Whats with the “Red”, “Green”, and “Yellow” lights?
The traffic light system is a quick way of alerting readers about a school’s political and social environment. We have heard too many horror stories of students with conservative, libertarian, or religious principles who have attended allegedly “liberal” (e.g. free) institutions, only to find themselves isolated, ostracized, or even officially sanctioned for dissenting from campus orthodoxies. It’s an old story, but it bears retelling, and by recounting such incidents we try to keep institutions honest. Colleges have come to us asking why they got a Red or Yellow light, and we like to think we’re exerting some positive pressure on them to maintain an atmosphere of open inquiry. At the very least, we’re giving students and parents critical information that never makes its way into college viewbooks or onto their web sites. Then they can make an informed decision about which school deserves their tuition and their time.
