Are US college campuses free speech zones? Experts talk it out at UNLV

When administrators at the University of California, Irvine set out to update the school’s policies on how to handle appearances by divisive or unpopular speakers on campus, they set a goal of completing their work in three months.

That was 10 months ago, said Ucirvine’s chancellor, Howard Gillman, and the staff is still at it.

Appearing during a symposium on free speech Tuesday at UNLV’S Boyd School of Law, Gillman outlined some of the complexities involved in balancing the university’s mission to allow expression across the political spectrum with its obligation to maintain security on campus. He said any university that wasn’t attempting to establish clear and comprehensive policies on the issue was risking legal ramifications at a time when free speech issues have led to violence on campuses and a number of organizations have sued over controversial speakers being banned from making appearances at colleges.

Although campuses largely are perceived as places where the free expression of ideas is part of the core mission, Gillman and other experts at the symposium said the reality was that the issue is complicated.

As shown by incidents such as rioting at University of California, Berkeley over “alt-right” provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos’ college speaking tour and violence at Middlebury College over an appearance by libertarian social scientist Charles Murray, today’s toxically divisive political environment has left universities needing to provide extensive security for polarizing speeches.

Mark Yudof, president emeritus of the University of California system, said Uc-berkeley spent $600,000 last year on security for a speech by conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, part of a $4 million overall security bill for events last year.

“There is a major message from UCB: Free speech is not free,” he said. “It turns out to be very expensive.”

But should universities ban speakers? Or establish restrictions against hate speech?

Gillman said his response to those

SUN FILE (2016) When UNLV played host to the final presidential debate of 2016, the university designated a “Public Expression Area,” outfitted with a stage and sound system, for activists, protesters, concerned citizens and students to “exercise free speech while...