Boston University students exercised their right to free speech to shout "obscenities" at a commencement event that would have been "the precursor to a fistfight" back in President Robert A. Brown's youth, according to a statement.

Political polarization recently led to a fiasco at Stanford University and to one Wayne State University professor getting arrested. Here are three states implementing programs that aim to champion civil discourse so voices can be heard, not silenced.

The Ohio Higher Education Enhancement Act would have broad implications across the state's 14 public universities, 23 colleges, and some private schools, mirroring similar proposals drafted by other states, along with some unique ones.

In response to what colleges and universities view as historic and systemic trends of racism, several have committed to hosting campus events on January 17 to foster dialogue on a difficult subject.