Free Speech and Academic Rights

Months after Southwestern College in California received national criticism for suspending three professors that spoke outside the campuses “free speech patio,” Peralta Community College is considering adopting new restrictions on campus speech. Though the speech policy is not finalized, the proposal would severely limit the places speakers can speak, would require they reserve space three business days in advance, would ban obscenity, profanity and amplification and would require that all notices on bulletin boards have an English translation.  It would also prohibit “disruptive behav

Police officers and the Virginia Commonwealth’s Attorney seized hundreds of photos from The Breeze’s offices this week, following a spring party that turned into a riot.  The officers threatened that they’d confiscate all of the equipment and documents from the paper’s office before the student editors agreed to turn the photos over. The police were investigating a party turned riot in a student heavy neighborhood near the James Madison University campus in Harrisonburg.  After the raid, the student editors sought legal counsel.  The photos are now temporarily sea

Following the cancellation of a speech from Prof. William Ayers at the University of Wyoming, students and faculty members are planning a rally for free speech.  Ayers, a professor at the University of Illinois-Chicago, became a lightning rod for controversy during the 2008 election because of his association with President Obama and his past involvement with the Weather Underground.  While Ayers has filed suit against the University, there has been little response from students or faculty members until now.  Sociology professor Dr. David Ashley, believes many of the faculty

This week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that could have repercussions for student organizations on most college and university campuses.  The case, Christian Legal Society v. Martinez, pits a student group against the University of California Hastings College of Law over the college’s non-discrimination policy. Christian Legal Society (CLS) is a national organization with chapters at multiple law schools.  The organization requires that members sign a statement of faith and avoid engaging in sex outside of a heterosexual marriage.  That statement of fai

Student newspapers in Virginia can no longer print advertisements for alcoholic beverages, following a Friday district court ruling. According to the ruling, campus publications are not exempt from a Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) rule prohibiting them from printing any ad referencing beer, wine or mixed beverages.  The only exception to the ban is for advertisements "in reference to a dining establishment."  The rule also bans specific mentions of drink specials or happy hours. The majority opinion stated that “though the correlation between advertising and demand a

By Levi Pine Student organizations at the University of New Mexico are protesting administrators' plan to deny funding to four student groups citing rising student fees. Protesting students have rapidly organized their allies in the UNM community to show President David Schmidly how much of the campus stands against the proposal to deny the groups funding that would come from a $10 fee increase. If President Schmidly approves the cap, recommended by Vice President of Student Affairs Elisio "Cheo" Torres, four organizations will not receive University funding, according to the student new

Last fall, two students at Tarrant County College students were prohibited from demonstrating in favor of licensed concealed handgun owners to be able to bring weapons on campus. This week a federal judge ruled that TCC violated the First Amendment rights of the students in barring them from holding these empty-holster protests. Judge Means said the college’s co-sponsorship provision, which limits students’ ability to invite off-campus organizations on campus, “prohibits students from the most basic forms of expressive activity — distribution of literature, use of signs and even assembly —

Eleven students were arrested at the University of California-Irvine for interrupting an address about Middle Eastern affairs by Michael Oren, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Oren left the stage for twenty minutes after four interruptions, and six more times after returning to the stage. Students shouted statements such as, “Michael Oren, propagating murder is not an expression of free speech!” After the event, both the UCI Muslim Student Union and the Muslim Public Affairs Council defended the arrested students' actions, but it is unclear whether the students were affiliated with eit