Category: Free Speech
Schools:
Modesto Junior College
On September 17, 2013, three Modesto Junior College (MJC) students distributed copies of the U.S. Constitution in front of the student center, in observance of Constitution Day. Roughly 10 minutes after they began, the students were approached by a campus police officer who informed them that students were prohibited from distributing materials without prior permission. When MJC student Robert Van Tuinen protested that such a restriction violated his right to free speech, the officer ignored his claims and directed him to the Student Development Office. There, Van Tuinen was told by MJC clerical staffer Christine Serrano that the school’s “time, place, and manner” policies required students to register events five days in advance and that all events must be held inside a small “free speech area.” Because the area was in use that day, Van Tuinen was not only told he would have to register his event, but that he might have to wait days—or even weeks—to hold it. FIRE wrote to MJC President Jill Stearns on September 19, 2013, pointing out that MJC’s actions were blatantly unconstitutional and calling on the school to immediately rescind its policies. When MJC did not do so, FIRE worked with Van Tuinen and the law firm of Davis Wright Tremaine to coordinate a lawsuit that was filed in federal court on October 10, 2013. The lawsuit was settled six months later after MJC revised its policies to allow free expression in the open areas of campus and paid Van Tuinen $50,000 for legal expenses and to compensate him for the violation of his First Amendment rights.
Victory: Modesto Junior College Settles Student’s First Amendment Lawsuit
2013 in Review: Threats from Washington, Victories in the States
California College Suspends Speech Restrictions Amidst Settlement Talks
Letter from Eileen O’Hare Anderson to FIRE
FIRE Letter to Modesto Junior College
Modesto Junior College Free Speech Area
Video of Students Being Shut Down for Distributing Constitutions
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Friday Interview: Fighting College Free-Speech Restrictions
November 21, 2014
By CJ Staff at Carolina Journal RALEIGH — Stroll through a college campus, and you expect to hear debate about a range of good, bad, and even crazy ideas. But too many colleges place limits on debate or restrict the free exchange of ideas to small, out-of-the-way sections of campus. Robert Shibley, senior vice president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, recently discussed higher education free-speech restrictions with Mitch Kokai for Carolina Journal Radio. (Click here to find a station near you or to learn about the weekly CJ Radio podcast.) Kokai: You recently wrote a column for […]
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Public University Threatens Students Passing Out U.S. Constitution Outside ‘Free Speech Zone’
October 15, 2014
By Ashley Dobson at Red Alert Politics Southern Oregon University officials threatened a group of four students with disciplinary action and a call to the police after the group was seen passing out U.S. Constitutions outside of a designated “free speech zone.” The public university currently has a “zone” amounting to less than 1 percent of the campus where students are allowed to pass out pamphlets and espouse their opinions. While passing out the copies and collecting signatures against this policy, the students were spotted in a “residential area” by campus officials, Campus Reform reports. The students were on a sidewalk […]
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FIRE’s Mounting Lawsuit Attacks Bringing Free Speech Back to College Campuses
September 24, 2014
By Nat Hentoff at CATO Institute In what may become the most compelling free-speech campaign in our educational history, FIRE (Foundation For Individual Rights in Education) has embarked on a lawsuit campaign to restore and guarantee the existence of free speech on our college campuses. Speaking before the National Press Club in Washington on July 1, Greg Lukianoff, President of FIRE, first focused on speech codes that ban from college campuses such offensive speech as “inconsiderate jokes” and “inappropriately directed laughter” and — believe it or not — passing around copies of the Constitution. Yes, our Constitution! These speech codes also […]
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Speech Free and FIRE-d up on U.S. Constitution Day at Modesto Junior College
September 17, 2014
By Nan Austin at The Modesto Bee The First Amendment got some exercise at Modesto Junior College, with free-speech walls displaying the profound as well as the profane. Student groups handed out copies of the U.S. Constitution on both MJC campuses in honor of Constitution Day. “I like it. I think it’s a good way to get things in a public forum,” said theater major Ethan Lang on Wednesday after posting this quote by a favorite comedian, the late George Carlin: “The best thing about anything is not knowing what it is.” Looking around the posts, Lang said, “You can see […]
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Modesto Junior College Free-Speech Activist, Student Groups Join to Celebrate Constitution Day
September 12, 2014
By Nan Austin at The Modesto Bee This Constitution Day, student groups at Modesto Junior College will come together to hand out free copies of the U.S. document. Among them will be the man who last year sued the school to protect students’ right to free speech. The Associated Students of Modesto Junior College, College Republicans and Pirates for Liberty Club will distribute the Constitution copies from noon to 2 p.m. Wednesday in the east campus quad and on the west campus outside of the Mary Stuart Rogers Student Learning Center. “We want to inform students on their basic rights as […]
