After the utter disgraces at UC Berkley, Middlebury College, NYU, DePaul University and the University of Houston, Virginia lawmakers decided to put forth legislation guaranteeing free speech on the state’s college campuses.
The bill, known as HB 1401, seems simple enough:
Except as otherwise permitted by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, no public institution of higher education shall abridge the constitutional freedom of any individual, including enrolled students, faculty and other employees and invited guests, to speak on campus.
The bill received bipartisan support in both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly, and was signed by Gov. Terry McAuliffe last Thursday. It will go into effect on July 1.
Republican Delegate and Chairman of the Virginia House Education Committee Steven Landes, the bill’s sponsor, was more than pleased to hear that the legislation was approved.
“This bill safeguards speech on our campuses and guarantees that our students are exposed to a wide variety of ideas and opinions and afforded the opportunity to express themselves as well,” Landes said in a press release. “Our institutions of higher education should encourage healthy debate and prevent censorship of contrary viewpoints or perceived controversial speech.
Democrat Del. Jennifer Boysko, also praised the bill.
“I hope it’s going to protect not only people who are invited to speak, but also the student’s rights to express themselves in a peaceful manner and to not be afraid of being punished for saying something,” Boysko told The Cavalier Daily, the University of Virginia’s campus newspaper. “Having a group of diverse points of view helps people grow and understand one another better.”
Boysko added that the bill will allow students to better combat hate speech.
“I see this more as a way to protect people speaking out against hate speech,” she told The Cavalier Daily. “The students have that right to say ‘this is not what we stand for,’ and I want them to know that they will not be punished for peacefully using their voices.”
While it’s great that Virginia’s lawmakers took steps to safeguard students’ First Amendment right to free speech, it’s pretty sad they felt such a bill was needed at all.
College campuses used to be the place free speech and open debate thrived. What's changed?