College students have a widespread history of exercising their rights to free speech through protest as a means of expressing displeasure with the status quo. While some administrators consider it a disruption to academic learning on college campuses, extensive research has found that student activism as a form of involvement on campus lends…

Considers gay student organizations' rights at state-supported public institutions, discusses the First Amendment and the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Offers advice on the major principles and issues that should be taken into account in writing a campus policy regarding the rights of gay student organizations. (Author/RJM)

Many college and university administrators have responded to the recent increase in hateful incidents on campus by putting hate speech codes into place. The establishment of speech codes has sparked a heated debate over the impact that such codes have upon free speech and First Amendment values. Some commentators have suggested that viewing hate…

Explores the debate on diversity, clarifying how the positive effects of diversity activities outweigh potential problems. Explains the role of student affairs administrators in using the university mission statement to concurrently promote diversity, civility, and free speech. Describes the First Amendment as setting minimum parameters for…

Addresses the First Amendment issues raised by the Hazelwood decision, which ruled that administrators serve as publishers of the student press. Recent decisions have shown that the courts will apply Hazelwood to post-secondary schools. These decisions reflect an ideology which supports the inculcation of society's values on college students. (RJM)

Assesses the use of language prohibiting hate crimes in campus conduct codes and determines whether such language unlawfully regulates speech, or behavior, or both. Examined senior student affairs officers' familiarity with two pertinent court decisions, along with the perceived applicability and use of the decisions in revising conduct codes.…