Public universities play an essential role in freedom of expression and should act
as a promoter and protector, especially during contentious times that produce challenging
and complex discussions.
On Wednesday, Wichita State University presented “Speaking Freely on Freedom of Expression,”
a virtual panel discussion that emphasized that point, among many others.
Dr. Lee Pelton, a Wichita State alumnus who has been president of Emerson College
in Boston the past 10 years, moderated the panel.
Tyson Langhofer, a 1996 graduate of Wichita State; Christine Hughes, former vice president
and general counsel of Emerson College; and Neal Allen, chair of Wichita State’s department
of political science, joined Pelton as panelists.
“At Wichita State, we encourage debate and civil discourse,” said Dr. Rick Muma, interim
president of Wichita State. “We firmly believe that the free expression of diverse
ideas helps our institution flourish and, most importantly, it helps our students
develop into well-rounded and thoughtful global citizens.”
Langhofer, senior Counsel and director, Center for Academic Freedom with Alliance
Defending Freedom, said speech deserves broad protections and is protected by the
Supreme Court for vital reasons. The way to combat bad information, he said, is with
good information. “We are prone to censor speech we disagree with,” he said. “You
can look at hundreds of examples, over time, to show that truth does, in general,
win out. Frankly, censorship is counterproductive.”
Allen encourages universities to promote a realistic understanding of what they can
and cannot regulate when it comes to controversial topics. “I don't think we have
any kind of special power to remove people from debate and to protect them from communication
that might make them uncomfortable,” he said. “As somebody that teaches about law
and civil liberties …. the only way I can actually teach is to talk about things that
are, by their nature, objectionable to some. Politics is not about what we all agree
on. It's about what we disagree on and how to deal with it.”
Hughes explained that while the First Amendment offers protections from the government
limiting speech, it does not protect a speaker from disagreement. The immediacy of
social media adds to the challenges of this discussion. “I think people understand that even if they have a First Amendment right to say something,
they are accountable for the reactions that they generate,” she said. “I think that's
one thing, that for the students to understand that at some point if they excite a
social media firestorm that doesn't rise to the level of people being threatened with
violence that they own the consequences of their speech.”
