Crackdown? Mizzou moves to restrict free speech, prevent future protests
By Anthony Hennen | May 18, 2016 | Comments
image:
http://cdn.redalertpolitics.com/files/2015/11/11LmissouriWeb-master675.jpgJeff Roberson/Associated Press
To ensure students at the University of Missouri can’t protest like they did in the fall, administrators will enforce a 1949 rule to block encampments.
Though not intended as an anti-protest rule, it will be exploited as one, according to Inside Higher Ed.
The rule prohibits overnight camping, which protesting students did when they formed a tent city. The protests led to national media coverage, the resignations of a university president and chancellor, and a damaged reputation, according to the Kansas City Star.
The rule evaluation came from a university review to analyze the university response to student protests.
Other aspects of the review could restrict the free speech rights of University of Missouri students.
“Other policies under consideration by the committee include distribution of fliers, protests inside buildings and guidelines for how to reserve outdoor event spaces,” Mará Rose Williams wrote.
University officials pointed to “a health and safety concern” to defend its decision to enforce the overnight camping rule. Apparently, students are free to borrow federal loans, but cannot be trusted to judge the prudence of sleeping on campus grounds. The explanation, given the reason for the review, is a weak attempt to obscure the motivations for the policy change.
Bob Jerry, a law professor and chairman of the committee conducting the review, denied the policy changes were meant to prevent effective protests.
“He also said the committee was not created to limit free speech on the campus but rather to recommend rules, policies or best practices that he said would ‘preserve, protect and promote free expression, free speech and First Amendment rights on campus,’” the City Star wrote.
The recommendations that emerge from the committee will be considered during the school year with campus forums for students to voice concerns. If students aren’t careful, Missouri could succeed in restricting constitutionally protected forms of speech and expression.
Read more at
http://redalertpolitics.com/2016/05/18/crackdown-mizzou-moves-restrict-free-speech-prevent-future-protests/#QckcuomyDfVte8Vb.99