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This Academic Year, Colleges Should Eliminate Speech Codes — or Prepare for Their Day in Court
September 2, 2014
By Azhar Majeed at The Huffington Post One would think that American colleges and universities do not need many added incentives to uphold the free speech rights of their students and professors. After all, protecting freedom of speech on campus meets universities’ legal obligations under the First Amendment (in the case of public institutions) and honors institutional promises of free speech made in official handbooks and materials (in the case of private schools). Doing so allows students and faculty members to exchange diverse viewpoints with one another and to learn from their fellow classmates or colleagues. And it ultimately benefits […]
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Trending: Conservatives, Christians Take Campus Battles to Court – And Win
August 11, 2014
By Jennifer Kabbany at The College Fix They’ve been ordered not to hand out copies of the U.S. Constitution. They’ve been denied promotions because of their faith. They’ve been forced to help pay for abortion-inducing birth control. They’ve been judged solely by the color of their skin. And they’re fighting back. And they’re winning. Conservative and Christian students and professors who have been denied free speech or faced discrimination and religious persecution because of their beliefs have recently enjoyed a string of courthouse victories in what’s amounting to something of a banner year for such causes. There’s been at least six […]
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Colleges: Drop Your Speech Codes
August 8, 2014
By David Moshman at The Huffington Post This summer, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) initiated four new First Amendment lawsuits against college censors. Additional lawsuits will follow, it announced, until unconstitutional speech codes, which are common across the nation, have been eliminated. How should college officials respond? Here’s some free advice: Join the quest for intellectual freedom in higher education. Eliminating a speech code costs nothing, will make you look good, may avoid a lawsuit and, best of all, is the right thing to do. I will elaborate on these four reasons below. But first, let’s look more closely at college […]
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New Video: More Shocking Details at College That Tried to Quarantine the Constitution
July 9, 2014
By Susan Kruth at The Huffington Post Last September 17, Modesto Junior College (MJC) student Robert Van Tuinen planned to celebrate Constitution Day by handing out copies of the Constitution at the California public campus. Plainly ignoring the guarantees of the First Amendment, campus security and a member of the MJC staff told Van Tuinen that he could hand out his written materials only in a small “free speech zone” and only with prior permission. So Van Tuinen took MJC to court, ultimately securing his and his peers’ rights to free expression with the help of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education […]
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Pond Could Work Wonders to Help Tuolumne County through Drought
July 7, 2014
By Jeff Jardine at The Modesto Bee IMPORTANT PUDDLE – Most years, if someone emailed you a press release extolling the completion of a 26.2 acre-foot reservoir, the response might be “LOL! Where’s the Epsom salts?” But in a drought, every gallon counts. That is why the Tuolumne Utilities District is ballyhooing the expansion of its Matelot Reservoir near Columbia. Just six weeks ago, it had a capacity of 6 acre-feet. The bigger, better version holds enough water to supply customers in the Columbia area for about three weeks and also supplies the Cal Fire Columbia Air Attack Base. Normally, the reservoir […]
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MJC Given Muzzle Award Over Constitution Incident
April 9, 2014
By Nan Austin at The Modesto Bee Modesto Junior College has earned the dubious national distinction of a 2014 Jefferson Muzzle award, one of nine instances of what the judges considered egregious attempts to censor free expression. MJC made the list for denying a student the right to hand out free copies of the U.S. Constitution on Constitution Day, Sept. 17. A staff member was caught on videotape saying free speech was available only during a reserved time slot on a small concrete area on the east campus quad. On the list compiled by the nonprofit, the Virginia-based Thomas Jefferson Center […]
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Are US colleges and universities becoming free-speech-free?
March 10, 2014
by Richard Cameron at Communities Digital News WASHINGTON, March 10, 2014 – Earlier this month, a Harvard senior named Sandra Y.L. Corn wrote an opinion piece in the university’s student publication, Crimson, arguing that academic freedom be tossed overboard in favor of an arbitrary standard of ‘academic justice’. The idea was that because Harvard still permits Professors to even discuss ideas, concepts and theories which the majority (or perhaps – bellicose minority) of the student body considers politically incorrect, a narrow, sanitized curriculum should be adopted, which entirely excludes opposing propositions. A tsunami of intolerance among progressives is leaving academic blight in it’s wake […]
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Going in reverse down free-speech road?
