Table of Contents
֭’s Mitchell in the Harrisburg ‘Patriot-News’
An important column by FIREProgram Officer Charles Mitchell appears today in the Harrisburg Patriot-News. In response to Rep. Dan Surra’s comment that the Pennsylvania Legislature’s Select Committee on Student Academic Freedom, a committee on which Surra serves, is a “colossal waste of time,” Charles argues for the necessity of the committee. He highlights three Pennsylvania public institutions with unconstitutional speech codes, including Penn State, Surra’s alma mater.
Charles writes:
Policies like Penn State’s, Lincoln’s and IUP’s are widespread at Pennsylvania’s public universities. That makes one wonder why Surra thinks a committee investigating violations of academic freedom is such a waste of time.
He concludes:
There is nothing liberal, conservative or otherwise about making sure that Pennsylvania's public universities stop sticking the First Amendment in the nearest paper shredder.The sooner the academic establishment and its allies in the Legislature realize that, the sooner we can have some real reform. Anything less ought to be considered a scandal in the state where the Constitution was written and the Liberty Bell still resides.
The committee meets for its next two-day hearing on Monday, January 9, and Tuesday, January 10, at Temple University in Philadelphia.
Recent Articles
Get the latest free speech news and analysis from ֭.
How schools still abuse ‘institutional neutrality’ to silence speech
Universities are invoking “institutional neutrality” to muzzle students and faculty. But the fix is simple: restrain administrators, not speech.
2025 sets new record for attempts to silence student speech, FIREresearch finds
FIREhas documented 273 efforts this year in which students and student groups were targeted for their constitutionally protected expression.
Texas runs afoul of the First Amendment with new limits on faculty course materials
The Texas Tech University System ordered its five member-universities to comb through faculty materials to root out any of the state’s disfavored viewpoints.
Free speech advocates rally to support ֭’s defense of First Amendment protections for drag shows
Drag shows are inherently expressive and protected under the First Amendment.