We're wary of proposed campus speech rules

Editorial by Wilmington Star-News, May 5, 2017.

When North Carolina’s General Assembly tries to reform our universities, the results are often unfortunate.

Back in the 1920s, the legislature tried to ban teaching evolution for a couple of terms. In 1963, they passed the Speaker Ban Law, barring Communist Party members from UNC campuses. Federal judges eventually overturned it.

Now, the Honorables are wading in again, this time in the cause of “free speech.” The House passed HB-527, innocuously called “Restore/Preserve Campus Free Speech.” In fact, it could do anything but that.

Based on a model bill from the Goldwater Institute, it is a pet project of Lt. Gov. Dan Forest. The bill starts off with high-sounding declarations about intellectual freedom and free expression.

But then it gets down to brass tacks, providing disciplinary sanctions for anyone “who interferes with the free expression of others.”

Here’s the rub: A number of conservative gadflies, such as Milo Yiannopoulos (formerly of Breitbart News) and Ann Coulter, have run into abuse when they tried to speak on campus.

That’s wrong, of course. All speakers should be able to share their views. And protesters disrupting a speech can quickly cross the line from free speech to illegal act. We already have laws to handle such cases.

HB-527, however, seems poised to provide a weapon to strike back against protesters with special “disciplinary sanctions.”

The bill also calls on UNC campuses and institutions to be “neutral ... on the public policies of the day.” Hmmm. So, if a professor alleges that there is such a thing as global warming or that blanket immigrant bans are a bad idea, will he or she be in hot water?

HB-527 turns enforcement of this over to a special 11-member committee of the Board of Governors, which will be making an annual report on the state of free speech on campus. Since the board, at this point, is almost exclusively Republican, we can guess which way it’s going to lean.

UNC President Margaret Spellings’ administration has opposed the measure, and no wonder. It would probably cost the campuses their accreditation. Spellings used to work for George W. Bush, so this isn’t exactly a Hillary-lovin’ liberal talking.

We don’t like these new notions of “safe spaces” or “trigger warnings” to protect tender young students from ideas they don’t like. HB-527, however, looks like a ploy to enforce political correctness from the other direction.

The state Senate should can it. If they don’t, Gov. Cooper should veto it.

http://www.starnewsonline.com/opinion/20170505/editorial-may-5-were-wary-of-proposed-campus-speech-rules