ANOTHER university stops students from handing out Constitution

Two students are suing the University of Hawaii for violating their First Amendment rights after administrator prevented them from distributing copies of the U.S. Constitution — demonstrating a frightening lack of knowledge about the very legal document they were attempting to censor.

ANOTHER university stops students from handing out Constitution

I searched for this and didn't see it posted.

Here we go again. Two students are suing the University of Hawaii for handing out CONSTITUTIONS! Since when was the Constitution a no-no document to educate people with?

The students were told that they could only distribute literature from within UH-Hilo’s “free speech zone,” a small, muddy, frequently-flooded area on the edge of campus.

Administrators further clarified their level of respect for students’ free speech rights, making comments like, “This isn’t really the ’60s anymore,” and “people can’t really protest like that anymore,” according to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.

Seriously the more you read of this story the worse it is. Free speech zones? What the heck? And that comment by the administrators talking about protest, that is some straight up bs. First, in the FRICKING Constitution that they are banning from distributing it says we have the right to protest anywhere we want. The decade we are in is irrelevant. This college is literally stripping the rights of the students and their free speech. Good on them for suing the school, I hope they win.

More sources:

www.foxnews.com...
townhall.com... 9145

From the Fox News article:

The lawsuit also challenges a separate policy that reportedly requires students to request permission seven working days prior to engaging in "expressive activity" in two designated areas located in the central part of campus

You don't schedule your protest or expressive activity for when it is convenient. That defeats the purpose. The whole POINT of the protest is to inconvenience passerbys so that they learn about the cause being demonstrated about. WOW!

“The First Amendment is not optional at public colleges—it’s the law. Enforcing restrictive ‘free speech zone’ policies that prevent students from passing out copies of the Constitution is impossible to justify," Lukianoff said in a statement.

Well said.

The heads of that university are traitors to your country and shoud stand trial for treason!

I don't know what the policies were at my college when I went, but people handed out literature and there were protests like legalizing Mary Jane and performance stuff going on. I've met Hara Krishnas, Christians, and liberals on campus and always liked all the different points of view.

The colleges and universities should embrace freedom of expression and the free exchange of information and ideas because that is what they are all about, at least they used to be.

a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck

Now now, didn't you read the administrator's words? This isn't the 60's anymore, therefore they are totally justified in shutting down free speech and expression.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

Those same administrators were probably out protesting back in the sixties, and now that they are in charge, they don't like the idea of some one else using their own tactics against them. Especially when it comes to that pesky Constitution.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

the idea of freedom is abhorrent to some people.

The Constitution exemplifies the very thing that many are against.
Individuality.
Self determination.

These people are cowards that would rather rest in the bosom of government security than embrace the responsibility that freedom carries.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

Yeah, that whole first amendment thing has run its course and is obsolete now. Dangerous even and should be amended out of the BoR.

It's so crazy to watch politicians, media and academia all support the authority of the state like this. Interesting times.

Politicians I expect this from. But the media is supposed to keep them in check and academia is supposed to be die-hard liberty-for-all.

Mussolini was right saying the people are tired of freedom. Maybe things will be easier when we're all chained in ship hulls.

originally posted by: TDawgRex
a reply to: Krazysh0t

Those same administrators were probably out protesting back in the sixties, and now that they are in charge, they don't like the idea of some one else using their own tactics against them. Especially when it comes to that pesky Constitution.

I actually thought the same thing when I read about this. That's probably why they brought it up, like the generation gap is a justifiable reason to defend this abuse of free speech.

The biggest travesty of this whole debacle is that the only recourse these two students have (which they are pursuing) is a lawsuit. In the end, when they win this case (at least that is what I hope and should happen), it isn't the administrators that will suffer from this, but the taxpayers will since this is a public university. They will have to pay for the unconstitutional practices of the college.

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
The biggest travesty of this whole debacle is that the only recourse these two students have (which they are pursuing) is a lawsuit. In the end, when they win this case (at least that is what I hope and should happen), it isn't the administrators that will suffer from this, but the taxpayers will since this is a public university. They will have to pay for the unconstitutional practices of the college.

