Two bills working their way through the Michigan state Senate would bring serious repercussions to any state college students who infringe upon the free speech rights of others on campus.
MLive reports that the bills, which would apply to the fifteen universities and twenty-eight community colleges in Michigan, require the state’s institutions of higher learning to issue either a one-year suspension or an expulsion for students found twice to have violated or infringed upon another’s free speech rights.
The Michigan Association of State Universities opposes the bills, calling them “unnecessary and duplicative” and an infringement upon the rights of colleges to govern their own campuses.
Known as the “campus free speech act,” the legislation directs colleges and universities to develop a policy on free expression that’s committed to fostering an open discourse on campus and does not shield students from controversial speakers or ideas, even those considered “deeply offensive.”
In addition, the legislation says institutions should “strive to remain neutral” on the “public policy controversies of the day.” Critics of the bill say colleges should be permitted to speak out on issues that impact operations, such as state budgets or President Donald Trump’s proposed travel ban.
The bills are supported by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a campus free speech watchdog group. But Joe Cohn, the group’s legislative and policy director, says a few “important but modest” improvements are needed.
One of those improvements: A more precise definition of what it means for a student to “infringe” upon another person’s free speech rights.
Cohn said he agrees with sanctioning students who use violent or aggressive actions to shut down a speech or event on campus. But he said a student shouldn’t be sanctioned simply for shouting out “boo” during a speech.
“The current bill doesn’t describe how severe someone’s actions need to be to infringe on someone’s free speech rights,” he said.
The bills are based on a proposal from the libertarian Goldwater Institute, an Arizona-based think tank. Similar bills have been proposed in numerous other states, including California and North Carolina.
MORE: North Carolina bill would punish students who interfere with free speech
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