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==College and university campuses== {{multiple image | align = right | direction = vertical | header = | width = 225 | image1 = Texas Woman's University September 2015 62 (Mary Evelyn Blagg-Huey Library).jpg | caption1 = The free speech area on the campus of [[Texas Woman's University]] (above) and the sign that demarcates it (below). | image2 = Texas Woman's University September 2015 63 (free speech area).jpg }} The use of free speech zones on university campuses is controversial. Many universities created on-campus free speech zones during the 1960s and 1970s, during which protests on-campus (especially against the [[Vietnam War]]) were common. Generally, the requirements are that the university is given advance notice and that they are held in locations that do not disrupt classes. In 1968, the Supreme Court ruled in ''[[Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District]]'' that non-disruptive speech is permitted in public schools. However, this does not apply to [[private university|private universities]]. In September 2004, U.S. District Court Judge Sam Cummings struck down the free-speech-zone policy at [[Texas Tech University]]. <blockquote>According to the opinion of the court, campus areas such as parks, sidewalks, streets and other areas are designated as public forums, regardless of whether the university has chosen to officially designate the areas as such. The university may open more of the campus as public forums for its students, but it cannot designate fewer areas ... Not all places within the boundaries of the campus are public forums, according to Cummings' opinion. The court declared the university's policy unconstitutional to the extent that it regulates the content of student speech in areas of the campus that are public forums.<ref>Lora, Meghann. Texas Tech coming closer to new free speech policy'. ''[[The University Daily]]''. January 12, 2005. Retrieved from Lexis Nexis on December 20, 2006</ref></blockquote> In 2007, the [[Foundation for Individual Rights in Education]] released a survey of 346 colleges and Universities in the United States.<ref>Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. [http://www.thefire.org/Fire_speech_codes_report_2007.pdf Spotlight on Speech Codes 2007: The State of Free Speech on Our Nation's Campuses] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080228050057/http://www.thefire.org/Fire_speech_codes_report_2007.pdf |date=February 28, 2008 }}</ref> Of those institutions, 259 (75%) maintain policies that "both clearly and substantially restrict freedom of speech." In December 2005, the [[Libertarian Party (United States)|College Libertarians]] at the [[University of North Carolina at Greensboro]] staged a protest outside the university's designated protest zones. The specific intent of the protest was to provoke just such a charge, to "provoke the system into action into a critical review of what's going on."<ref name="UNCG">Withers, Lanita. UNCG drops speech-zone charges. ''[[News & Record]]'', January 18, 2004. Retrieved from Lexis Nexis on December 20, 2006</ref> Two students, Allison Jaynes and Robert Sinnott, were brought up on charges under the student code of conduct of "violation of respect",<ref>Stancill, Jane. UNCG in free speech battle. ''[[The News and Observer]]'', December 17, 2005. Retrieved from Lexis Nexis on December 20, 2006</ref> for refusing to move when told to do so by a university official.<ref name="UNCG"/> The university subsequently dropped honor code charges against the students.<ref name="UNCG"/> "University officials said the history of the free-speech zones is not known. 'It predated just about everybody here", said Lucien 'Skip' Capone III, the university attorney. The policy may be a holdover from the Vietnam War and civil rights era, he said.'"<ref name="UNCG"/> A number of colleges and universities have revised or revoked free speech zone policies in the last decade, including: [[Tufts University]],<ref name="USC">Vernarsky, Taylor. "Many students unaware of free-speech policy at U. Central Florida". ''Central Florida Future''. University of Central Florida, August 1, 2006. Retrieved January 1, 2007.</ref> [[Appalachian State University]],<ref name="USC"/> and [[West Virginia University]].<ref name="USC"/><ref>[http://archives.cnn.com/2002/EDUCATION/11/14/free.speech.zones.ap/index.html WVU drops 'free speech zone' policy] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071102154033/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/EDUCATION/11/14/free.speech.zones.ap/index.html |date=November 2, 2007 }}. [[CNN]], via [[Associated Press]]. November 14, 2002. Retrieved February 15, 2007.</ref> In August 2006, [[Penn State University]] revised its seven-year-old rules restricting the rights of students to protest. "In effect, the whole campus is now a 'free-speech zone.'"<ref>Smeltz, Adam. University ends policy of 'free-speech zones'. The ''[[Centre Daily Times]]'', August 16, 2006. Retrieved from Lexis Nexis on December 20, 2006</ref> Controversies have also occurred at the [[University of Southern California]],<ref>Hawkins, Stephanie. "USC students challenge speech policies". ''[[Daily Trojan]]''. University of Southern California, March 31, 2005. Retrieved from Lexis Nexis, January 1, 2007.</ref> [[Indiana University Bloomington|Indiana University]],<ref>Staff Editorial, ''[[Indiana Daily Student]]''. "Indiana U. student association halfway there". Indiana University, September 19, 2005. Retrieved from Lexis Nexis on January 1, 2007.