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Campus free speech bill heads to governor

RALEIGH — North Carolina lawmakers have given the green light to a bill protecting free speech at public universities. In a 34-11 vote, House Bill 527, Restore/Preserve Free Speech, passed the Senate on Wednesday. The House, which passed H.B. 527 in April, on Thursday voted 77-34 to concur with the Senate’s revised version of the bill. H.B. 527 requires the University of North Carolina Board of Governors to adopt a uniform speech policy...

Kari Travis
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Campus free speech gets a boost in neighboring Tennessee

Tennessee has weighed in on the free speech debate and has passed legislation to safeguard First Amendment rights at public universities. House Bill 538, the Campus Free Speech Protection Act, mirrors legislation now under consideration in the North Carolina Senate. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a nonpartisan research organization, collaborated with both states...

Kari Travis
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More UNC campuses giving free speech its due, FIRE reports

RALEIGH — First Amendment Rights just got the “green light” on two University of North Carolina campuses. New findings from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a nonpartisan research and litigation organization, show a positive shift in speech protections at UNC Greensboro and North Carolina Central University. FIRE divides public and private universities into three...

Kari Travis
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UNC campuses no longer free-speech zones?

RALEIGH — What started with a simple conversation among three students at North Carolina State University ended in a lawsuit. Hannalee Alrutz wanted something different, but actions by the administration left her little choice. Alrutz is president of Grace Christian Life, an evangelical campus group at N.C. State with roughly 100 members, who distributed pamphlets...

Kari Travis
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ACLU, Generation Opportunity have divergent views on free speech bill

Free speech is important, say political activists on the Left and the Right. That’s a no-brainer, yet it’s also where consensus ends. Groups such as the liberal American Civil Liberties Union and the conservative Generation Opportunity disagree about how best to protect those First Amendment rights. House Bill 527, Restore/Preserve Campus Free Speech — which...

Kari Travis
News

Campus free speech bill meant to bolster students’ rights

RALEIGH —  Fifteen of the 16 University of North Carolina system campuses fall short on free-speech protections, a prominent civil-liberties group says. But a new bill, championed by Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, may go far toward honoring students’ First Amendment rights. House Bill 527, “Restore/Preserve Campus Free Speech,” is designed to maintain freedoms and bolster...

Kari Travis

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