The University of West Alabama, a public institution in Livingston, Ala., holds a red speech code rating, according to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education’s campus free speech rating system.
Colleges and universities that have at least one policy that “both clearly and substantially restricts freedom of speech” are assigned a red light rating, according to FIRE.
Recommended Stories
West Alabama has a number of policies that violate rights guaranteed by the First Amendment for students on campus, including the popular “Free Speech Zone.”
According to their speaker policy, the university contradicts itself by stating that their policies “guarantee protection of First Amendment rights to freedom of speech” while the very next sentence explains their restrictive Free Speech Zone policy.
There is only one place on campus where students can engage in demonstrations, which is at the front of the Student Union Building. Furthermore, gatherings are not to take place “near academic buildings, residence halls, campus apartments, and the cafeteria, unless specifically approved by the Director of Student Life.”
“The University of West Alabama clearly does not understand the First Amendment,” Alexander Staudt, Young Americans for Liberty’s director of free speech, told Red Alert Politics. “Universities do not have the right to restrict where students can engage with each other on campus.”
If students want to use a space other than the Free Speech Zone, groups must file an application with the director of Student Activities 10 days prior to an event or meeting.
“Restricting speech because someone may get offended is antithetical to what should be the goal of higher education: to expand one’s mind,” Zach Warren, a Young Americans for Liberty activist from Alabama, told Red Alert Politics. “By restricting peaceful student expression, universities do a great disservice to students and hamper their ability to learn.”
The University of West Alabama did not respond in time for publication.
