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.
This, sadly, is not a new phenomenon. Since 2005, thirty states have seen some
version of this legislation introduced (whether that is Horowitz’s “academic bill
of restrictions,” ACTA’s “intellectual diversity” and “higher education
sunshine” bills or something similar). These
proposals would all force universities to favor balance and sensitivity over
actual scholarship—from hiring and promotion to curriculum development to guest
speakers. Rather than helping students,
as proponents claim they are trying to do, they would harm education in the name
of restricting information and views that people like Horowitz object to.
As we did last year, we’ll be working
closely with the Free Exchange on Campus coalition to stop these attempts. To find out more and keep track of the latest
legislation, please visit our coalition’s website, http://www.freeexchangeoncampus.org.
Bills introduced so
far include:
Colorado Senate Bill 45
Missouri House Bill 1315 and Senate Bill 983
Washington Senate Bill 6893
West Virginia House Bill 2884
Indiana House Bill 1139
Georgia House Bill 154
Oklahoma House Bill 2600
Virginia House Bill 118
And Mississippi Senate Bill 2651