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Higher Ed & the 1st Amendment

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RU Speechless?

Freedom of speech and press are fundamental rights guaranteed under the Virginia Constitution, the First Amendment of the US Bill of Rights and Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

But freedom of speech is often not recognized in the one place where it ought to be respected the most:  A college campus in the USA.

Today many universities simply refuse to recognize First Amendment rights until they are forced to do so by a court. At Radford University, where this blog formed the  report of a class requested by then-provost Sam Minner, avenues for student expression are strictly limited in ways that are clearly unconstitutional. Continue reading →

what exactly is a “free speech zone”?

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The basic definition of a free speech zone is said to be an area where “policital activists” have the right for free speech in the United States. The use of free speech zones came from U.S. court decisions allowing the government to regulate the “time, place, manner” of expression but no the content. The purpose of the zones are to protect the protesters themselves and the gathering. Universities started to create the zones between 1960-1970’s in order to not disrupt any classes. In 1968, the Supreme Court ruled that non-disruptive speech is allowed in school (Tinker vs. Des Moines Independent Community School District) but this does not apply to PRIVATE universities.

Click Here for the full story: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_speech_zone