</ref> the [[University of Nevada, Las Vegas]],<ref>Mitchell, Thomas. "Dissing authority, not crime, gets you time". ''[[Las Vegas Review-Journal]]'', December 3, 2006. Retrieved from Lexis Nexis on January 1, 2007.</ref> and [[Brigham Young University]].<ref>"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBAYTpTJXrQ Protest: BYU Shuts Down "Free Speech Zone"], YouTube, April 4, 2007.</ref><ref>[http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/218962/3/ Free speech zone at BYU]. Editorial, Daily Herald. Published April 23, 2007.</ref> At [[Marquette University]], an unattributed [[Dave Barry]] quote was attached to the door of the office that graduate student Stuart Ditsler shared with three other teaching assistants. It read, "As Americans we must always remember that we all have a common enemy, an enemy that is dangerous, powerful, and relentless. I refer, of course, to the federal government." Philosophy department chairman James South ordered Ditsler to remove the quote, calling it patently offensive. South claimed that the university's free-speech zone rules required Ditsler to take it down. University spokeswoman Brigid O'Brien Miller stated that it was "a workplace issue, not one of academic freedom."<ref>Pimentel. It's all a free-speech zone. ''[[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]]'', October 23, 2006. Retrieved from Lexis Nexis on January 1, 2007.</ref><ref>Foley, Ryan J. Free speech group ridicules Marquette for removal of Barry quote. Associated Press, October 18, 2006. Retrieved from Lexis Nexis on January 1, 2007.</ref> Ultimately, the quote was allowed to remain, albeit with attribution.<ref>McAdams, John. [http://mu-warrior.blogspot.com/2006/10/marquette-we-cant-allow-speech-to.html Marquette: We Can’t Allow Speech To Which Somebody Objects]. ''Marquette Warrior'' blog. October 19, 2006. Retrieved on January 1, 2007</ref> In addition, the [[Louisiana State University traditions#Free Speech Alley|Louisiana State University Free Speech Alley]] (or Free Speech Plaza) was used in November 2015 when Louisiana gubernatorial candidate [[John Bel Edwards]] was publicly endorsed by former opponent and Republican Lt. Governor [[Jay Dardenne]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Republican Dardenne Endorses Democrat Edwards |newspaper=The Shreveport Times|author=Hilburn, Greg |date=November 5, 2015 |url=http://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/2015/11/05/republican-dardenne-expected-endorse-democrat-edwards/75202702/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151218102816/http://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/2015/11/05/republican-dardenne-expected-endorse-democrat-edwards/75202702/?from=global&sessionKey=&autologin= |archive-date=December 18, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> The Consuming Fire Fellowship, a church located in rural Woodville, Mississippi, often sends members to convene at the university's Free Speech Alley to preach their views of Christianity. The members have often been met with strong resistance and resentment by the student body.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.consumingfirefellowship.org/About%20Us.htm | title=About Us}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lsureveille.com/fire-and-brimstone/article_e516030b-dd95-5460-88e3-6cf661980031.html|title=Fire and Brimstone|first=Amy BrittainChief Sports|last=Writer}}</ref> Ivan Imes, a retired engineer who holds "Jesus Talks" for students at the university, said in an interview that he advised students frustrated with the preachings of the Consuming Fire Fellowship, "to give the church a break. They don't understand love. They don't understand forgiveness. There are a lot of things in the Bible that they don’t understand, or at least don’t live out."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lsureveille.com/daily/ivan-imes-reflects-on-past-decade-in-free-speech-plaza/article_63856a46-5697-11e5-8927-ab7e44afca49.html|title=Ivan Imes reflects on past decade in Free Speech Plaza|first=Kevin|last=Miner|date=September 8, 2015}}</ref> {{As of|2017|3}}, four states had passed legislation outlawing public colleges and universities from establishing free speech zones. The first state to do so was [[Virginia]] in 2014,<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://www.thefire.org/virginia-bans-unconstitutional-campus-free-speech-zones/ |title=Virginia Bans Unconstitutional Campus 'Free Speech Zones' |publisher=Foundation for Individual Rights in Education |date=April 7, 2014 |access-date=March 31, 2017}}</ref> followed by [[Missouri]] in 2015,<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://www.thefire.org/missouri-governor-signs-law-banning-campus-free-speech-zones/ |title=Missouri Governor Signs Law Banning Campus 'Free Speech Zones' |publisher=Foundation for Individual Rights in Education |date=July 15, 2015 |access-date=March 31, 2017}}</ref> [[Arizona]] in 2016,<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://www.thefire.org/arizona-governor-signs-bills-protecting-free-speech-on-college-campuses/ |title=Arizona Governor Signs Bills Protecting Free Speech on College Campuses |publisher=Foundation for Individual Rights in Education |date=May 17, 2016 |access-date=March 31, 2017}}</ref> and [[Kentucky]] in 2017.<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://www.thefire.org/kentuckys-controversial-charlie-brown-bill-has-two-provisions-worth-celebrating/ |title=Kentucky's Controversial 'Charlie Brown' Bill Has Two Provisions Worth Celebrating |publisher=Foundation for Individual Rights in Education |date=March 21, 2017 |access-date=March 31, 2017}}</ref>
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