The University of California’s attempt to regulate intolerant speech on campus is racking up hostile reviews as legal experts express their concerns that a draft copy of the new policy violates the First Amendment. The experts found the statement confusing, contradictory and even unnecessary. (The Huffington Post, September 16, 2015, by Tyler Kingkade)
A Los Angeles Times editorial said the statement written by the staff of UC President Janet Napolitano erred in its definition of “unacceptable tolerance” that “encompasses the expression of opinions outside the context of insults or discriminatory conduct.” (The Los Angeles Times, September 16, 2015, by The Times Editorial Board)
President Barack Obama addressed the issue of speech on college campuses in a session with high school students. Obama said he found value in encountering contrary opinions. Sometimes they tested his assumptions, and he even found himself changing his mind. He said students had to be ready to deal with offensive speech. “I don’t agree that you, when you become students at colleges, have to be coddled and protected from different points of view,” he said. Obama was responding to a proposal to cut funding for “politically biased” colleges. (The Chronicle of Higher Education, September 15, 2015, by Andy Thomason)