Mason University (GMU), James Madison University (JMU), the University of Virginia (UVA), Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Virginia Tech (VT), and William & Mary (W&M) reveals high rates of self-censorship and intolerance for intellectual and political differences. Despite the state’s requirement that students be educated about their speech rights during orientation programs, only 21% of students recall receiving such training. Over half of students and alumni surveyed said the political climate on their campus prevents them from expressing their beliefs because others might find them offensive. Forty-three percent said they would feel uncomfortable expressing their views on a controversial subject during an in-class discussion. A staggering 68% of students believe professors should be reported to the university for making comments students find offensive. Our survey also reveals variations in these results between the six universities and between different student demographics. Explore the full survey report to learn more.

Visit our Virginia Report Card for a complete analysis of GMU, JMU, UVA, VCU, VT, and W&M based on ACTA’s Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™.