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FIRE’s Greg Lukianoff discusses how universities around the country inhibit the First Amendment.
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Can't this sort of a nasty title for a book -- so negative when it refers to is.
-- your reaction to all that yes we can't enthusiasm during the last election.
And frankly we -- if we means free people.
And in college you learned about some of that you develop your potential but of course you have to be.
Free to do at the trite things and above all to speak to have free speech college is supposed to be a laboratory of free speech.
However -- some campuses.
That's not the case let me ask you here at -- you pretty much allowed -- spate.
All right well that's good because -- you don't go to these people's colleges where other stuff has happened this is great blue piano.
He runs a group called fire which stands for foundation.
For individual rights and education and you come to -- -- students who get censored so students get censor all the time students.
In trouble for the most my leader -- things for publicly reading a -- with one of the things I was talking about on -- when it came when you're -- previously -- -- -- Florida State University by the -- actually have red -- speech codes code that would be laughed.
Out of court if they -- if they were challenged six or red lights the because a red light speech code is going to be in the way we -- -- codes that would that are unconstitutional public campuses and and I don't about the constitutional by as a -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- I believe it's something about offensive -- hurtful -- But but you can if you can see.
Your code at the fire about a where you can check out everything that's happened -- Florida State University but that's the thing is everybody thinks that -- schools the exception don't we want.
The its -- the central planners to protect us from offensive comments and this is one of the amazing big sort of bad that happens like at a day follows night in the -- on it when you have these -- in -- shock upon shock the administrators tend to ban the speech that is offensive to them that criticizes them that in some cases recently element in it for example Arizona State University -- criticized tuition -- Albeit it it it it's amazing -- -- -- servings cubic.
And if you band offensive speech that would take away much of what goes on and sports events well it does hit it does seem -- The overall principle is making everybody guilty -- advance pass -- code that so brought everything awarded he was guilty.
And then leave it up to an administrator to decide -- -- department.
All right -- -- to two students from other schools who turned a fire for help Eric Philips is from Auburn University you've got in trouble.
For putting a Ron Paul poster.
Banner in your -- room window.
And Chris -- of -- -- from the University of Cincinnati wanted to collect signatures for petition drive sounds harmless enough.
But your group was told you could only do it enough free speech zone what's.
What's -- free speech zone is so it's it's a quarter campus.
That they only allow demonstrations pickets and rallies to occur.
And it's not exactly a well traveled part of campus.
We -- there I'm trying to get signatures for.
Half an hour and six you you were getting signatures for our right to work drive that's correct it's in Ohio we can gather signatures to put an issue on the ballot this one was right to work.
What we called new university and an official said he wanted to do something on very short notice it.
Activities involve -- resource is so we've got a schedule -- resource.
That's what they told me and they certainly -- -- -- this time even though you asked within our five business day waiting period.
But that if you do it again you're gonna be denied and if you do it and here -- you do it anyway public safety will be contacted.
And they only said you could do at this time after you got fired help that's correct.
And it's funny because they keep on changing their stories of a home first of all they said that you'll be arrested for trespassing -- if you actually tried to engage -- -- to give us.
Then they claimed that -- this this is only for people for who are off campus not and then they tried to make the argument that was only for evangelical preachers and -- so you're trying to defend your unconstitutional policy by making it more unconstitutional.
Very interesting strategy.
Their response we're not here is an entity at the state of Ohio to provide a free speech forum that's not our mission our mission is to offer classes.
This is some university saying that sounds reasonable deal.
And it's funny because I feel like this is what administrator for doing.
They're duping students in -- it it into agreeing to terms AdSense for themselves they're basically -- in hero and contrasted we're gonna limit for example Texas Tech University have for have one busy but one point people like if you go for all 28 outlook for students.
At a university as the only place they can engage in free speech activities on the idea that that but that's but that's the minimum they have to do to it to protect.
Classes is just nonsense.
So you have -- -- of ten worst colleges for free speech you put it.
His school but yet you take any heat -- -- students okay with her they even know about.
All they know about it -- -- Simpson -- that listed I think it was Huffington Post.
When that was all over FaceBook I think one of my friends heard about it -- I even knew about it.
Eric you EU wanted to put up -- Ron Paul.
Banner yet six months ago but -- -- all manner and within three hours I was told I had take it down.
However in the last election somebody had an Obama hope banner and their window.
All throughout throughout the whole year and it was -- things is down so this is selective censorship -- here.
There silence maybe they change the policy since there.
And they did they did indeed -- Throughout my whole dorm building that I was and people left they're all -- vendors and their window performance afterwards and well they told us all materials regardless of content are prohibited from being posted a residence hall windows.
Well I seem to be the only exception for that -- they enforce that policy only on main out the sororities or the football players and my dorm where they seem to imply they just haven't gotten around the others here.
Well yeah they came into my room within three hours of me putting it up and said he had to watch me take it down.
However everybody else is was up for about four months it wasn't until the second letter from violently start to take it down but.
That the less prolonging it and they put it right back up after -- month.
Greg this is -- other places that was.
All over the place and we we even have a on the back of it he assured the university of thirty doing the right thing they -- claim this that is like Elvis is always been our policy it's like no you don't like a poster -- had taken down that you claimed this was always a -- policy.
When we have that evidence -- you know that they just kept on letting other people put up other signs the what that you could put up with -- In 2003 the University of Alabama and -- a ban on window decorations after students protested by hanging.
American flat well.
But I think that that's how they protest of the of the battle the battle window decorations which was so clever and I wish they would actually get that they do that and Auburn is that all all the students went.
We try to tells -- campus -- -- just how budgets also politics the American flag and they went uh oh.
We give up.
Yeah but there.
University of Texas and the its ban against signs in windows I -- university saying these are beautiful buildings we don't want all the signs hanging out there yeah.
Well and but based really show what it's about when they do do it so selectively but when they do and and also exhibit that -- that students are allowed to engage in.
Are being involved in the political process the idea that you can't have your you don't Obama or Ron Paul or tempore -- -- that's part of -- fund that that's not supposed to be something that you're supposed to be.
A freed up and hiding about university that's a good thing.
But university administrators -- in some cases I think they'd rather have everybody shut up and have anything be interesting -- offensive.
And although at his school apparently can't have an Obama -- the specific.
Thank you -- looking -- -- Eric Philips and --
