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Free Speech in Higher Education

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Participate in our debate

Give us your opinion on whether Greek life here at Radford University should be allowed to display their letters outside of their houses??

Feel free to express your opinion! 🙂

Posted on March 24, 2013March 24, 2013 by Brielle WarnerPosted in Uncategorized

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Fraternity / Sorority sign ban in Radford

City ordinances specifically ban the display of 'Greek' signs on houses in Radford's university district.
The Problem is that any government unit’s regulation of the specific content of speech is subject to strict scrutiny review by the courts. Under this review, government must prove that a regulation is:
1) necessary to achieve a “compelling state interest“ 
2) “narrowly tailored” to achieve this compelling interest; a
3) uses the “least restrictive means” to achieve the purpose.   
 Ordinances 120.1-64 and 120.1- 239 fail this test. 

Academic Freedom

Teddy Roosevelt picture from Duke University.
Teddy Roosevelt speaks at Duke University, 1903: “You stand for Academic Freedom, for the right of private judgment, for a duty more incumbent upon the scholar than upon any other man, to tell the truth as he sees it, to claim for himself and to give to others the largest liberty in seeking after the truth.” - US President Teddy Roosevelt, 1903

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