A Huge Victory For Free Speech
We reported on a very egregious example of repression of free speech here. A professor at Northern Kentucky University led her graduate students and destroyed a display of crosses, legally and with permission, put up by a campus anti-abortion group.
"I did, outside of class during the break, invite students to express their freedom-of-speech rights to destroy the display if they wished to," Jacobsen said.
Today, the president of NKU sent out a letter to the campus. It's a really good example of what colleges and universities should stand for (as opposed to Yale):
It has been heartening that student and faculty groups that do not necessarily support the position of Northern Kentucky Right to Life have come out strongly in support of the organization's right to be heard through their display. This reflects a commitment to the importance of free speech and inquiry as a hallmark of our University.
Professor Jacobsen has been removed from her remaining classes and placed on leave from the University. She will retire from the University at the end of this semester. The Faculty Senate, representing more than 1,000 NKU faculty members, has taken strong action today that affirms the importance of free expression as a defining quality of the University. Our campus has spoken with a strong and unified voice. Further action may occur once a full investigation has been completed.
Absolutely right. Please go read the whole thing. This is a great letter.
H/T Instapundit for this link
The Ivory Tower | Gaius April 17, 2006
By Black Jack, April 18, 2006 @ 11:30 am
Good for the leaders at NKU. Seems not all college administrations need remedial education. Perhaps there’s hope for higher education in America after all. Let there be light.