March 8, 2014
By Jeff Jardine at The Modesto Bee Fifty years ago this fall, the Free Speech Movement rocked the UC Berkeley campus. The short version: It represented a clash between school/government officials who sought to stop students from promoting and raising funds for political causes on the campus by declaring rules prohibiting such activities would be strictly enforced. The administrators, in essence, had created a double standard: The military could set up recruiting stations on campus as the Vietnam War ramped up, yet students were told they couldn’t set up tables at the corner of Bancroft and Telegraph avenues. What began as […]
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Another problematic policy bites the dust
March 7, 2014
by Bog Kellogg at OneNewsNow A California junior college has to fork over $50,000 to settle a lawsuit for previously refusing to deal with its unconstitutional speech policies. When Modesto Junior College student Robert Van Tuinen tried to hand out copies of the Constitution on Constitution Day, he was told that was not permitted on campus. Then when he took a video camera to meet with a school official and plead his case, Robert Shibley of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) says the student was turned away. “When he brought his concerns to the folks at Modesto, obviously, as you […]
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The search for truth at Modesto Junior College
March 6, 2014
by Debra J. Saunders at SFGate Last year in a column, “Speaking Truth to Power at Modesto Junior College,” I wrote about Army veteran/student Robert Van Tuinen who decided to celebrate U.S. Constitution Day on Sept. 17 by handing out copies of the Constitution at said institution of higher learning. A security guard told Van Tuinen that he couldn’t hand out the Constitution. An administrative aide explained the campus “time-place-and-manner free speech area.” Van Tuinen reached out to academic freedom group The FIRE and sued. The Yosemite Community College District reportedly settled the lawsuit. Or maybe not. Here’s a link to the settlement. Then Chancellor Joan E. Smith wrote this […]
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Good week for backers of personal liberties
March 3, 2014
By Jim Sbick at Times News Online Safeguarding our personal liberties one of the most important features of a democratic society was in the news cycle last week. Thursday marked the fifth anniversary of the Tea Party, one of the major grass-roots groups whose members believe that the federal government has become too large and powerful. Supporters are strongly dedicated to the Constitution, free-market policies, and reducing the national debt and federal budget deficit by reducing U.S. government spending and taxes. Tea party support has declined some since 2010, when the health care law was the the focus of opposition. […]
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Oakland Tribune editorial: Modesto Junior College right to admit its mistake and remove campus free-speech limits
February 28, 2014
Editorial at Inside Bay Area News Sometimes, the student can be the teacher. That’s a lesson driven home to officials at Modesto Junior College on Monday as they agreed to pay $50,000 to MJC student and Army veteran Robert Van Tuinen in settlement of a lawsuit alleging that the college had violated his free-speech rights. Van Tuinen’s suit was brought last fall after campus officials tried to prevent him from handing out copies of the U.S. Constitution to other students in a public area of the campus — on Constitution Day, no less. They argued that doing so was against their […]
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California College Student Wins Settlement in Free Speech Case
February 27, 2014
By Bethany Monk at CitizenLink An Army veteran who was prohibited from handing out copies of the U.S. Constitution last year — on National Constitution day — won a settlement against a California college earlier this week. Robert Van Tuinen was attempting to hand out copies of the document on Sept. 17, the 226th anniversary of its signing. A Modesto Junior College (MJC) campus security guard told him he had to register first. Greg Lukianoff, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), said Van Tuinen was also told he had to remain inside a “free speech area.” He […]
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‘Freedom wins,’ says Modesto Junior College student, but free speech lawsuit settlement not final
February 27, 2014
by Nan Austin at The Modesto Bee MODESTO — The Yosemite Community College District has opened up free-speech areas as sought by a federal lawsuit, but a settlement announced earlier this week has not happened, Chancellor Joan Smith said. Robert Van Tuinen, a Modesto Junior College student, filed the lawsuit Oct. 10 after MJC staff prevented him from handing out copies of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, Constitution Day. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education paid the legal costs to file the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Fresno, Van Tuinen said at the time, adding he did not expect […]
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Student Prevented From Handing Out Copies Of The Constitution Wins Lawsuit Against College
February 27, 2014
by Tim Cushing at TechDirt from the free-speech-can’t-be-‘zoned’ dept Robert Van Tuinen, the Modesto Junior College student who was told by school administration that he couldn’t pass out copies of the Constitution on campus, has won his lawsuit (filed with FIRE [Foundation for Individual Rights in Education]) against the school. California’s Modesto Junior College (MJC) [has] agreed to settle a First Amendment lawsuit filed last October by student Robert Van Tuinen, whom the college prevented from handing out copies of the Constitution on Constitution Day… As part of the settlement, MJC has revised its policies to allow free speech in open areas across campus and has agreed […]
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Student teaches a lesson
February 27, 2014
From an editorial by The Bay Area News Service Sometimes, the student can be the teacher. That’s a lesson driven home to officials at Modesto Junior College on Monday as they agreed to pay $50,000 to MJC student and Army veteran Robert Van Tuinen in settlement of a lawsuit alleging that the college had violated his free-speech rights. Van Tuinen’s suit was brought last fall after campus officials tried to prevent him from handing out copies of the U.S. Constitution to other students in a public area of the campus — on Constitution Day, no less. They argued that doing […]
