Tennessee Passes Campus Free Speech Protection Act: What’s Next for Higher Education?
Washington, DC (May 30, 2017) — Earlier this month, Tennessee passed the Campus Free Speech Protection Act, which aims to ensure that “public institutions of higher education embrace a commitment to the freedom of speech and expression for all students and faculty.” This law, and similar bills and laws in 10 other states, bars free speech zones on public campuses, bans colleges from disinviting controversial speakers, and prohibits students and faculty from interfering with the free speech rights of others.
A First Amendment expert and Communication Studies scholar who has written a publicly accessible analysis is available to discuss the implications of the new Tennessee law for higher education institutions and the wave of similar legislation recently proposed in the wake of multiple campus controversies related to freedom of speech and expression. To consider:
- What are the biggest advantages and disadvantages for faculty and students at institutions where these laws have been proposed or are in effect?
- What role does politics play in these new laws, considering that some were drafted by conservative think tanks?
- What are some of the possible long-term impacts on higher education that may arise from these free speech protection laws?
Who
Dustin A. Wood, Ph.D.
Senior Lecturer, Department of Communication Studies, Vanderbilt University
Wood’s teaching and research focuses on the First Amendment and religious communication.
Contact
To schedule an interview with Dr. Wood, please contact Jenna Sauber at jsauber@natcom.org or 202-534-1104.
The National Communication Association (NCA) advances Communication as the discipline that studies all forms, modes, media, and consequences of communication through humanistic, social scientific, and aesthetic inquiry. NCA serves the scholars, teachers, and practitioners who are its members by enabling and supporting their professional interests in research and teaching. Dedicated to fostering and promoting free and ethical communication, NCA promotes the widespread appreciation of the importance of communication in public and private life, the application of competent communication to improve the quality of human life and relationships, and the use of knowledge about communication to solve human problems. NCA supports inclusiveness and diversity among our faculties, within our membership, in the workplace, and in the classroom; NCA supports and promotes policies that fairly encourage this diversity and inclusion.
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