More than 1,000 US students punished over speech since 2020, report finds

Study paints picture of universities increasingly willing to penalize students over expression of their views

Parker Hovis was four courses away from getting his computer science degree from the University of Florida when he was arrested along with several other students at a pro-Palestine protest on campus last spring. While the charges against him were dismissed and a school conduct committee recommended only minor punishment - a form of probation - the university president suspended him for three years. He'll be required to reapply if he wants to come back after that.

Hovis, who has since left Florida and is working to pay off his student loans despite never graduating, is one of more than 1,000 students or student groups that were targeted by their universities for punishment between 2020 and 2024 over their speech, according to a report published today by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (Fire). Some 63% of them were ultimately punished.