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Contra Costa Times editorial: Modesto Junior College right to admit its mistake and remove campus free-speech limits
February 26, 2014
Contra Costa Times editorial at Bay Area News Group Sometimes, the student can be the teacher. That’s a lesson driven home to officials at Modesto Junior College on Monday as they agreed to pay $50,000 to MJC student and Army veteran Robert Van Tuinen to settle a lawsuit that alleged the college had violated his free-speech rights. Van Tuinen’s suit was filed last fall after campus officials tried to prevent him from handing out copies of the U.S. Constitution to other students in a public area of the campus — on Constitution Day, no less. They argued that doing so was […]
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College Loses Its Battle Against Free Speech
February 26, 2014
By B. Christopher Agee at Western Journalism While this individual win is good news, patriots must remain vigilant in exposing speech police across the nation to maintain our freedom for future generations. Many of America’s college campuses – especially in the deep blue state of California – are notoriously unhospitable to those espousing any conservative values. Apparently, existing in such a cloistered environment has given some administrators the idea that alternative viewpoints may be silenced. Fortunately for supporters of the First Amendment, at least one college learned an important – and costly – lesson about freedom of speech from a student whose […]
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California College Settles Lawsuit Alleging 1st Amendment Violation Of Student Who Handed Out Constitution Copies
February 26, 2014
by Ben Bullard at Personal Liberty Digest In September, we wrote about how one college student’s civic-minded attempt to exercise his 1st Amendment guarantee of free speech backfired awfully at a California junior college. But after a lawsuit and several rounds of bad publicity, the college has backed down, agreeing to pay damages and promising to lift its restrictive “free speech zone” policy. The settlement was a bargain for Modesto Junior College, which bought its way out of bigger potential legal and public relations headaches by agreeing to alter its unConstitutional campus policy and paying plaintiff Robert Van Tuinen $50,000 in damages. In […]
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Calif. student whose 1st Amend. rights were violated by college wins suit
February 26, 2014
by Katie LaPotin at Red Alert Politics Congratulations go out to Modesto Junior College student Robert Van Tuinen, who has prevailed in his suit against the school for violating his First Amendment right to free speech. The outcome effectively ensures that all college students in the future are permitted to distribute copies of the United States Constitution on campus for years to come. Van Tuinen filed suit in federal court last October against the school and the Yosemite Community College District, charging the district with violating both his First Amendment right to free speech and his right to free speech as guaranteed […]
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Calif. college student wins $50K settlement in free speech case
February 26, 2014
by Jessica Chasmar at The Washington Times A California student, who was ordered by school officials to stop handing out copies of the Constitution on National Constitution Day, has won a $50,000 settlement against Modesto Junior College. Robert Van Tuinen, 26, also won an agreement to have his school revise its speech codes, which previously limited free speech to a small area students had to register to use, Fox News reported. “They were maintaining an unconstitutional speech code, and now any of my fellow students can go out and exercise their right to free speech,” Mr. Van Tuinen, an Army veteran, told Fox. […]
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California college student teaches school $50,000 lesson on Constitution
February 25, 2014
At Fox News.com A California college student who was blocked last year from handing out copies of the Constitution gave his school a lesson in civics and the law, winning a $50,000 settlement and an agreement to revise its speech codes. Robert Van Tuinen, 26, settled with Modesto Junior College just five months after his run-in with school officials on Sept. 17 – National Constitution Day. Van Tuinen said he’s more excited about getting the school to revise its speech codes, which previously confined the First Amendment to a small area students had to sign up to use. “They were maintaining […]
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California College Learns $50,000 Lesson in Fight With Student Over First Amendment
February 25, 2014
by Jason Howerton at The Blaze Last year, Modesto Junior College in Modesto, Calif., ordered a student not to pass out copies of the Constitution. On Monday, the school agreed to a $50,000 settlement and vowed to revise its policies to encourage free speech on campus, a decision officials reached as a result of the student’s First Amendment lawsuit. Robert Van Tuinen, 26, applauded the decision, telling FoxNews.com that the college was enforcing an “unconstitutional speech code.” He said he is happy that his fellow students can all now “go out and exercise their right to free speech.” As reported by TheBlaze in […]
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College Loses War Against Constitution
February 25, 2014
by Alec Torres at National Review Online In a big win for free-speech rights on college campuses, Modesto Junior College in California settled a lawsuit with a student who was barred from handing out copies of the U.S. Constitution on Constitution Day. Last September, Robert van Tuinen was told by a campus police officer and a college administrator that he could not pass out Constitutions in a public space without permission from the college or outside of the designated “free-speech zone.” The orange area is the college’s previous “free-speech zone,” the red is where van Tuinen passed out Constitutions. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) […]
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After First Amendment Lawsuit, California College Settles with Student Stopped from Distributing Copies of Constitution
February 25, 2014
