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Today's Chicago Tribune featured an article examining the widening controversy over restrictions on political speech and activity at the University of Illinois, which go so far as to suggest that displaying a candidate's bumper sticker on one's car is out of bounds. FIREis closely monitoring this case, as well as a similar situation at the University of Oklahoma, where all manner of political speech has been . FIREhas sent letters to both universities, asking for immediate clarification of the policies consistent with each school's legal obligation to uphold the First Amendment on campus. Hopefully the increased exposure given to these FIREcases by the Tribune will remind each university of the need for full freedom of expression on campus, especially in the final weeks before the presidential election. Be sure to read the full text of the article, and check out Brandon's Torch entry for extended commentary on this issue.

As I mentioned on The Torch last week, a recent column by free speech advocate and FIREBoard of Advisors member Nat Hentoff has been making the rounds in syndicated newspapers and blogs around the country, highlighting the abuses of free expression and academic freedom at Brandeis University. The column continues to generate attention this week, after being published in the and mentioned on and a handful of , bringing further attention to Brandeis' shameful treatment of Professor Donald Hindley. ÃÛÖ­ÏãÌÒ's efforts to clear his name and restore liberty to the university continue.

In the wake of last month's pivotal ruling from the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in DeJohn v. Temple University, FIREthis week sent letters to the twenty public schools in the Third Circuit that currently receive a red-light rating. The widely distributed letter has garnered mention on , including (once again) a nod from . We hope that as the schools in the Third Circuit are forced to reexamine their unconstitutional speech codes, the public pressure will only escalate.

FIRE's insights on the threats to academic freedom inherent in the academy's increasing reliance on adjunct professors were cited, as Adam discussed on Tuesday, in an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education. The article mentions two cases from 2007 that FIREwas involved with: those of Steven Bitterman at Southwestern Community College, and of June Sheldon in the San Jose/Evergreen Community College District. A hosted by The Ithacan, the student newspaper of Ithaca College, points to the Chronicle article, and cites FIREas one of a "number of national organizations now mobilizing to protect faculty and adjuncts who discuss 'hot-button issues' like 'the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, religion, and homosexuality.'"

Meanwhile, the National Association of Scholars continues to hit hard when it comes to residence life programs that see themselves as "therapeutic" treatments for students' supposedly incorrect thoughts and values, pointing again to our case at the University of Delaware. FIRECo-founder and Chairman Harvey Silverglate sounded off on the paternal instincts of the university in a , and on being the inaugural recipient of the Playboy Foundation's . Many thanks from FIREfor their appreciation!