Freedom of expression now means shutting up on Wisconsin campuses

The Wisconsin Board of Regents apparently wants us all to get along. And will expel those students who dare to disagree. The Regents have adopted a new rule which threatens to kick out students at UW-La Crosse and other public universities simply for trying to exercise their rights to free speech. Under the rule, if students turn out to demonstrate against someone whose views they abhor, they can be sent packing. That is misguided, unnecessary and likely unconstitutional. Students should be encouraged to stand up for what they believe in. If they don’t like that their tuition money is being used to bring in a speaker who professes hate, they are well within their right to say, loudly, that they don’t agree. There are limits of course. If protesters on our campus commit or incite violence, there are already rules in place on our campuses against that. Under the language of the policy adopted by the UW Regents, students could be disciplined if even one person is offended by their protests. And why should our campuses be different? Such rules don’t apply to protests held elsewhere, like public parks or convention halls. The Regents call their new policy “The Freedom of Expression Policy.” It seems it should more appropriately be called the “Shut the hell up and get in line” policy.