by Greg Lukianoff at The Huffington Post Last September 17, Modesto Junior College told student Robert Van Tuinen that he couldn’t hand out copies of the Constitution on campus in honor of the Constitution Day. Last night, Modesto Junior College signed a settlement agreement with Van Tuinen, ending his First Amendment lawsuit. As part of the settlement, MJC has substantially reformed its policies and agreed to pay Van Tuinen $50,000. HuffPo readers will remember that back in September, I wrote about Van Tuinen’s case at Modesto Junior College (MJC) in California. With the assistance of my organization, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), Van […]
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Students may now hand out copies of the Constitution on this campus (they couldn’t before)
February 25, 2014
by Robby Soave at The Daily Caller A Modesto Junior College student has prevailed in his lawsuit against the administration, meaning that students will now be permitted to exercise their constitutional rights to distribute copies of the Constitution anywhere on campus. Last year, student Robert Van Tuinen attempted to celebrate Constitution Day by handing out copies of the U.S. founding document, which codifies the rights against oppressive public institutions. A campus police officer forced him to cease his activities and hauled him before an administrator, who told Van Tuinen that he was in violation of school policy. He could only […]
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Modesto Junior College Reaches Settlement With Robert Van Tuinen in First Amendment Lawsuit
February 25, 2014
by Russell Westerholm at University Herald Modesto Junior College (MJC) has agreed on a settlement with a student named Robert Van Tuinen in a First Amendment lawsuit. Five months ago, Van Tuinen posted a video of a campus police officer telling him he had to be in a “free speech area” to pass out copies of the U.S. Constitution on Constitution Day (WATCH the video below). Since, he has been assisted by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) and represented by Davis Wright Tremaine LLP in Washington, D.C. in filing a lawsuit against the school. According to a press release […]
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College Settles Lawsuit Filed by Constitution-Loving Student
February 25, 2014
by Staff at The Washington Free Beacon A college sued by a student prohibited from passing out copies of the Constitution expanded free speech protections and provided $50,000 to the wronged student as part of a settlement reached last night to end the lawsuit. Robert Van Tuinen, who was banned from passing out copies of the Constitution last September, filed alawsuit against Modesto Junior College in October. A videotape of Van Tuinen being told he needed a permit and could only hand out the copies in a small area set aside for free speech at the college sparked widespread criticism. Modesto has revised its policies to allow […]
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Modesto Junior College, Columbia College parking costs to jump
February 13, 2014
by Nan Austin at The Modesto Bee Parking fees will double for most at Modesto Junior College and Columbia College this summer. The first parking pass increases in 22 years were approved unanimously by the Yosemite Community College District Board. Wednesday’s decision will raise charges starting with summer session: • Student parking permits will increase from $7.50 for summer to $15; fall and spring semester permits will rise to $30 from $20. • Daily parking fees at both campuses will double, from $1 to $2. • Full-time staff permits will double, from $30 per year to $60. • Part-time staff permits will remain $15 per […]
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A new argument for hate-speech laws? Um … no
February 4, 2014
by Jonathan Rauch at The Washington Post You know, it’s actually kind of refreshing to read a good old-fashioned listener’s-veto critique of the First Amendment. Like sleeve garters, this is not something we see much of anymore. In a recent Daily Beast article, Thane Rosenbaum of Fordham Law School points out that hate speech and the like can cause serious pain and suffering. From there he jumps to the conclusion that such speech should be restricted. “Free speech should not stand in the way of common decency.” Hmm. That’s a big jump, from harm to restriction. Of course homophobic and anti-Semitic expressions hurt […]
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In Virginia, Education Isn’t Always Liberal
January 29, 2014
by A. Barton Hinkle Reason.com Virginians who think of colleges and universities as bastions of free inquiry and no-holds-barred arenas for intellectual engagement might be shocked at how inaccurate that picture can be. Some of the state’s colleges and universities have put in place policies that make a mockery of such notions. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) has issued a report on the state of free speech on U.S. campuses. It makes for dispiriting reading. Fewer than half the institutions in America provide a robust defense of free expression. Virginia’s record is likewise mixed: Six of its public institutions – Christopher Newport, […]
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YCCD to make changes to free speech policy
January 5, 2014
by Nan Austin at The Modesto Bee
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2013′s dumbest campus free speech cases
December 30, 2013
by Robert Shibley at The Daily Caller
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YCCD gets extension in Modesto Junior College free speech lawsuit
December 28, 2013
by Nan Austin at The Modesto Bee
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VIDEO: College eliminates free speech zone after student sues school for refusing to allow him to pass out pocket Constitutions
December 18, 2013
by Timothy Dionisopoulos at Campus Reform
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Yosemite Community College District board to address free speech policy on campuses
December 9, 2013
by Nan Austin by The Modesto Bee
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University of Texas-Austin And Some Students Choose Censorship Over More Speech
November 30, 2013
by Ken White at Popehat
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Tinker continues crusade for First-Amendment, student empowerment
November 5, 2013
By Katy Cardin at USA Today College
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Professor Fires Off Lengthy Email In Defense Of Student Forbidden From Handing Out Copies Of The Constitution
November 1, 2013
by Tim Cushing at Techdirt
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Charles C. Haynes: Are colleges conceding their role as free speech bastions?
