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Student Union “no place for free political speech”
- San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center (new window)
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| The Director of Stanford University’s Old Union told students with Students Confronting Apartheid by Israel that the Old Union was “no place for free political speech” and that "controversial political exhibits" have no place in the building. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what should be encouraged in student meeting places on campus—whether the quad, student union, or any number of other venues. | |
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Free Press for California Student Journalists, Take Two!
- Palo Alto Online (new window)
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| Following up from 2006’s AB 2581—designed to ensure that college administrators weren’t able to exercise prior restraint over student news publications, California lawmakers are now working to ensure that newspaper advisors and other staff won’t be punished for the content of student publications. Unfortunately, that is sometimes a tactic to restrict what students publish in student-run news outlets. | |
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Arizona Legislation attempts to restrict students’ ability to form student organizations, among other things
- The Arizona Republic (new window)
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| Rep. Pearce (R-Mesa) has just spearheaded a “strike everything amendment” to SB 1108 that would forbid K-12 teachers from “denigrating American values and the teachings of western civilization.” The bill also forbids college students from forming a student-organization “based in whole or part on race based criteria” a provision that would seem to bar students from forming groups like a black student union, Chicano/a organization, etc. | |
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Opponents of the free exchange of ideas fail to prove their case
- City Journal--The Manhattan Institute (new window)
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| Over the past few years, organizations like the American Council of Trustees (ACTA) and Alumni, David Horowtiz’s “Students for Academic Freedom” and the National Association of Scholars (NAS) have attempted to convince legislators, the media and the general public that there is a crisis of political bias in higher education. Based on those claims, they’ve attacked individual faculty members and universities and have attempted to pass legislative restrictions on what faculty can teach and students can learn. Yet, none of these organizations have produced any evidence that there’s a problem to address. The Manhattan Institute’s latest study is a perfect example. | |
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| Last night, Georgia joined nearly 30 other states in rejecting bills that would hurt the free exchange of ideas in higher education. HB 154—Georgia’s version of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) “intellectual diversity” bill failed to even get a committee vote before the deadline for House action Thursday night. | |
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Virginians stand up for academic freedom…and WIN!
- The Flat Hat (new window)
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| Another attempt to regulate and restrict the free exchange of ideas in college classrooms has been rejected. Facing pressure from faculty members and students across the state, Delegate Landes has pulled his HB 118 from consideration. Though this year’s bill was a very watered down version of last year’s HB 1643, it still would have required the state legislature to scrutinize how classroom content and hiring decisions were conducted—a sure recipe for self-censorship. | |
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President of William and Mary forced out
- The Flat Hat--The College of William and Mary student newspaper (new window)
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| As many have probably already seen, the President of the College of William and Mary, Gene Nichol, resigned his position today following a Board of Visitors vote not to renew his contract. Looking at reports from the state and talking to students and faculty on the ground, it is tough see this as anything more than an attempt to restrict the free exchange of ideas on the William and Mary campus. If that is the case, it is a truly unfortunate decision. | |
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The Monologues are Back on!
- The Observer (new window)
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| More than two years after student organizers were told that the student-run Vagina Monologues were no longer welcome on the University of Notre Dame Campus, the Observer (Notre Dame’s student paper) reports the event is back on. Back in the 2005-2006 school year, the play was nearly canceled because the university administration thought it was too inconsistent with the values of a Catholic institution (a queer film festival was blocked the same year). Last year, students did eventually hold a production of the play, but had to find space off campus. | |
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Bills, bills, bills
- Free Exchange on Campus Coalition (new window)
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| This spring, the Center and our coalition, Free Exchange on Campus, have been hard at work building support against proposals to restrict the Free Exchange of Ideas on campus. So far, 9 states are considering legislation that would restrict the free exchange of ideas on campus (Colorado, Missouri—both in the House and Senate, Washington, West Virginia, Indiana, Georgia, Oklahoma, Virginia and Mississippi.) Similar to David Horowitz’s “Academic Bill of Restrictions,” this year’s “Intellectual Diversity” and “Higher Education Sunshine” bills seek to restrict the ability of faculty members to teach and students to learn in the name of ensuring that students aren’t exposed to information and ideas that the American Council of Trustees and Alumni’s (ACTA) disagrees with. | |
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Shutting down controversial events the wrong approach
- Free Exchange on Campus (new window)
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| David Horowitz, champion of the “Academic Bill of Restrictions” and similar attempts to restrict what students are able to learn in the classroom, will be promoting a series of events this month dubbed “Islamo-Fascist Awareness Week.” While neither we nor the Free Exchange on Campus Coalition we work with on academic freedom issues have a position on the content of these events, the controversial nature of the events provide us an opportunity to remind the campus community that even when they deeply disagree with the content of someone’s speech on campus, shutting that speech down is also unacceptable. | |
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Missouri takes steps to stop baseless criticism of higher education
- Free Exchange on Campus (new window)
