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果冻传媒app官方鈥檚 Catherine Sevcenko Explains the First Amendment to Iowa State

As Torch readers know, Iowa State University (ISU) is no stranger to free speech controversies. Two ISU students are currently suing ISU as part of 果冻传媒app官方鈥檚 , fighting for the right to use the school鈥檚 mascot on their student group鈥檚 T-shirts.

Recently, ISU鈥檚 Government of the Student Body (GSB) voted not to expand the school鈥檚 free speech zones. A GSB senator , saying that creating free speech zones all over campus would mean 鈥渇uture students may not have the option to avoid certain areas if they feel uncomfortable or offended by the discussion going on.鈥 The senator argued that ISU鈥檚 speech codes, rated 鈥渞ed-light鈥 by 果冻传媒app官方, do not need to be fixed because they鈥檙e 鈥渘ot broken.鈥

Today, 果冻传媒app官方鈥檚 to the Iowa State Daily to explain to students that not only are ISU鈥檚 speech codes 鈥渂roken,鈥 they pose a serious threat to students鈥 rights:

Actually, Iowa State鈥檚 system is very broken. So broken, in fact, that two students have sued the university for violating their free speech rights. Last January, administrators actually rewrote Iowa State鈥檚 trademark policy to forbid the school鈥檚 name from being associated with 鈥渦nhealthy behavior鈥 and then used the rule to censor T-shirt designs of the campus chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. Administrators didn鈥檛 explain how simply advocating for pot legalization could be unhealthy, and they still haven鈥檛. But complaints about the T-shirts from donors and state legislators could have proven hazardous to Iowa State鈥檚 fundraising efforts 鈥 apparently that was close enough.

ISU鈥檚 free speech troubles aren鈥檛 limited to free speech controversies and trademark policies, Catherine notes:

The problem lies in Iowa State's harassment policy, which says the university may prohibit speech that is 鈥渦nacceptable鈥 even if it doesn鈥檛 meet 鈥渢he legal definition of harassment.鈥 Who decides what is unacceptable? Bureaucrats at Iowa State, presumably. How do you know if you鈥檙e being unacceptable? Simple: You don鈥檛. That鈥檚 why rules like this are unlawful on America鈥檚 public campuses 鈥 there鈥檚 no way they can ever be fair.

Catherine also reminds ISU students that their rights are not subject to the whims of the school鈥檚 administration or student government:

The Constitution, the supreme law of the land, states that the government may not 鈥渁bridge the freedom of speech.鈥 There is no carve-out for the wishes of student senators or public university administrators. The Supreme Court has been crystal clear: A government actor like Iowa State can鈥檛 silence speech it doesn鈥檛 like nor can it silence a speaker because someone else might not like the message.

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