Phi Beta Kappa: Member Institutions' Speech Codes

- What We Do
- What we defend
- Have your rights been violated?
  If you face retaliation over protected speech, reach out to FIREto learn more about how we can protect your rights.
  Submit a Case
- Make a difference
- Take Action
  Across the nation, free speech rights are under attack. Join us in defending this essential quality of liberty. Make your voice heard and join a campaign.
  Protect Free Speech
- FIREStudent Network
  ��֭��’s 2022 College Free Speech Rankings are based on the voices of more than 44,000 currently enrolled students at 208 colleges and are designed to help parents and prospective students choose the right school.
  Build Your Network
- Resources
- College Free Speech Rankings
  Presented by FIREand College Pulse, the 2025 College Free Speech Rankings is the largest survey of campus free expression ever performed.
- National Speech Index
  The National Speech Index is a new quarterly component of America’s Political Pulse, an ongoing weekly survey that will allow researchers to track shifting free speech sentiment in America over time.
  Learn More
Colleges
News
Cases
About Us
Submit a Case

Cases

George Mason University

closed

When George Mason University cancelled a speech by filmmaker Michael Moore, the Phi Beta Kappa Society denied George Mason University's application for a campus chapter of the honor society, citing academic freedom concerns. Given the Society's professed commitment to freedom of speech, FIRE wrote to Phi Beta Kappa Secretary John Churchill to point out the speech codes that abound at Phi Beta Kappa member institutions. FIRE's letter specifically called attention to outrageous codes at Cornell University, Oberlin College, The Ohio State University, Penn State University, Rhodes College, theUniversity of Illinois at Chicago, and West Virginia University. Given Phi Beta Kappa's stance on GMU, it seems reasonable to assume that the society would uphold the same tenets of academic freedom that it expects from others.