To the editor:
In "Ivies confront free speech uproar," the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education is described as "an organization that champions free speech on university campuses" (April 7). A noble calling, to be sure, and the organization sounds neutral and objective. But let's look a little deeper. FIRE's web site says its mission is "to defend and sustain individual rights at America's increasingly repressive and partisan colleges and universities." It goes on to identify "group identity," "indoctrination in the new-age radical political orthodoxies," and "agendas of the social engineers of political correctness" among the wrongs the organization seeks to expose and remedy.
Reasonable people can and do differ on the appropriate response to offensive, hateful, threatening and intimidating speech on our campuses. They also differ regarding allegations of indoctrination, social engineering and repression of conservative viewpoints. But let's be clear about one thing: FIRE is hardly a neutral judge, and Dartmouth's free speech "rating" should be interpreted in the context of a full understanding of FIRE's partisan perspective.
