Texas Woman’s U. – A Public School – Has Designated Free Speech Areas
“The school has no plans to eliminate those areas”
All public schools which try to designate certain areas for free speech must be called out.
The College Fix reports:
Texas public university has five ‘designated free speech areas’ on campus
Texas Woman’s University, a public university located in Denton, Texas, denotes certain areas of its campus where students are permitted to exercise their constitutional First Amendment rights. The school has no plans to eliminate those areas even as other schools and states have liberalized their campus speech regulations.
On the school’s main campus in Denton, there are several “designated free speech areas” where students can exercise their right to “the expression of personal politics, philosophy, religious viewpoints, surveys, or announcements,” according to the school’s website. These zones include several “grassy areas” and a patio at the student union.
The school outlines its free speech zone policy in Article I.16.a of its University Regulations and Procedures. “Those who wish to engage in an expressive activity (including literature distribution) may engage in such expressive activity in the University’s Free Speech area without prior registration or approval,” the policy claims. That policy lists five total areas on the Denton campus in which individuals may demonstrate.
“Any acts that are disruptive to the normal operations of the university, including classes and university business, or that invade the rights of others will not be tolerated,” the policy continues. The rule defines a disruptive activity as “obstruction, disruption or interference with classes, research, administrative functions or other university activities.”
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Comments
There is nothing wrong with designated “free speech areas”. They are useful and appropriate, a place where there are no or minimal restrictions on freedom of expression. They only become a problem when the administration imagines that having designated them the first amendment completely disappears on the rest of the campus.
If they bothered to ask their high-paid counsel they would know that while they may indeed restrict expression outside those areas, they can’t just make up whatever restrictions they like. Specifically, even in areas that are not public forums at all, while restrictions need not be content-neutral, they must still be viewpoint-neutral.