A new Oklahoma law will require first-year undergraduate and graduate students to undergo training on freedom of speech and bars public colleges and universities from viewpoint discrimination in their dealings with student organizations or student-sponsored events, including religious ones.
Senate Bill 1725, signed by outgoing two-term Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt, will also require administrators and professors to be educated on the law’s requirements and the duties of higher education institutions in ensuring free expression.
The bill sailed through the GOP-led legislature with a 40–7 vote in the state Senate and a 78–15 vote in the state House.
‘Meant to be free’
“Public colleges and universities are meant to be free and open to the exchange of ideas,” remarked Sara Beth Nolan, legal counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom, in a statement. “But when a university discriminates against students by charging fees based on the content of their speech—which includes how others might respond to it — that speech is not free. In fact, it is very expensive. This bill helps ensure that Oklahoma’s public universities remain places where intellectual diversity flourishes and all students can engage in the exchange of ideas rather than being censored.
“We commend House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, the bill’s other supporters in the Oklahoma Legislature, and Gov. Stitt for encouraging a culture of open expression on college campuses by enacting this legislation.”
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written and originally published by Decision Magazine. Used with permission.
