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As the 2016 Election Cycle Rages On, FIREReminds Colleges that Political Speech Is Free Speech

PHILADELPHIA, March 16, 2016鈥擜t too many colleges and universities nationwide, election season results in the censorship of political activity and speech on campus. To ensure that students and faculty are free to speak their minds in support of their preferred candidates, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) is proud to release an updated and expanded Policy Statement on Political Speech on Campus. 贵滨搁贰鈥檚 Statement provides an overview of the political speech rights of students and faculty at both public and private colleges nationwide.

With the 2016 presidential primaries well underway, FIREhas already written to American University and Georgetown University Law Center after both universities prevented students from campaigning on campus for their chosen candidates鈥擲enator Rand Paul at American University and Senator Bernie Sanders at Georgetown Law. Each university incorrectly claimed their tax-exempt status required them to restrict the students鈥 political speech.

Concerned by these incidents, the Subcommittee on Oversight of the U.S. House of Representatives鈥 Committee on Ways and Means held a hearing on 鈥溾 earlier this month. The Subcommittee is now collecting stories of campus censorship and email.

贵滨搁贰鈥檚 Statement details the freedom of political expression that students, student groups, faculty, and staff at public and private universities should demand at their institutions. While universities and colleges that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code are prohibited from participating in political campaigns as institutions, these prohibitions apply to the institution itself and those reasonably perceived to be speaking on its behalf, not to individual students, student groups, faculty, or staff engaged in their own expression.

鈥淓very election season, students nationwide face censorship for daring to talk politics or support a candidate. It鈥檚 like clockwork,鈥 said FIREVice President of Legal and Public Advocacy Will Creeley. 鈥淯niversity administrators continue to misinterpret the requirements of their institution鈥檚 tax-exempt status to silence political speech. So 贵滨搁贰鈥檚 policy statement aims to correct the record once again: political speech is free speech, and students and faculty must be allowed to express themselves politically on campus.鈥

Next month, FIREwill amplify this message for students attending a special FIRE Regional Workshop: Election 2016鈥擟ampaigning on Campus at Yale University on April 9. FIRE hopes students will leave the conference armed with a clear understanding of their political speech rights.

FIRE is a nonpartisan, nonprofit educational foundation that unites civil rights and civil liberties leaders, scholars, journalists, and public intellectuals from across the political and ideological spectrum on behalf of individual rights, freedom of expression, academic freedom, due process, and rights of conscience at our nation鈥檚 colleges and universities. 贵滨搁贰鈥檚 efforts to preserve liberty on campuses across America can be viewed at thefire.org.

CONTACT:

Katie Barrows, Communications Coordinator, 果冻传媒app官方: 215-717-3473; katie@thefire.org

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