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CFN Member and Others Erect Free Speech Wall at Arizona State University

Continuing a welcome trend of students promoting free speech on their campuses, Arizona State University (ASU) student groups including Students For Liberty (whose chapter president is a CFN member), the College Republicans, and the Network of Enlightened Women collaborated last week to erect a free speech wall on ASU's campus. At a free speech wall event, organizers build a temporary wall with paper and markers available for people to write, draw, or post any message they like. According to The State Press, ASU's campus newspaper, the event was a huge success, attracting students with various viewpoints to express themselves on the wall:

Anarchists, atheists, religious advocates, drug users and Obama supporters all had their say on the Wall without having to pull any punches, said Carlos Alfaro, ASU's Students for Liberty campus coordinator.

Alfaro said everybody must not forget their constitutional rights and liberties in the U.S. and it's important for everyone to be able to speak their mind.

"The cool thing that this wall represents is that we can all get together at one particular freedom," Alfaro said. "And that's the freedom to say whatever we want. So we work together through freedom."

Yesterday, organizers posted about the event on Students For Liberty's blog, also noting that the comments displayed on the free speech wall demonstrated a wide range of opinions on political and social issues.

As the SFL blog post mentions, ASU earned FIRE's coveted "green light" rating earlier this year after changes in university policy (spurred by student advocacy) removed restrictions on student expression, fully allowing for a robust demonstration of free speech that was absolutely problem-free. (See, colleges and universities? Free speech is not so bad!)

We at FIRE love to see students exercise their rights on campus, and want to congratulate these ASU students on a job well done. Keep an eye on the Campus Freedom Network website (thecfn.org) and The Torch to learn more about how students are promoting student rights at their schools.

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