The cost of this lawsuit should be passed along to the administrators who where responsible for the unconstitutional policy that they had implimented.If they don't win this case then there will be proof that the Constitution is no longer in force.Should that happen then we can be sure that the power mongers in government have won and we are all now slaves.

I find the whole situation disgusting. The restricting of the god given rights of a person as set forth in the constitution should not be tolerated.Those rights are naturally occuring and were aknowleged in the constitution,not given by it.The specific wording even aknowleges that there are more rights then those listed in the document itself.

Seems the school has a policy against approaching other students for solicitation.

When using a public venue such as the Campus Center Plaza, RISOs may not approach people to solicit information. Although we support a diverse intellectual and social atmosphere on campus, we also believe that each person should be able to freely choose whether to listen to your solicitation or not. At all times, during a RISO’s use of any campus facility, there shall be RISO members present. – from RISO Handbook

Lawsuit Complaint

I'm all for freedom of speech, AND I believe in certain limits. This is a campus, where other students have the right not to be solicited... It's a tough call. Will be interested to see the outcome.

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

I saw that in the original article as well, but examples such as the OP highlight the hypocrisy of these rules. Yes, being solicited to buy crap is annoying and frustrating to deal with, but handing out free information (especially about our country) with no strings attached should NEVER be regulated to permission status. If the people being handed this information don't like the information, they can just throw the material away and ignore the people handing out the stuff. When I was in college, every now and then I'd run into people handing out stuff and information. It's really not that hard to ignore them, but as long as they aren't selling anything then I see no harm or foul.

ETA: One of the things that come with free speech as well as free protest is that you hear and are exposed to things that may upset you or make you uncomfortable, but in order to be free you have to take the good with the bad. Luckily in this case, the material is the Constitution and it is easy to side with the students, but even if this was political propaganda or some other nonsense, it should still be allowed.

"Yes, of course you can sing 'We Shall Overcome', as long as you do it in that cage we set up."

originally posted by: igor12675
The heads of that university are traitors to your country and shoud stand trial for treason!

Absolutely correct!! Liberals(communists).
Academia really needs to be redone from the ground up. Get these leftists' claws out of it and poisoning kids minds, but don't replace it with something as bad. It needs to be free thinking.

a reply to: Fylgje

With all due respect, why do you think this has anything to do with left/right? The American constitution and freedom of speech (and the other freedoms) fit nowhere on an ideological line, but encompass the entire line (like a timeline of life on earth would include "air" or "water").

originally posted by: Fylgje

originally posted by: igor12675
The heads of that university are traitors to your country and shoud stand trial for treason!

Absolutely correct!! Liberals(communists).
Academia really needs to be redone from the ground up. Get these leftists' claws out of it and poisoning kids minds, but don't replace it with something as bad. It needs to be free thinking.

I don't know if I agree with this sentiment. Political bias shouldn't enter into the equation. We can't help it if left leaning individuals flock towards the higher education institutions (like they've always done). While it is wrong of them to try to indoctrinate the students to their political philosophy, this shouldn't be about them, but their actions.

Just another "nail" in the coffin of LIBERTY.......The answer to 1984....is 1776...!!!

originally posted by: Benevolent Heretic
Seems the school has a policy against approaching other students for solicitation.

Similar to the one here at ATS.

Maybe all those complaining should head for the door.

I would contend that handing out the Constitution is solicitation. It's not selling anything. I'm wondering since college campuses are hot beds for activism if the people in charge would rather any would be activists not know their rights. It seems kind of dumb though if that's their thinking. The first thing you learn when you decide to participate in activism is the Constitution and your rights.

The Constitution should be able to be handed out anywhere in this country. Corporatizing everything including academia is such a bad road to go down.

originally posted by: daskakik

originally posted by: Benevolent Heretic
Seems the school has a policy against approaching other students for solicitation.

Similar to the one here at ATS.

Maybe all those complaining should head for the door.

Wait, are you suggesting that people shouldn't voice their dissatisfactions and just accept the status quo? Because that is COMPLETELY against the American way.