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| Last spring, Missouri became what seemed to be ground zero for attacks on the free exchange of ideas on campus. Though they were never able to show evidence of a problem with political bias, student rights or academic freedom in statewide higher education, David Horowitz allies and ACTA (the American Council of Trustees and Alumni) lobbed every accusation they could think about against state higher education institutions. The resulting climate forced University officials, supporters of higher education, legislators and students to spend far too much time fending off baseless attacks. Last week, the Board of Curators took action to insulate Missouri higher education from these attacks in the future—hopefully ensuring that this year state leaders can focus on the real issues students face. | |
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Student editor will keep his job
- Rocky Mountain Collegian (new window)
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| As we recently noted, there seems to be a trend of attempts to censor student publications this fall. Fortunately, in the most highly publicized case, the Rocky Mountain Collegian, the Editor in Chief will not be removed over a controversial editorial. While the Board of Student Communications gave the editor a slap on the wrist, he will continue on in his same role. | |
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Censoring student journalists
- Rocky Mountain News (new window)
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| Already this fall at least three student newspapers (The Cavalier Daily, The Recorder and now the Rocky Mountain Collegian) are under heavy fire for their cartoon and editorial content. Certainly, everyone that is exposed to one of these publications is welcome to disagree with the student journalists and to express that disagreement to anyone who will listen. Unfortunately, critics of these student papers have not stopped there and are putting heavy pressure on anyone they can find to see cartoonists and editorial board members of these papers fired. | |
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Attacks on academic freedom outside the legislature
- Inside Higher Ed (new window)
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| Though we focus most often on the attacks on academic freedom and the free exchange of ideas that come from legislators, this summer saw its fare share of attacks on individual faculty. In Illinois, DePaul professor Finkelstein was both denied tenure and removed from teaching—a move many of his students felt had more to do with his politics than teaching. In California, the search for a dean for the new UC Irvine Law School was derailed this month when an offer to Professor Chemerinsky was rescinded—largely because of his controversial politics. | |
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Offensive cartoon leads to calls for firing a Virginia student cartoonist
- Washington Post (new window)
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| The Cavalier Daily (UVA student newspaper) has fired a cartoonist over a comic designed to highlight the problems of famine in Ethiopia. Though the comic was intended as joking social commentary, many around campus took it to be deeply offensive, prompting calls for the paper to fire the cartoonist. | |
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New statement on academic freedom responds to critics of the classroom
- American Association of University Professors (new window)
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| Fellow Free Exchange on Campus Coalition member AAUP (the American Association of University Professors) has released a new statement on academic freedom for professors. The statement is intended both to respond to critics of faculty like David Horowitz and to reaffirm the freedom faculty have in teaching their subject in the classroom. | |
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A different strategy to restrict the free exchange of ideas
- Wisconsin State Journal (new window)
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| While Wisconsin has not seen an “Academic Bill of Restrictions” or the so-called “Intellectual Diversity” bill yet, Assembly leaders appear to be promoting the same goals through the budget process. The budget passed by the Assembly removes funding for programs that have appeared too controversial or have bothered the politics of the Colleges and Universities Committee Chairman, Rep. Nass. | |
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9th Circuit Case Allows Student Government Campaign Spending Limits
- Inside Higher Ed (new window)
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| A panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the constitutionality of a $100 spending limit—arguing that it is reasonable given the educational goals of the Associated Students of the University of Montana (ASUM) election process. Though the case could have implications for the ongoing debate over campaign finance reform and does signal that the Ninth Circuit will view student governments in a different light than “real world” governments, it does not appear to have long-range implications for campus free speech—despite the plaintiff’s assertions. | |
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College Press Bill Heads to Gov. Blagojevich’s Desk
- Student Press Law Center (new window)
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| The Illinois Legislature has passed the College Campus Press Act—a measure to ensure that college journalists will not be censored. The bill, SB0729, would effectively negate the effects of the 2005 Hotsy v. Carter decision, which opened the door to public college administrators imposing prior review and restraint on student newspapers if the publication is not a designated public forum for student expression. Similar legislation was also introduced this year in Washington and Oregon, and was passed last year in California. | |
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Missouri Bill to Restrict the Free Exchange of Ideas Fails
- Free Exchange on Campus (new window)
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| Today, Missouri became the latest state where bills to restrict the free exchange of ideas on college campuses failed for the year, joining the other 11 states where this legislation has failed or shows no chance of passing before the end of the legislative session. Like bills defeated in Montana and Virginia this year, Missouri’s bill, HB 213, was promoted by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) and would have forced universities to restrict what faculty are able to teach and students are able to learn, as well as requiring annual reporting to the legislature. | |
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OR one step closer to guaranteeing free press for students
- Student Press Law Center (new window)
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| Oregon HB 3279 moved one step closer to passage yesterday as it passed out of the House Judiciary Committee. The bill, similar to measures this year in Washington and Illinois, would guarantee that student journalists' work wouldn't be subject to prior review-regardless of what ultimately happens in the legal fallout of the 2005 Hotsy v. Carter decision. | |
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Students, faculty testify against MO bill restricting the free exchange of ideas
- Free Exchange on Campus Blog (new window)
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| Student leaders and faculty representatives spoke out against Missouri’s HB 213, the so-called “Intellectual Diversity” Bill. Like the “Academic Bill of Restrictions” these bills seek to put political scrutiny and regulation on what faculty can teach and students can learn in Missouri schools. | |
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