Ernst Fights to Restore Free Speech on College Campuses
WASHINGTON — As left-wing activists on college campuses continue to erode American students’ First Amendment rights and attack Jewish students following Hamas’s brutal assault on Israel, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) is fighting back and leading the Students Bill of Rights Act of 2024. This effort creates a universal speech and association protection standard at all public institutions receiving Title IV funding so students can fully participate in their academic community.
“Freedom of speech is a core American value that our heroes fought and died to secure – we must protect it for future generations,” said Senator Ernst, a combat veteran. “I want college students in Iowa and across America to engage in debates, challenge their ideas, and express their viewpoints freely, without facing discrimination or abuse. Echo chambers only serve to stunt the developing mind.”
The Students Bill of Rights Act of 2024 includes the following key provisions:
- Faculty Sponsors: Recognizing that student groups often struggle to find faculty sponsors, this provision ensures that alternative options for recognition are available, such as an appeals process, to guarantee that all student groups have equal opportunities for recognition.
- Distribution of Student Fees: This provision mandates that institutions publicly disclose their process for distributing funding to student clubs and requires all student funds to be distributed in a viewpoint-neutral manner, eliminating ideological bias in funding decisions.
- Security Fees: To prevent discrimination based on ideological viewpoints, this provision requires institutions to publicly disclose their security fee structure and charge security fees in a viewpoint-neutral manner.
- Protections for Campus Speakers: This provision mandates that institutions disclose their policies regarding protections for campus speakers and implement disciplinary measures for students who threaten speaker safety, ensuring that all students can express their views without fear of violence.
Background:
Ernst recently led her colleagues in demanding the Department of Education uphold its legal obligations to ensure Jewish and Israeli students are not subjected to discrimination. She also sponsored Senator Tim Scott’s Stop Antisemitism on College Campuses Act to cut federal funding for any college or university that excuses or encourages antisemitism.
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