This web site began with a class of communications students in the spring of 2013 who challenged some of the constitutional infirmities in Radford (Va.) University speech policies.

Some of the policies changed as a result, and some should have changed but did not. The moral of the story? The struggle for freedom is endless, and it  requires patience, compassion and courage.

— Prof. Bill Kovarik, 2026

——-

Freedom of speech and press are fundamental rights guaranteed under Sec. 12 of the Virginia Constitution, the First Amendment of the US Bill of Rights,   Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,  and Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.

Academic freedom is specifically established in Article 13 of the EU Charter, and linked in the US to the First Amendment by Chief Justice Earl Warren in Sweezy v New Hampshire, 354 U.S. 234  (1957). The court’s opinion noted:

The essentiality of freedom in the community of American universities is almost self-evident. No one should underestimate the vital role in a democracy that is played by those who guide and train our youth. To impose any strait jacket upon the intellectual leaders in our colleges and universities would imperil the future of our Nation.  

And yet,  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, this web site  formed the report of a special topics class requested by then-provost Sam Minner in 2013. It continues to the present to track limits on student and faculty expression. Continue reading “R U Speechless?” →