American Student’s Freedom of Expression

The American Student’s Freedom of Expression was first published in 1966.How much freedom of expression do students have on American campuses? Does the extent of freedom vary with the geographical location of the college or university? Does the type of institution -- public or private, large or small, church-sponsored or nonsectarian -- have a bearing on the amount of freedom a student may exercise? Such questions are of critical concern to educators, students, parents, and the general public as student protests, demonstrations, and revolts are taking place on campuses in many parts of the country. Surprisingly, very little factual information has been available to shed light on the basic questions involved.This study provides such information, based on a survey of the attitudes and situations with respect to student freedom on more than 800 campuses in the United States. Data for the report were obtained from five different groups of respondents at the colleges: presidents, deans of students, chairs of faculty committees on student affairs, student body presidents, and student newspaper editors. They were asked specific questions about freedom of expression on their campuses. For example, they were questioned on the kinds of issues which could be discussed at student meetings, and which of the speakers on a list of names, ranging from Chief Justice Earl Warren to Malcolm X, might be permitted to speak on their campuses.The data are presented according to geographical locations of the colleges and according to the types of institutions (there are ten categories) represented in the study. There are numerous tables and figures.This is an important book for administrators, counselors, faculty, and students in American colleges, as well as for parents and public who wish to understand some of the pressing problems in higher education today.