Posted on 01/11/2018 8:43:58 AM PST by reaganaut1
Free speech has been faring poorly on American college campuses. Many students don’t believe in it at all (a point I examined recently in this piece), and many administrators believe they can restrict it to small areas and only with their prior approval. The trustees and top officials at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) are in that group.
For the system’s flagship campus at Amherst, the officials have decreed a policy that places student First Amendment rights in a straightjacket. Free speech and rallies may only be held on a small plot of land (less than one percent of the total campus area of 1,400 acres), and only between noon and 1PM daily. Moreover, use of that space is not exactly free, since students must first ask permission to use it.
A student who finds this situation unacceptable is Nicholas Consolini, who is the president of the university’s chapter of Young Americans for Liberty. With the assistance of Alliance Defending Freedom, Mr. Consolini is suing the university.
One of the attorneys on the case, Caleb Dalton, points to the big problem with the school’s policy in this release, writing, ““UMass-Amherst’s speech policy contains provisions similar to those that courts have repeatedly struck down as unconstitutional at other schools. If the university wishes to demonstrate its dedication to the free exchange of ideas, it can do so by fixing its policy so that it’s consistent with the First Amendment.”
So, just what is wrong with the UMass Speech Zone Policy?
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
“...what is wrong with the UMass Speech Zone Policy?...”
The question is NOT what is wrong with UNASS policy...The REAL question is what is wrong with colleges and universities all across America????
Ah, yes.. Massachusetts—where the battle for our country was begun has morphed into—
“Massachusetts—where the battle was finally LOST”
Of course, NOT Massachusetts only. Too bad.
The logical sequence is simple: outside the “speech zone” the Constitution does not apply, meaning the rest of the campus is not America.
For one hour a day, women can dress as they please - any other time they have to wear burkas.
Sounds so liberating, right?
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