Georgetown University is a prestigious institution in Washington, DC and also one of the most totalitarian campuses in the nation when it comes to censoring free speech and viewpoints that don’t meet strict standards of progressive wokeness and critical race theory. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a nonpartisan non-profit organization that defends free speech and free thought in American society with a particular emphasis on college campuses, has given Georgetown its most severe rating of “Red” which is given only to universities that have “at least one policy that both clearly and substantially restricts freedom of speech.”

In particular, FIRE cites Georgetown’s policy on “Incivility” which is defined as“Engaging in behavior, either through language or actions, which disrespects another individual, including but not limited to: a fellow Georgetown student, visitor and/or vendor; a University Official or law enforcement officer.”

FIRE also registers major concerns with the university’s policy on “Harassment” which defines such behavior as “verbal or physical conduct that denigrates or shows hostility or aversion to an individual because of a Protected Category as specified above, when such conduct has the purpose or effect of: unreasonably interfering with an individual or third party’s academic or work performance; creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive educational or work environment; or otherwise adversely affecting an individual or third party’s academic or employment opportunities.”  The policy applies to numerous forms of Constitutionally protected speech including “verbal abuse or ridicule, including slurs, epithets, and stereotyping; offensive jokes and comments; threatening, intimidating, or hostile acts, and displaying or distributing offensive materials, writings, graffiti, or pictures” and may include speech that is “carried out through the internet, email, social media, or other electronic means.”

These policies are not merely verbiage meant to placate progressives on campus; they are rigidly and punishingly enforced against faculty and students who dare to deviate from the leftist orthodoxy required by the university.

In January 2022, law professor Ilya Shapiro, who had just been hired as a senior lecturer and to head Georgetown’s Center for the Constitution, was placed on administrative leave after he tweeted his opposition to Biden’s pledge to select an African-American woman to serve as the next justice on the Supreme Court. Shapiro believed that Sri Srinivasan would be Biden’s “best pick” for the Court but noted that “alas [Srinivasan] doesn’t fit into latest intersectionality hierarchy so we’ll get [a] lesser black woman.”

Instead of defending Shapiro’s academic freedom, Georgetown Law Dean William Treanor called Shapiro’s tweet “appalling” and “at odds with everything we stand for at Georgetown Law” and placed the new hire on administrative leave before he was able to teach a single class. The university initiated a four month investigation to determine whether Shapiro had violated Georgetown’s diversity and inclusion policies, during which time the professor was entirely sidelined at his new job,

Georgetown reluctantly reinstated Shapiro after the end of the school year and acknowledged that he did not violate Georgtown’s absurdly restrictive free speech policies—not because his comments about Biden’s Supreme Court nominee constituted legitimate political discourse, but only because he was not yet an official employee of Georgetown at the time of his tweets. The university used the exoneration as an excuse to scold Shapiro for “your comments” which “had a significant negative impact on the Georgetown Law community, including current and prospective students, alumni, staff, and faculty” and “could have the effect of limiting Black women students’ access to courses taught by [you] and undermine Georgetown Law’s commitment to maintain inclusive learning and working environments.”

Unsurprisingly, following this Kafkaesque charade, Shapiro promptly resigned. His strongly worded resignation letter eviscerates the university’s response, noting that “You cleared me on a jurisdictional technicality, but the IDEAA Report—and your own statements to the Law Center community—implicitly repealed Georgetown’s vaunted Speech and Expression Policy and set me up for discipline the next time I transgress progressive orthodoxy.”  He also lambasted Georgetown’s anti-harassment policy which, as the university’s disciplinary report on Shapiro states, “Does not require that a respondent intend to denigrate or show hostility or aversion to individuals based on a protected status” and “Instead… requires consideration of the ‘purpose or effect’ of a respondent’s conduct.” Thus, Shapiro explains, “According to this theory, the mere fact that many people were offended, or claimed to be, is enough for me to have violated the policies under which I was being investigated.”  

 Nor was Shapiro’s persecution the only instance of Georgetown’s brutal repression of free expression. In March of 2021, Georgetown Law School fired one professor and placed a second on administrative leave for comments expressing “angst” that African-American students tend to earn grades near the bottom of the grading scale.

Footage captured two colleagues, Georgetown Law professors Sandra Sellers and David Batson, commiserating on a Zoom call over their experiences grading students.

“You know what? I hate to say this, I end up having this angst every semester that a lot of my lower ones are Blacks,” Sellers commented to Batson. “Happens almost every semester and it’s like ‘oh come on.’”

Sellers added, “I get some really good ones but there are also usually some that are just plain at the bottom, it drives me crazy… so I feel bad.” 

The video shows Batson nodding his head, possibly indicating agreement, but remaining silent while listening to his colleague.

When the video sparked a public uproar, Georgetown Law School Dean Bill Treanor immediately acquiesced to the mob and fired Sellers. For the apparent thought crime of possibly agreeing with Sellers, Professor Batson was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation, and later resigned.

The irony of this case lies in the fact that Sellers’ comments were the exact opposite of racist. She expressed her dismay that when assigning grades meritocratically, her African-American students, on average, earned lower grades than those of other races. This is a statement of fact, not evidence of discrimination. Instead of considering the professor’s legitimate concerns, Georgetown summarily fired her.

Nor have Georgetown’s students escaped the madness that is university cancel culture. In September 2019, the Georgetown University College Republicans held an event intended to combat climate alarmism and prove that the global situation is not so dire as many on the left have claimed.  A mob of student protestors crashed the event and ignored over 40 requests from the police to leave, resulting in the evacuation of the room and the temporary suspension of the event.

Joking about the incident in a conservative group chat, student Jack Wagner suggested “Can we call ICE on [the protestors].” Another student responded in kind, jesting “nah, it’s melting … climate change bro.”

This innocent exchange became the fodder for a campus mob to demand that Wagner be punished for his private joke. The campus group, Hoyas for Immigrant Rights, put out a statement claiming that Wagner’s “words are embedded in racism and white supremacy” and “ultimately created an unsafe environment for students at Georgetown University,” and asserting that Georgetown “must hold Jack Wagner accountable for his words.” Hundreds of students, dozens of faculty members, and 20 campus organizations signed on to this statement asking the university to take disciplinary action against a student for a private and inoffensive joke.

The irony, of course, is that Wagner’s joke was itself triggered by the actions of leftist students who executed a heckler’s veto and shut down the College Republicans’ event on climate alarmism, and yet faced zero repercussions from the university administration. Georgetown’s outright hostility towards free speech merits its place at the top of the list of fascist universities.