Table of Contents
果冻传媒app官方鈥檚 Mitchell in the Harrisburg 鈥楶atriot-News鈥
An important column by FIREProgram Officer Charles Mitchell appears today in the Harrisburg Patriot-News. In response to Rep. Dan Surra鈥檚 comment that the Pennsylvania Legislature鈥檚 Select Committee on Student Academic Freedom, a committee on which Surra serves, is a 鈥渃olossal waste of time,鈥 Charles argues for the necessity of the committee. He highlights three Pennsylvania public institutions with unconstitutional speech codes, including Penn State, Surra鈥檚 alma mater.
Charles writes:
Policies like Penn State鈥檚, Lincoln鈥檚 and IUP鈥檚 are widespread at Pennsylvania鈥檚 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
FIRE鈥檚 award-winning Newsdesk covers the free speech news you need to stay informed.
To speak or not to speak: Universities face the Kalven question
As political pressure mounts, Dinah Megibow-Taylor explores whether recent institutional statements defend academic freedom 鈥 or quietly erode it.
FIREstatement on聽Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton upholding age verification for adult content
Today, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to uphold Texas's age-verification law for sites featuring adult content, effectively reversing decades of Supreme Court precedent that protects the free speech rights of adults to access information without jumping over government age-verification hurdles.
Orchestrated silence: How one of America鈥檚 most elite music schools expelled a student for reporting harassment
Rebecca Bryant Novak earned her spot at one of the world鈥檚 top music schools. But after reporting her advisor for harassment, she says the school turned on her. Now FIREis demanding answers.
FIREto court: AI speech is still speech 鈥 and the First Amendment still applies
Is AI-generated speech speech? In a new amicus brief, FIREsays yes 鈥 and warns that when it comes to free speech and emerging tech, early missteps can echo for decades.