Michigan College: Albion Ranks in Top 10 Worst Schools for Free Speech
Albion College in Albion Michigan was just ranked in the Top 10 of the worst colleges for free speech according to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education’s (FIRE) annual list of the 10 worst colleges for free speech.
Every year, FIRE chooses the 10 worst colleges for free speech and according to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education 2018 annual list they cite Albion College for the following reason:
In September, Albion College student Alex Tokie sent an email to his fellow College Republicans with a number of suggestions about debating “white privilege.” As a joke, he concluded his email by suggesting to his peers: “Take the liberal tears from the idiot you just destroyed in your debate, dissemble your American made Springfield M1911 .45 caliber handgun and apply the tears in order to clean the mechanism, reassemble and proceed to purchase ANTIFA and ISIS hunting permits and max out on tags[.]”
That email marked the beginning of an investigation that has spanned nearly six months.
Administrators first began investigating Tokie in September, and notified him in November that he was charged with violating Albion’s policy against the “[u]se of, or threatened use of, physical force or violence.”
After a letter from FIRE reminding Albion of its free speech commitments, the college postponed Tokie’s Nov. 17 hearing, but it left him in limbo for weeks without any updates. Administrators finally contacted Tokie in December to reschedule his hearing, demanding he return to campus during winter break, or the hearing would be held in his absence.
Fortunately, Tokie was instead able to schedule his hearing for Jan. 26, but his ordeal isn’t over yet. Administrators put Tokie through a four-hour hearing, and then told him that it could be weeks before they determine his fate. Tokie is still awaiting the outcome.
Do you feel that this email represents the “use of, or threatened use of, physical force or violence.”?
He was not advocating violence against anyone at his college but did discuss “hunting licenses” for ANTIFA and ISIS terrorist.
The other colleges and universities who joined Albion College in the TOP 10 in no particular order were:
Rounding out the top 10 in no particular order are:
- Harvard
- University of California at Berkeley
- Fordham University in New York City
- Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington
- Drexel University in Philadelphia
- Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy
- New York; Los Angeles Community College District
- Texas State University in San Marcos.
When does free speech end and advocating violence begins? Again he did not point to a particular person, that being said should this student face any punishment for his email?