From the Chronicle of Higher Education: A state legislature says a new ban on “staging walkouts” at public universities will protect free speech by preventing protesters from disrupting campus speakers. But some faculty members and speech advocates believe it’s inappropriate to prohibit what they see as a legitimate form of protest at public campuses. That, and they argue that a walkout is one of the most peaceful and least disruptive forms of protest. The Tennessee legislation, sent to Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s desk Friday, is dubbed the Charlie Kirk Act — adding to a growing number of red states that are using the conservative activist’s legacy to reform campus speech. Despite HB 1476’s name association, Tennessee Rep. Gino Bulso, a Republican and the bill’s sponsor, said it is nonpartisan in nature.
The legislation directs public colleges to formally adopt certain elements of the University of Chicago’s policy on free expression, including one stating that students and others “may not obstruct or otherwise interfere” with viewpoints they don’t like. The Chicago Principles have been embraced by a number of colleges in the past dozen years. The bill then describes what it considers to be obstruction, including “staging walkouts” during an event or in the middle of an invited speaker’s remarks. It defines walkouts as “considerable disruption or distraction or the need to pause the event for any period of time, however short.” If a student or faculty member violates the walkout provision, they may be subject to disciplinary probation, followed by suspension and expulsion for subsequent violations, according to the legislation.
HB 1476 also prevents colleges from disinviting speakers due to their beliefs or in response to opposition from students or faculty...
Full story at https://www.chronicle.com/article/sit-and-stay-seated-walkouts-at-one-states-public-universities-could-soon-be-banned.
No comments:
Post a Comment