October 30, 2013
by Charles Haynes at The Times Herald
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Modesto Junior College Student Files Lawsuit Alleging Violation of First Amendment Right to Free Speech Read
October 11, 2013
by Russell Westerholm at University Herald
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Student stopped from handing out Constitutions on Constitution Day sues
October 10, 2013
by Tal Kopan at POLITICO
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College’s hindering of free speech both disturbing and unconstitutional
October 10, 2013
by Charles Haynes at Livingston County Daily Press & Argus
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MJC student files freedom of speech lawsuit against college
October 10, 2013
by Nan Austin at The Modesto Bee
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Free speech is being zoned out on campus
October 4, 2013
by Charles Haynes at Albert Lea Tribune
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Watch This College Student Get Busted By School Officials For Distributing the U.S. Constitution
September 25, 2013
by Peter Bonilla on PolicyMic
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EDITORIAL: Remembering the Constitution
September 25, 2013
Editorial at The Washington Times
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Student denied constitutional rights speaks out against college
September 24, 2013
by Robby Soave at The Daily Caller
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California college investigates unconstitutional anti-Constitution policy
September 23, 2013
by Robby Soave at The Daily Caller
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California college investigates unconstitutional anti-Constitution policy
September 23, 2013
by Robby Soave at The Daily Caller
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BEGGS: It All Depends on What the Meaning of “Free” Is
September 21, 2013
by Leslie Beggs at The Modesto Bee
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College student claims he was denied free speech
September 20, 2013
by Tim Daly at News 10
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Video Shows Student And Officer Arguing Over Free Speech Rights On Campus
September 20, 2013
25-year-old student Robert Van Tuinen was passing out pocket-sized constitutions at Modesto Junior College in California to celebrate Constitution Day on September 17. However, he was quickly stopped by a police officer. The confrontation was caught on camera. The police officer tells Robert that he can only pass out constitutions in a designated spot on campus, a free speech spot, and only if he obtains permission in advance from school security. Robert proceeds to ask the officer if he thinks that is a violation of free speech and first amendment rights, to which the officer replies, “I’m sure it is…but […]
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California College Campus Bars Student From Handing Out Copies of the Constitution
September 20, 2013
by Heather Ginsberg at Townhall.com
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Calif. college student stopped from handing out Constitution on Constitution Day (Video)
September 20, 2013
by Joe Newby at Examiner.com
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This Student’s Constitutional Rights Were Violated On the Day Intended to Celebrate Them
September 20, 2013
by Gerard Emershaw at PolicyMic
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Students Told They Can’t Pass Out Constitution on Constitution Day
September 20, 2013
Edtiorial at The Washington Free Beacon
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Video: Cali. College Stops Student From Handing Out Constitutions On Constitution Day
September 20, 2013
by Mikael Thalen at InfoWars.com
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Freedom of speech? College student stopped from handing out copies of the Constitution
September 20, 2013
on RT.com
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Video: California college forbids passing out Constitutions… on Constitution Day
September 20, 2013
On Hot Air
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Student barred from distributing copies of the Constitution –on Constitution Day!
