This week, I unveiled a new and detailed accounting of the pervasive degradation of First Amendment rights on college campuses across the nation. This hostile takeover of postsecondary education by political activists, woke faculty, and partisan administrators has established a dangerous trend that threatens students’ constitutionally guaranteed rights and the college education model that should, at its very core, be an open marketplace for all ideas to be heard, free of political bias and agendas. Unprecedented attempts to chill the exercising of free speech in postsecondary education have reached an all-time crescendo—the plague of illiberalism has taken root. While headway has been made within the states to enact sensible public policy to preserve the First Amendment rights of students and faculty, more must be done to fend off the corrosive ideology that is cancel culture.
My report offers sensible solutions that can right the ship before it’s too late. Contrary to the despotic mantras of colleges and universities that bend the knee to the woke mob, free expression and through are not societal ills – and they never will be. Below are three top line points from the Freedom of Speech and Its Protection on College Campuses report:
- Why Free Speech is Critical to the Goals of Postsecondary Education. Whether enrolled in a liberal arts college or in medical school, students will present arguments, hear rebuttals, and examine different viewpoints as they seek, discover, and explore the best ideas their peers and the world have to offer.
- What Has Been Done and Why it is Not Enough. Twenty-three states have enacted legislation to enforce the First Amendment on college campuses. However, some proposals fail to include strong enforcement mechanisms to ensure universities are effectively protecting the constitutional rights of their students and faculty.
- Potential Legislative Considerations. House Republicans have offered various proposals to protect expressive rights on college campuses, such as Rep. Greg Murphy's (R-NC) Campus Free Speech Restoration Act and Rep. Elise Stefanik's (R-NY) Restoring Academic Freedom on Campus Act.
To read my full report, click here.
ICYMI: My Latest Op-Ed
Public education in America is declining, and students are the ones who are being affected the most – they deserve better. In the face of a radical Biden administration, powerful teachers unions, and Far Left political opportunists bent on pushing a woke agenda, House Republicans continue to fight for education freedom and the rights of parents. Recently, I penned an op-ed in the Daily Caller with House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik to discuss our work to advance parental involvement and education freedom. Our work continues to fulfill the tenets outlined in House Republicans’ Commitment to America.
To read our op-ed, click here.
Confronting Communist China
On Tuesday, the Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education (ECESE) Subcommittee held a hearing to investigate the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) efforts to infiltrate America’s K-12 schools. In postsecondary education, the CCP exerts soft power on the American education system through cultural exchange outposts known as Confucius Institutes. The K-12 arms of this propaganda machine, called Confucius Classrooms, were under the microscope for their potential malignant influence. It’s time to expel the CCP – and all foreign adversaries – from American education.
To watch the full hearing, click here.
Quote of The Week
“Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.”
-Benjamin Franklin
Have a blessed weekend,
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