UNLV and the University of Alabama, Student Senates and Academic Freedom

by Liberty and Power

The student senate the University of Alabama has launched a pro-free speech rebellion against the faculty senate. At the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, on the other hand, the student senate (egged on by its president) appears to be aligning with the opponents of academic freedom in the Hoppe case. Perhaps there is hope yet. Marc Roth, one of the student senators at UNLV, has broken ranks in favor of free speech. Mr. Roth deserves the strong encouragement of all of those who support academic freedom.

Unfortunately, the UNLV student senators who want to restrict speech are not alone. Robert Campbell points out that the Student Government Association at the University of Southern Mississippi has also proven to be an obstacle to academic freedom.

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Stephan (K-dog) Kinsella - 7/14/2005

I don't wonder. To ask is to answer.

Steven Horwitz - 3/4/2005

Note this: The report also mentioned Hoppe's position was published by the Family Research Council and quoted frequently by www.godhatesfags.com.

A quick search of both sites found no references to Hoppe or UNLV by name. I didn't do a deeper search for the underlying ideas. Wouldn't surprise me to find either site using Hoppe as a poster boy, especially the thoroughly repulsive ghf site, which only goes to show why the example was so poorly chosen. Of course why it should matter who uses Hoppe's words when the case is against Hoppe himself is a whole other story. Typical kangaroo court proceedings in the state university system.

Steven Horwitz - 3/4/2005

Interesting reaction from the students. I wonder if those sympathetic to Knight would be equally concerned about not presenting "peer-reviewed facts" in the classroom if the speaker's politics were sympathetic to their own.