September 20, 2013
On Catholic Online
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Calif. Student Told to Stop Passing Out Constitutions on Constitution Day
September 20, 2013
by Alec Torres at National Review Online
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California college bars student from handing out copies of Constitution
September 19, 2013
on Fox News
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Modesto Junior College Student Stopped From Handing out Copies of the U.S. Constitution on Constitution Day (VIDEO)
September 19, 2013
by Russell Westerholm in University Herald
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What This California College Wouldn’t Let a Student Do on ‘Constitution Day’ May Make Your Blood Boil
September 19, 2013
by Jason Howerton on The Blaze
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Campus cop stops student from handing out Constitutions… ON CONSTITUTION DAY
September 19, 2013
by Robby Soave in The Daily Caller
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You Can’t Hand Out the Constitution Without a Permit, Says Modesto Junior College
September 19, 2013
by Brian Doherty on Hit and Run Happy Constitution Day, kids of Modesto Junior College! Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) reports on the latest from the world of "Free Speech Zones" in the U.S. of A: Modesto Junior College in California told a student that he could not pass out copies of the United States Constitution outside the student center on September 17, 2013—Constitution Day. Captured on video, college police and administrators demanded that Robert Van Tuinen stop passing out Constitution pamphlets and told him that he would only be allowed to pass them out in the college’s […]
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Student at California college told he can’t pass out Constitutions on Constitution Day
September 19, 2013
by Kelsey Osterman at Red Alert Politics
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MJC halt of Constitution handout lands on YouTube
September 19, 2013
by Nan Austin in The Modesto Bee
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On Constitution Day, California College Student Ordered to Stop Handing out Constitutions
September 19, 2013
by Greg Lukianoff on The Huffington Post
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California College Tells Student He Can’t Hand Out Copies Of The Constitution On Constitution Day
September 19, 2013
by Tim Cushing on TechDirt
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Student Barred From Distributing Copies Of The U.S. Constitution On Constitution Day
September 19, 2013
by Nina Kate in Opposing Views
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Student Barred From Distributing Copies Of The U.S. Constitution On Constitution Day
September 19, 2013
by Nina Kate on OpposingViews. Passing out free copies of the United States Constitution may seem like a reasonable way to celebrate Constitution Day; but in an apparent infringement of the Constitution’s own First Amendment, one California college prevented a student from doing just that. On September 17, Robert Van Tuinen of Modesto Junior College reportedly stood outside the student resource center handing out pamphlets of the Constuition for approximately 10 minutes before campus police approached him and demanded that he cease. According to college regulations, Tuinen was only permitted to hand out materials in the designated “free speech zone,” implying […]
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Modesto Junior College Obligingly Beclowns Itself To Make A Point About Censorship
September 19, 2013
by Ken White on Popehat
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VIDEO: Public school bans students from handing out Constitutions on Constitution Day
September 19, 2013
by Timothy Dionisopoulos on Campus Reform.
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MJC halt of Constitution handout lands on YouTube
September 19, 2013
by Nan Austin in The Modesto Bee.
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Constitution Day 2014: What a Difference a Year Makes
September 18, 2014
September 17, 2013—last year’s Constitution Day—turned out to be a dark moment in the history of free speech on America’s campuses. That was the day Robert Van Tuinen was stopped from handing out Constitutions on the campus of Modesto Junior College (MJC) in California. He had neglected to sign up to use the school’s tiny “free speech area,” the only place that a student was allowed to hand out literature. On the same day, an administrator at Citrus College (also in California) told student Vinny Sinapi-Riddle that he could be removed from campus for seeking another student’s signature on a […]
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FIRE’s Joe Cohn Speaking at Modesto Junior College Tomorrow for Constitution Day
September 16, 2014
Students, faculty, and FIRE supporters in the Modesto, California, area are invited to hear FIRE Legislative and Policy Director Joe Cohn speak at Modesto Junior College, home of one of FIRE’s most noteworthy cases, tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. in Founders Hall 212. Joe will be speaking about student rights on campus in honor of Constitution Day.
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Azhar Majeed’s Simple Message to College Administrators: End Censorship, or Else
September 3, 2014
My colleague Azhar Majeed, Director of FIRE’s Individual Rights Education Program, published an op-ed in The Huffington Post yesterday with an important back-to-school message for college administrators: Eliminate speech codes, or get ready to head to court.
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Modesto Junior College’s Lawyer: Colleges, Dump Your Speech Codes
August 22, 2014
Every advocate dreams of winning over an opponent, but it rarely happens. It’s just possible, though, that FIRE might have done so. David Urban of the law firm Liebert Cassidy Whitmore has written a thorough and insightful post on his firm’s blog advising colleges and universities to review their speech-related policies to insulate themselves from the threat of litigation—like FIRE’s new Stand Up For Speech Litigation Project.
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Stand Up For Speech Litigation Project Makes Media Splash
July 2, 2014
Yesterday, FIRE launched our new Stand Up For Speech Litigation Project, a national effort to eliminate unconstitutional speech codes through targeted First Amendment lawsuits. Within minutes of the announcement, major media outlets were spreading the word, and over the past 24 hours, the nation’s top newspapers have reported on this big step in the fight for free speech on campus. Here is some of yesterday’s and today’s news coverage of Stand Up For Speech and the four lawsuits FIRE brought yesterday with the help of law firm Davis Wright Tremaine:
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Go Behind the Scenes of the Struggle for Free Speech at Modesto J.C. (VIDEO)
June 25, 2014
Today, FIRE has released a new video chronicling the struggle for free speech at Modesto Junior College (MJC) in California, where student Robert Van Tuinen was famously prevented from distributing copies of the U.S. Constitution, on Constitution Day, no less.
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Thomas Jefferson Center Announces 2014 ‘Muzzle’ Awards
April 10, 2014
Thomas Jefferson’s birthday is on Sunday, and that means it’s time for the “Jefferson Muzzle” awards, granted by the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression! Torch readers won’t be surprised to see a few FIRE cases on this year’s list of “winners.”
