Texas Governor Signs Law Protecting Free Speech on College Campuses
Tennessee & Texas -- Campus Free Speech Gains Ground Quietly in Many States | National Review
It seems that Texas is the 17th state to enact laws like this for college campuses.
This is interesting. So, if a heckler or some group of protesters wants to raise a ruckus to disrupt a speaker event, the law requires the college to impose some kind of disciplinary action.
Institutions of higher learning have traditionally been viewed as bastions for the free and open exchange of ideas, but now we're at the point where the government has to step in and remind them of that.
Tennessee & Texas -- Campus Free Speech Gains Ground Quietly in Many States | National Review
More states have passed campus free-speech bills in the past five months than in any other year in American history. Eight have been passed, seven enacted.
Moreover, this legislation comes at the very moment when campus speech codes are in a state of dramatic decline. In ten years, the percentage of surveyed universities with clearly unconstitutional speech codes (such institutions are “red light” in the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education parlance) has shrunk from a whopping 74.2 percent to 28.5 percent.
excellent, campus free-speech bills represent a true sledgehammer against censorship. At a stroke, they often do away with speech zones (which purport to limit free-speech activities to small sections of campus), obliterate speech codes, protect freedom of association, and mandate that students be made aware of their free-speech rights.
It seems that Texas is the 17th state to enact laws like this for college campuses.
The Texas bill isn’t perfect, but it’s quite good. It declares the “outdoor areas” of campus to be a “traditional public forum” — a designation that dramatically expands free-speech rights, it requires colleges to promulgate policies designed to protect free expression, protects student organizations from viewpoint-based discrimination, and protects the right of student groups to invite outside speakers. Critically, it prohibits the university from considering the “anticipated controversy” of an event before determining whether to approve a speaker or impose a fee for the event.
It has one troubling provision. The statute requires schools to “establish disciplinary sanctions” for those “who unduly interfere with the expressive activities of others.” The intention is good — to prevent “heckler’s vetoes” (shout-downs and other disruptions) that have plagued multiple campuses across the nation — but the expression “unduly interfere” is not defined.
This is interesting. So, if a heckler or some group of protesters wants to raise a ruckus to disrupt a speaker event, the law requires the college to impose some kind of disciplinary action.
Institutions of higher learning have traditionally been viewed as bastions for the free and open exchange of ideas, but now we're at the point where the government has to step in and remind them of that.