Assignment task: Public universities and colleges are "public forums" and, thus, are designated places for expression with First Amendment protections. The only restriction is that such expression cannot "disrupt" the purpose of the public forum (teach classes, conduct business, etc.). Historically, the college experience has been an environment where students are offered the opportunity to hear speakers of with different views on a variety of subjects. This provides students with the opportunity to think more deeply about today's issues and questions. In some cases, however, that expression may be provocative or offensive to some students. In addition, some students and university employees feel that bringing such speakers to campus creates the impression that the university "endorses" the speaker's views. This also creates problems with sponsors and alumni of the institution. Remember, students always have the right to attend or not to attend. Finally, when provocative speakers come to campus to speech, the university may have to pay considerable sums ($100K or more) for security and crowd management. This comes out of the institution's budget. Please remember that this issue rarely involves small/rural college campuses. It has only been an issue on large, often urban university campuses. In the end, this is a complicated issue. Considering all the issues involved and watch the video below, what do you think the "policy" should be regarding speakers on college/university campuses in America? Please consider all perspectives on this issue and provide evidence from the textbook and this video to make your case. "Free Speech: Colleges in the Crossfire/Moving Upstream" (10:46 minutes) YouTube. Uploaded by The Wall Street Journal 22 Jan. 2018
In the 2022 midterm elections, 63 percent of all voters 19-30 voted for Democratic candidates and 35 percent voted for Republican candidates. What issues do you think motivated the choices of Gen Z/Millennial voters? Use information from the textbook and the video below to make your case. "How Gen Z Has Powered Protests for Racial Justice." (1:52 minutes) YouTube. Uploaded by Scripps News 8 June 2020