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Speech Code of the Month: Colorado Mesa University
April 7, 2014
FIRE announces its Speech Code of the Month for April 2014: Colorado Mesa University. Colorado Mesa’s policy on “Free Speech” limits students’ expressive activities to just one “concrete patio” on the university’s 86-acre campus. While the university has the right to enact reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions, courts have held time and again that onerous restrictions like this one are not reasonable.
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Speech Code at Modesto Junior College Fixed. Who’s Next?
March 17, 2014
Six months ago today, Modesto Junior College officials stopped student Robert Van Tuinen from distributing copies of the Constitution on campus, prompting him to file suit for violation of his First Amendment rights. Last Friday, Van Tuinen’s lawyers filed a stipulation for dismissal of his lawsuit in federal court, the final step in implementing the settlement that resulted in a complete overhaul of Modesto Junior College’s (MJC’s) speech policies and expectations as well as a $50,000 payment.
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Victory: Modesto Junior College Settles Student’s First Amendment Lawsuit
February 25, 2014
Yesterday evening, California’s Modesto Junior College (MJC) agreed to settle a First Amendment lawsuit filed last October by student Robert Van Tuinen, whom the college prevented from handing out copies of the Constitution on Constitution Day. The videotaped incident drew national media attention.
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2013 in Review: Threats from Washington, Victories in the States
December 30, 2013
As 2013 comes to a close, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) looks back on a year that was headlined by dire threats to free speech and student rights on campus.
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Support FIRE’s Fight Against Free Speech Zones
December 24, 2013
The free speech gazebo. 0.1%. A “little cement area.” 10-day advance registration. As far too many students sadly know, the vocabulary of campus free speech zones provides a ready example of the absurdity of campus censorship. This year, administrators at Modesto Junior College proved just how far that absurdity extends when they prohibited student Robert Van Tuinen from distributing copies of the Constitution on Constitution Day simply because he hadn’t met the requirements of the school’s free speech zone policy. Robert’s experience isn’t all that unique. Rather than celebrating free expression, too many of our colleges and universities confine it to small areas, restrict it […]
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California College Suspends Speech Restrictions Amidst Settlement Talks
December 18, 2013
FRESNO, Calif., Dec. 18, 2013—Modesto Junior College (MJC) has agreed to suspend enforcement of its “free speech zone” as it negotiates an end to a federal lawsuit filed by a student prevented from handing out copies of the Constitution on campus on Constitution Day. A joint stipulation filed in federal district court yesterday by MJC and attorneys for student Robert Van Tuinen states that the parties have agreed on several significant revisions to the college’s “free speech policies and procedures,” pending final approval by the Yosemite Community College District, expected this spring. “FIRE welcomes this development as a sign that Modesto Junior College is […]
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Lawsuit! Student Ordered to Stop Handing Out Constitutions on Constitution Day Files Suit
October 10, 2013
A student who was ordered by college administrators to stop handing out copies of the Constitution on campus—on Constitution Day—filed suit today in federal court. Modesto Junior College (MJC) student and Army veteran Robert Van Tuinen is suing the Yosemite Community College District and MJC administrators for violating his First Amendment rights. Van Tuinen is represented by the law firm of Davis Wright Tremaine and is assisted by FIRE.
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Modesto Doubles Down on Unconstitutional Policies, Claims School Protects Free Speech by Restricting It
September 23, 2013
Over the weekend, Modesto Junior College (MJC) President Jill Stearns published a statement in The Modesto Bee responding to the public outcry that arose from the school’s demand that student Robert Van Tuinen stop handing out copies of the U.S. Constitution to his fellow students on Constitution Day. The incident “motivated a vast number of individuals across our country to voice their concern through email and phone calls,” according to Stearns. While some of the communications were evidently personal attacks directed toward MJC staff (which is lamentable), Stearns concedes that a great number of the calls and emails represented a […]
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Modesto Junior College’s Attempts at Damage Control Fail
September 20, 2013
When government officials say something stupid, their PR folks quickly devise a strategy to “walk back” the statement. Modesto Junior College has skipped walking and is sprinting back its unwise decision to stop a student from distributing copies of the Constitution on Constitution Day. As well it should. Here’s the statement that appeared on its Facebook page within hours of FIRE’s press release exposing Modesto’s policy of requiring students to sign up in advance to use a “free speech zone” to express their views: The Yosemite Community College District’s (YCCD) colleges have free speech areas on campus for activities such as distributing materials […]
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California College Forbids Passing Out Constitutions… On Constitution Day
September 19, 2013
MODESTO, Calif., September 19, 2013—In a stunning illustration of the attitude taken towards free speech by too many colleges across the United States, Modesto Junior College in California told a student that he could not pass out copies of the United States Constitution outside the student center on September 17, 2013—Constitution Day. Captured on video, college police and administrators demanded that Robert Van Tuinen stop passing out Constitution pamphlets and told him that he would only be allowed to pass them out in the college’s tiny free speech zone, and only after scheduling it several days or weeks ahead of […]
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