Campus Freedom Initiative™
Free expression is the necessary precondition for the unfettered search for truth on the college campus.
Brown University
An ACTA Report Card on Free Expression
ACTA’s Campus Freedom Initiative™ (CFI) has evaluated universities in several states against our Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™, a 20-point action plan for reestablishing higher education’s commitment to excellence and open inquiry. Below we present the Brown University Gold Standard evaluation. Brown University receives credit for ten out of twenty Gold Standard measures. Our research highlights Brown University strengths in protecting free expression and identifies areas it must work on to improve the student experience. Explore the full Brown University Gold Standard evaluation to learn more.
ACTA Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™| COMMIT TO A CULTURE OF FREE EXPRESSION | Brown University |
|---|---|
| Adopt the Chicago Principles on Freedom of Expression or a similarly strong statement. | No evidence of Brown adopting the Chicago Principles or a similar statement could be found. The university’s statement on academic freedom is insufficient to meet this measure. |
| Establish clear expectations regarding free expression in student and faculty handbooks and codes of conduct. | |
| Include a free expression unit in new-student orientations. | No materials showing Brown meets this measure could be found. Requests to university officials for such materials remain unanswered. |
| Protect the diversity of political viewpoints by adopting an institutional neutrality policy such as the Kalven Report. | |
| FOSTER CIVIL DISCOURSE | Brown University |
| Sponsor campus debates that model civil discourse. | |
| Promote free expression by encouraging the establishment of student groups devoted to free expression, civil discourse, or representing a plurality of perspectives. | |
| Establish policies that protect free expression rights on campus and set clear consequences for disruption of sponsored speakers, events, and classes. | |
| Enforce policies that protect free expression rights on campus and apply clear consequences for disruption of sponsored speakers, events, and classes. | |
| Cultivate Intellectual Diversity | Brown University |
| Encourage presidents, provosts, and deans to model respect for a broad range of viewpoints. | |
| Guarantee that viewpoint diversity is reflected in student life policies and practices. | In March 2025, an event involving a student reporter prompted action by Brown that is inconsistent with this measure. |
| Support academic centers dedicated to free inquiry and intellectual diversity. | |
| Ensure faculty hiring, evaluation, and promotion processes are based on merit and make clear that the institution is open to intellectual diversity. | There is no evidence of a university-wide effort on these issues. |
| Break Down Barriers to Free Expression | Brown University |
| Eliminate speech and IT policies that have a chilling effect on free expression. | |
| Ensure that enforcement of Title VI, Title VII, and Title IX does not infringe on free expression. | Policies defining harassment contain elements likely to chill free expression. |
| Disband bias response teams. | Brown has a program that allows students to report any “offensive” conduct, which is likely to chill free expression. |
| Review student government policies to ensure viewpoint neutrality in student group recognition and funding. | No clear statements prohibiting such discrimination could be found. |
| Advance Leadership Accountability | Brown University |
| Include commitments to free expression in mission statements, values statements, strategic plans, and other key institutional documents. | |
| Include a commitment to free expression as a criterion in searches and evaluations for presidents, provosts, and deans. | No statement on free expression could be found in the available leadership search profiles. |
| Require free expression and viewpoint diversity training for administrative staff. | Brown offers programming related to this measure, but requests to university officials regarding whether the training is required have gone unanswered. |
| Conduct regular surveys or other quantitative studies of students and faculty to assess the state of free expression and intellectual diversity on campus. | Brown’s current campus climate survey does not meet this measure. |
WHO WE ARE
Launched in 1995, we are the only organization that works with alumni, donors, trustees, and education leaders across the United States to support liberal arts education, uphold high academic standards, safeguard the free exchange of ideas on campus, and ensure that the next generation receives an intellectually rich, high-quality college education at an affordable price.
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